Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2019 i Texas Highways Magazine

When it comes to iconic Texas summer destinations, the early bird gets the worm, or in this case, the prime Garner State Park campsite. With the population of Texas continuing to grow by 1,000 people a day, some of the state’s most sought-after vacation spots are booked five months to a year in advance. But, luckily, there are plenty of equally enjoyable summer diversions for the more spontaneous-minded travelers. Behind on summer vacation planning? Check out our Procrastinator’s Guide to Summer at texashighways.com A few weeks ago I planned to spend time with a close friend who’s moving to Colorado next month. We wanted to stay somewhere quiet and peaceful and by the water, and our last-minute search led us to a rustic log cabin in Burnet along the shores…

MILLIONS OF DRIVERS ZOOM BENEATH the Stillhouse Hollow Lake highway sign on Interstate 35 just two exits north of Salado, but few know all that this sign represents: sweeping vistas of sparkling blue against a backdrop of limestone hills, hikes along a waterfall, and miles of undeveloped lakeshore open to the public. Even fewer know that Stillhouse Hollow Lake, born in the 1960s when the Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Lampasas River for flood control, is named for the liquor stills that excavators unearthed during dam construction in limestone hollows along the spring-fed Lampasas. That clear, cool water was a gift to the moonshine makers, and it’s still a gift to us now, although one that’s kept on the down low. Follow a curve on FM 2484 heading northwest…

Drivers passing through Bastrop might not even notice the Colorado River when zipping across town on State Highway 71. Bridges make short work of the river today, but there was a time when the meandering landmark once defined Texas’ wildest frontier. For the colonists who settled Texas, the Colorado River represented boundless potential—lands thick with alluvial soils, timber, and game. But as the edge of civilization, the Colorado also meant danger—a treacherous obstacle that was prone to flooding, deadly to cross, and a harbor for native tribes. “The settlers weren’t living on the frontier—they were living beyond the frontier; they were surrounded by frontier,” explains Ken Kesselus, a Bastrop historian who’s written several books about Bastrop County. Back in 1841, this very stretch of the Colorado River almost claimed the…

No matter your locale, the Lone Star State has a wide variety of celebrations to suit your patriotic fancy. One such soiree takes place July 3 in the Dallas suburbs: Addison Kaboom Town, which welcomes more than half a million guests. Make your way to one of dozens of watch parties, check out an air show featuring skydivers and aerobatics, and gaze at one of the top fireworks displays in the nation. Down in Central Texas, Belton’s annual Fourth of July parade commemorates its centennial year with celebrations July 3-6. The events draw more than 50,000 people and include a kickoff barbecue, a festival at Nolan Creek, a carnival, and a three-day rodeo. The fun continues over in Round Top with a 169-year-old tradition—the oldest Fourth of July celebration west…

“Houston just starts humming with space dollars. By 1962, what was ‘Bayou City’ becomes ‘Space City, U.S.A.’” Rice University professor of history, CNN presidential historian, and perennial bestselling author Douglas Brinkley takes us to the moon this summer with his newest book, American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race. Released in time for the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing in July 1969, Brinkley’s historical page-turner brings to life the personalities and interplaying forces that made this American triumph possible. Brinkley, who lives in Austin with his wife and three children, is a gifted storyteller who’s written or edited more than 20 books covering topics from both Roosevelt presidencies to Jack Kerouac and Rosa Parks. In American Moonshot, recently No. 10 on the New York Times…

In “Ghosts of Pine Island” (Page 14), Wes Ferguson writes about his unlikely friendship with Danny Tidwell (above), a semi-reformed outlaw fisherman and hunter who lived on an island of the Sabine River. Ferguson was working on a book about the Sabine, Running the River, nearly a decade ago when he learned of Tidwell from retired Panola County Game Warden Tom Gallenbach. “Don’t tell him the game warden sent you,” Gallenbach warned with a chuckle. “He doesn’t like us too much.” To get in touch with Danny, Ferguson was told to leave a note on the windshield of Danny’s wife Marcia’s Ford Explorer, which she’d parked in the woods at the public boat launch closest to their camp. “Danny called me a few days later, and we arranged to meet…

A lot of lore surrounds the naming of Devil’s Waterhole along a northeast branch of Inks Lake State Park near Burnet: One legend says the land's previous owner was known to curse loudly whenever his wagon got stuck crossing it, while others believe Native Americans originally named it for its warmer waters. While the source of the name is unconfirmed, there’s no question that it’s a popular natural swimming area for daredevils. It can only be reached from inside the park by either hiking the quarter-mile Devil’s Waterhole Trail or by paddling along Inks Lake. Upon arrival, hikers and paddlers are greeted by the park’s metamorphic rock, Valley Spring Gneiss, with ledges rising up to 40 feet above the water. For more hidden gem lakes, turn to Page 38.…

Order Online SHOP.TEXASHIGHWAYS.COM POTTER RYAN LUCIER and graphic designer Melanie Pavao joined forces to form Rhyno Clayworks in Austin in 2011. Together, they update classic ceramic forms with contemporary surface treatments, sometimes glazing only part of a vessel while leaving other parts exposed. They offer an array of stoneware for home and garden, including birdhouses and planters, crocks and tumblers—and even a set of mugs printed with line-drawings of the heroes of the Texas Revolution. “I think I finally just reached a point where I knew I wanted more freedom and that I needed to be designing and creating as a full-time potter,” he says. “I was passionate about what I was doing. The rest I would figure out along the way.” Shop more Rhyno Clayworks products at shop.texashighways.com Ceramic…

About 10 years ago, Stuart Marcus, refuge manager for the Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge, arrived early one morning at his office to find that a tiny visitor had stopped by. Sporting glistening spiked hair and garbed in an exotic dayglo fuchsia/tangerine/black ensemble, this emissary from the order lepidoptera might well have been saying, “I’m here to introduce you to my tribe.” Curiosity aroused, Marcus snapped a photo and uploaded it to the Butterflies and Moths of North America website, which identified his flamboyant guest as a Xanthopastis regnatrix (Spanish moth), a rare visitor to Texas that feasts on spider lilies, amaryllis, and figs in its larval stage. And although he found his visitor charming, Marcus had more pressing matters at hand: Soon, he and his staff would be moving…

YOU CAN KEEP YOUR SPRAWLING RESERVOIRS buzzing with jet skis and fancy boats. We’ll take quiet, off-the-radar Medina Lake, which lures a smaller cadre of fans devoted to its clear, deep waters and old-fashioned family atmosphere. The roughly 10-square-mile lake, which measures 152 feet at its deepest, was constructed a century ago for agricultural irrigation. Gamblers allegedly once gathered on Tiki Island, which rises from its center, and speed boat races and sailing regattas unfolded in its waves. Today, people head to the lake to swim, paddle, and wade in water so clear you can count your toes when you’re standing waist deep in it. Each September, the community of Lakehills on the north side puts on the Cajun Festival, complete with a gumbo cookoff and live music straight from…

That’s the assumption most recreation-focused Texans make from the get-go. If you love Texas outdoors, how could you not know the Frio? Well, maybe you’re one of the millions of newcomers who just got to Texas. Or perhaps you’ve lived in Texas your entire life and, unlike all those people whose families have been vacationing on the Frio for generations, you have no clue what or where they are talking about. Never stepped foot in Garner State Park? Think Concan is in Mexico? Well, pull up a chair and scoot closer. This Frio 101 is for you. The first two things to know are: It’s the water, and it’s everything else. The Hill Country sports the prettiest landscapes in Texas—no brag, just fact—and the southwestern corner of the Hill Country…

On the first morning of Camp Brisket, professor Davey Griffin begins to sharpen his knives before a rapt audience of barbecue aficionados. Griffin is wearing thick safety glasses, blue Kevlar gloves, and two aprons tied around his waist—a white apron on top of another one made of chainmail. On Griffin’s head is an Aggie-maroon hardhat. Safety first, brisket second. “OK,” Griffin says. “We’re gonna cut one of these guys up and let you see the muscles.” Watching his demonstration of brisket anatomy and trimming techniques are about 70 campers who literally won a lottery just to be here on a bright but cool January day at a lecture hall on the College Station campus. Griffin, a meat scholar, slices through about 15 pounds of raw, packer-cut brisket to reveal its…

TODAY, THE JAGGED SHORES OF THE LAKE MEREDITH RESERVOIR may contain a hidden Panhandle oasis, but just a few years ago, the lake nearly disappeared altogether. This national recreation area 40 miles northeast of Amarillo once attracted residents from across West Texas, but a devastating multiyear drought caused usage to plummet. Once deeper than 100 feet, the lake’s water levels plunged to 26 feet in the summer of 2013. “When the water went down you could see things you weren’t able to see before—beautiful, huge boulders,” says Rebecca Weatherford, who owns Three Falls Cove, a bed-and-breakfast on Bugbee Creek, just north of the lake. “It was so sad, but it was a beauty all its own.” That’s the story of the Texas Panhandle, where exasperating weather patterns expose pockets of…

WITH 21 MILES OF SHADY TRAILS surrounding the 210-acre Lake Raven, Huntsville State Park offers a cool escape and excellent basecamp to discover the eclectic charms of Huntsville. You’ll know you’re getting close when you spot the towering statue of Sam Houston, known as “Big Sam,” standing sentinel over the ongoing construction along the Interstate 45 corridor between Houston and Dallas. After setting up camp at the state park (that is, if you are prepared to sleep in a tent—if not, there are plenty of basic hotels in town, not to mention 28 screened shelters in the park), the choice of diversions could keep you running hard for a long weekend. Take a dip, rent a canoe, or string a fishing pole on Lake Raven, which takes its name from…

Order Online HIGHWAYS.COM OLD PIECES OF WEATHERED WOOD find new life in wall hangings by Kris and Kelley Denby of Austin. This husband-and-wife team founded Hemlock & Heather in 2012. They offer wall art in the shape of Texas, inset with strips of painted wood. Their handcrafted pieces are made entirely from reclaimed materials, effortlessly blending rustic with modern. The pair’s use of repurposed wood and paint is deeply rooted in their brand’s story. “When we first started, we had very limited funds and had to get creative. We would go around and pick up broken furniture, wooden toys, fencing, siding, and other miscellaneous items and break them down to use in our pieces,” Kelley says. Texas Wall Hanging PRICES RANGE $105 T O $195…

Across Texas, murals in post offices and other buildings date to a New Deal-era federal program designed to put artists to work while beautifying public places with depictions of local culture. About 90 such murals survive in the state, including painter Ward Lockwood’s Texas Rangers in Camp in the post office in Hamilton, a Central Texas town. “From the spontaneous remarks of visitors in the post office, I am sure that the mural is the most popular one I have done,” once wrote the late artist, a member of the famed Taos Society of Artists who was teaching at the University of Texas at Austin when he created the work. Shauna Melde, a 33-year post office employee, says the painting remains popular. “People in Hamilton frequently say they remember coming…