Gone Camping COZY TRAVELING & THE GREAT OUTDOORS
story by DALONDO MOULTRIE
A
lready lovers of the great outdoors, a worldwide health emergency drove a Guadalupe County couple to explore nature in new, more mobile ways. Tonya Boyle and her husband of five years Dane ran around a lot outside and enjoyed their fun under the sun. However, an event nearly five years ago put a damper on the kind of fun they flew all over the United States to enjoy most often, Tonya said. “I used to be a marathoner,” she said. “We would go on what we call ‘race-cations.’ We would go anywhere we could to enjoy a race and get away. “I tore my achilles tendon and that put a stop to that.” Dane ran marathons alongside his wife. When her injury sidelined her and led to three surgeries in the last 4.5 years, running was out of the question for the couple. Marathons were never about posting the best time or finishing before anyone else but a way for the couple to commune with nature, Tonya said. The need to be outside didn’t end when she couldn’t run and the longing to get out increased when COVID-19 made its way to Texas and Guadalupe County, leading to closures of businesses and a general slowing across society. It also led to a big-ticket-item purchase for the Boyles and a new recreation, Tonya said. “When the pandemic hit, we used to travel everywhere and we would 12 SEGUIN ~ GUADALUPE COUNTY LIVING
