Retreats in Texas
There are many people who want to go to visit Texas to stay at retreats in the state of Texas. There are many types of retreat. Some may want to stay at a retreat to see have a rest to relax or take a break in the area. Some may want to use a retreat to learn and to educate themselves on a specific subject. Some may use a retreat as a base from safety in case of strife. Some retreats are used for a place for relaxation as a place for rest and contemplation. So often retreats can have opposite purposes. One type may be for relaxation and rest, the other may be for preparation and for warning from chaos.
Retreat in this context may refer to may refer to ; a single or multi day offsite meeting to discuss strategy, build stronger teams, formulate goals ; (spiritual), a religious or spiritual term for time taken to reflect or meditate ; (survivalism), a place of refuge for those in the Survivalist subculture or movement
The term retreat has several related meanings, all of which have in common the notion of safety or temporarily removing oneself from one's usual environment in order to become immersed in a particular subject matter. A retreat can be taken for reasons related to spirituality, stress, health, lifestyle, or social or ecological concerns. Increasingly, organizations hold retreats to focus board and staff members on key issues such as strategic planning, enhancing communication and collaboration, problem-solving and creative thinking.
A retreat can either be a time of solitude or a community experience. Some retreats are held in silence, and on others there may be a great deal of conversation, depending on the understanding and accepted practices of the host facility and/or the participant(s). Retreats are often conducted at rural or remote locations, either privately, or at a retreat centre such as a monastery. Some retreats for advanced practitioners may be undertaken in darkness, a form of retreat that is common as an advanced Dzogchen practice in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism.
Spiritual retreats allow time for reflection, prayer, or meditation. They are considered essential in Buddhism, having been a common practice since the Vassa, or rainy season retreat, was established by the founder of Buddhism, Gotama Buddha. Retreats are also popular in many Christian churches, where they are seen as mirroring Christ's forty days in the desert, including evangelical Protestantism, Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism.
A retreat is a commonly used term for a place of refuge for those in the Survivalist subculture or movement. Retreats are also sometimes called Bug-Out Locations (BOLs). Survivalist retreats are intended to be self-sufficient and are generally located in lightly-populated rural areas. Common retreat locale selection parameters include light population density, plentiful water, arable soil, good solar exposure for gardening and photovoltaics, situation above any flood plains, and a diverse and healthy local economy. Fearing rioting, looting and other unrest, many survivalists advocate selecting retreat locales that are more than one tank of gasoline away from any major metropolitan region. Properties that are not in "channelized areas" or on anticipated "refugee lines of drift" are also touted. One of the key goals of retreats is to be self-sufficient for the duration of societal collapse. To that end, plentiful water, and arable soil are paramount considerations. But just behind these, comes isolated, defensible terrain. Typically, retreats do not want their habitation or structure jeopardized by being within line of sight of any major highway.
Traveling east to west, the landscape of Texas gradually evolves from that of the Deep South into that of the desert Southwest, going from piney woods to semi-forests of oak and cross timbers, into rolling plains and prairie, then finally to desert in the Big Bend. These wide open spaces of the Texas prairie have lent currency to the phrase that everything is bigger in Texas. Due to its long history as a center of the American cattle industry, Texas is associated throughout much of the world with the image of the cowboy. Historically and culturally, Texas has close ties to the American South. However, with its Spanish and Mexican roots, it can also be classified as Southwestern. While residents acknowledge these categories, many claim an independent "Texan" identity superseding regional labels.
Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas. Mexico owned the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence becoming an independent Republic. In 1845 it joined the United States as the 28th state. The state's annexation helped set off a chain of events that caused the Mexican - American War in 1846 and the USA Civil War. In the early 1900s, oil discoveries initiated an economic boom in the state. Texas has since economically diversified. It has a growing base in high technology, biomedical research and higher education. The state's gross state product ranks as the second-highest in the nation.
Alonso Álvarez de Pineda made the first documented European sighting of Texas in 1519. On November 6, 1528, shipwrecked Spanish conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca became the first known European in Texas. In 1685 La Salle established the first European community in Texas, the French colony of Fort Saint Louis. The colony, located along Matagorda Bay, lasted only four years before succumbing to harsh conditions and hostile natives.
Due to the perceived French encroachment, Spain established its first presence in Texas in 1691 constructing of missions in East Texas. The missions failed quickly, and Spain did not resettle Texas until two decades had passed. Spain returned to East Texas in 1716, establishing missions and a presidio to maintain a buffer between New Spain and the territory of Louisiana. Two years later, Spain established the first European civilian settlement in Texas, San Antonio.
Texas is located at the southernmost part of the Great Plains, which ends in the south against the folded Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico. It is in the south-central part of the United States of America. Texas' size and unique history, makes its regional affiliation debatable. Depending on the source, it can be fairly considered either or both a Southern or Southwestern state. The vast geographic, economic, and cultural diversity within the state itself prohibits easy categorization of the whole state into a recognized region of the United States. The East, Central, and North Texas, regions have a stronger association with the American South than with the Southwest. Others, such as far West Texas and South Texas share more similarities with the latter. The Rio Grande, Red River and Sabine River form natural state borders, Oklahoma on the north, Louisiana and Arkansas on the east, & the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south. The state's Texas Panhandle has an eastern border with Oklahoma at 100° W, a northern border with Oklahoma at 36°30' N and a western border with New Mexico at 103° W. El Paso lies on the state's western tip at 32° N and the Rio Grande.
El Capitan is a peak in Texas, USA. It lies within the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. It is the eighth-highest peak in Texas, and is considered the "signature peak" of West Texas.
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