Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2015 i Texas Highways Magazine

The arrival of wild flowers just seems to set the world right. Whether it’s budding Big Bend bluebonnets or an early pop of wine cups, these beacons of the season bring with them the promise of lush landscapes and longer days. They lead us from winter’s nip to spring’s warm breezes. As minister and author Thomas Wentworth Higginson wrote in April Days in 1861, “The first wild-flower of the spring is like land after sea.” This month, we welcome a new crop of bloomers with our annual wild flower special—16 pages of eye-popping images by photographers tried and new. And writer Melissa Gaskill follows the flowers on four wild flower drives in unexpected locales across the state, from the Brazosport area along our mid-coast to Fort Davis and surrounds out…

The park is an outdoorsman’s paradise, attracting visitors looking to disappear for the day into the calming vibe of the Texas Hill Country. MY FINGERS WERE CRAMPING BUT MY LEGS weren’t shaking … yet. I had a solid foothold but a somewhat questionable grip on a quarter-inch ledge of limestone about 25 feet above the ground. I repeated the words “don’t look down” in my head, afraid of what a momentary lapse in focus might do to my already struggling strength. “How you doing up there?” my buddy Branndon yelled from below, holding the other end of my rope (and consequently my life) in his hands. Branndon had convinced me to attempt this climb; one well beyond my previous experience. “I blame you for everything!” I yelled back. He laughed.…

9:00 A.M. My first stop was the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, broken up into three different areas with the Johnson Settlement and Boyhood Home right in the middle of Johnson City. The first thing I learned was that the city isn’t named for LBJ, but rather a family member who helped establish the town in the late 1800s. I roamed the open paths of the Johnson Settlement, peering into the log cabin that hearkens back to the days when LBJ’s grandfather ran cattle up the Chisholm Trail. 10:00 A.M. I walked over to LBJ’s Boyhood Home, a quaint, one-story house on a site occupying an entire block with its yard, barn, and windmill. The half-dozen interior rooms told the story of a young LBJ playing baseball and getting…

Concho River pearls are found only in the Tampico pearlymussel in the Concho River, its branches, and its reservoirs. FRANCISCO VAZQUEZ DE CORONADO FAMOUSLY FAILED in his 16th-Century quest to find the fabled Seven Cities of Gold. But legend has it that his expedition across the American Southwest turned up a gemstone that’s still treasured by Texas jewelers today: Concho River pearls. Unlike the round, white gemstones normally prized for pearl jewelry, the pearls produced by a family of mussels in the Concho River around San Angelo come in irregular shapes and colors, ranging from light pink to lavender and deep purple. “They’re a really special gem, at the least likely place on earth you’d expect to find them,” says Mark Priest, a longtime San Angelo pearl dealer, referring to…

AT 6 P.M. ON A WEDNESDAY, I’m sitting with a good friend next to the cozy patio fireplace at Kent & Co. Wines. While gazing out at the foot traffic moving along Fort Worth’s Magnolia Avenue, I’m savoring a glass of Frog’s Leap cabernet sauvignon, a rare treat because a full bottle rarely falls within my budget. But at Kent & Co., I can indulge in one glass of something like this from a list of about 200 fabulous wines available by the glass at retail prices. It’s a beautiful complement to a charcuterie board of cured meats. My pal says her Revolver Blood & Honey brew (made in Granbury), along with the brisket taco from the food truck outside, trumps my pairing. It doesn’t matter who’s right: We’re just…

To order a print of this photograph, call 866/962-1191, or visit www.texashighwaysprints.com. Nothing says spring in Texas like bluebonnets, paintbrushes, and other familiar wildflowers. Some years these blooms merely whisper the season’s arrival, their voices muted by drought or unseasonal temperatures, but other times they trumpet the news with great swaths of vivid color as far as the eye can see. This spring promises to be closer to a shout than a whisper, but either way there will be wildflowers somewhere, sometime. Nature is nothing if not resilient and, this being Texas, she seems capable of handling more than we might expect. In our annual wildflower drive article, we endeavor to send you places where you’ll see the beauty of wildflowers and find plenty of other diversions to make for…

Make ALPINE the center of your attention. Natural beauty, unique nightlife and shopping, and a grand array of hotels and guest lodging make this the perfect staging grounds for your West Texas adventure. visitalpinetx.com FORT DAVIS–Tired of the stress and traffic of the big city? Leave it all behind with a visit to the peace and quiet of the Old West! An award winning State Park, world-renowned Observatory, National Historic Site, Botanical Gardens, hiking, biking, hunting, camping and more await you. fortdavis.com Lodging, Dining, Entertainment and History; FORT STOCKTON has it. Experience our Visitor Center, Historic Sites, Museum, Fort Grounds, Golf Course, and Unique Shopping opportunities, West Texas style. historicfortstocktontx.com MARFA defies easy explanation, yet any google search yields thousands of opinions. Marfa is tough to get to–tougher still to…

WHEN I WAS SIX YEARS old I got lost. An older girl whom I didn’t know came skipping by my house and invited me to hers. I dutifully followed her, crossing many streets—breaking all the rules—until we paused at the end of a driveway. Then she dashed into the house and slammed the door. No amount of knocking produced a response. After a few minutes, I squared my shoulders and determined to find my way home. That proved impossible. We lived on Sheppard Air Force Base and all the houses looked alike. I walked and walked, then sat down on a curb to cry. That’s when I heard the familiar rattle: Ernie was coming. Everyone knew Ernie. He delivered crisply starched uniforms right to our doors. His white van was…

30º 30’ 24.19” N 98º 06’ 20.30” W Hill Country RM 1431 west of Cedar Park provides a great scenic drive year-round, and in the spring, the section between Lago Vista and Marble Falls generally offers good wildflower-viewing spots. A visit to some of the recreation areas along the way can yield spectacular scenes, such as this nighttime view captured last year at Turkey Bend Recreation Area along Lake Travis. Find more information about Texas wildflowers at www.texashighways.com/wildflowers.…

STATELY SYMBOLISM A stained-glass window at the temple’s entry depicts the first formal Masonic meeting in Texas, held in March 1835 at the “Masonic Charter Oak” near Brazoria. AS I WATCHED NEIL ARMSTRONG AND BUZZ ALDRIN plant the American flag on the moon in the summer of 1969, I had no idea that Aldrin was also laying ceremonial claim to the mysterious orb on behalf of an enigmatic group of my fellow Texans. I learned about that part of the Apollo 11 mission on a recent visit to the Memorial Masonic Grand Lodge Temple in Waco, state headquarters for the fraternal order and home of a museum and library documenting Masonic history in Texas. The Masons trace their Lone Star roots to 1835 and boast such influential members as all…

CHICAGO HAS THE SECOND CITY. New York has Saturday Night Live. Los Angeles has the Hollywood Improv. Closer to home here in Texas, Austin’s got its own brand of comedy show: Esther’s Follies. Since 1977, Esther’s has invited locals and visitors alike to come down to Sixth Street for a night of, well, just about anything, so long as it brings a smile. The shows, which take place Thursday through Saturday nights, are a blend of scripted comedy sketches and monologues, Broadway-style musical numbers, and magic illusions. Current events inspire many of the 15 to 20 sketches in each show. Nothing is off-limits. One minute you’ll get a live look at a meeting of cavemen—turns out it’s actually just a Congressional hearing; the next, “Martha Stewart” displays a surprising variety…

Inside, the décor is both whimsical and casual, reminiscent of a funky coastal boardwalk diner. IT CALLS ITSELF “THE FANCY PLACE IN BOYD,” BUT YOU wouldn’t know it to look at it, gritty as a Gulf oyster from the outside. If you pass by in the morning, a small sign declaring “Gogo Gumbo!” provides the only notice that foodieness is afoot in this town about a half-hour northwest of Fort Worth. But at dinnertime, it’s often a different story, with more than 100 eager patrons queued up for a table. Seasoned regulars bring folding chairs and coolers and dispense advice to first-time visitors enticed by the promise of quirky-yet-haute Cajun-Texas fusion cuisine. The seafood-kitchen concept, hatched in 2008 by chef Kraig Thome, occupies a cramped century-old building on the town’s…