Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2020 i Texas Highways Magazine

I have never been an adventurous traveler. My ideal trips involve spending time in places with the words “spa,” “museum,” or “fine dining” in their names. But traveling with my kids, who love exploring the outdoors, and my husband, whose idea of a perfect vacation involves backpacking the remotest parts of Big Bend, has pushed me outside of my comfort zone more than a few times. Good thing, because there’s so much of Texas’ beauty I would have missed by sticking to familiar settings. This issue is devoted to adventurous travel and the way it shifts our perspectives on the world and our-selves. We asked Sarah Hepola, our new writer-at-large, to step outside of her Dallas environs and go rock climbing at Hueco Tanks State Park in El Paso. She…

Consider the flammulated owl, a diminutive bird measuring only 6 inches tall, with a wingspan of 14 inches. Its fluffy feathers speak to its name: “Flammulated” means “little flame,” or “of a reddish color.” The plumage provides the perfect camouflage for the mountainous pine forests where the owl makes its home. Birders prize a flammulated owl sighting because the owls only feed on insects at night. During the day, they hunch close to the trees, difficult to spot. The low “hoot” of the male is described as “ventriloquial,” as it can be almost impossible for humans to locate the bird from the sound. The flammulated owl, with its wise gaze, is my favorite Gentling. Each of my family members has a favorite Gentling. From the time my 8-year-old daughter, Nora,…

Kathleen Trenchard sits at her desk inside a sunlit studio in San Antonio, turning a piece of tissue paper into something resembling lace. She is surrounded by work tables bearing the tools of her trade: mallets, knives, and a battalion of bladed chisels. Trenchard makes papel picado, or “punched paper,” a traditional Mexican folk art that dates to the 17th century. Today, papel picado continues to sway over Mexico’s cobblestone streets and old stone churches on holidays like Día de los Muertos and Christmas—not to mention at Fiesta San Antonio, beginning April 16. Trenchard first came to the Alamo City in 1986 for an equestrian show and fell in love with the area’s historic atmosphere. The following year, the New Orleans native relocated to San Antonio, not knowing then that…

Day broke at the North Jetty on the Bolivar Peninsula as a multitude of shorebirds and waterbirds appeared out of the shifting shadows. It was late December and my husband and I, along with photographer Erich Schlegel, were walking along the 5-mile jetty just as the sun emerged over the eastern horizon to brighten the mudflats and marshlands, transforming the expansive landscape into brilliant swaths of golds, oranges, and yellows. As we walked, we observed silhouetted forms of American avocets and other shorebirds feeding in the shallow mud, producing a swelling symphony of movement with their curved, needle-like necks stitching the tidal flats for insects and other food. The North Jetty and High Island, both on the Bolivar Peninsula, and on up to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, feature some of…

At 2 a.m., when the streets of downtown San Antonio are hushed and still—save for a few night owls—bakers are flipping on the lights in La Panadería. They slice and knead dough that will be transformed into torta loaves, delicately sweet conchas, and flaky croissants stuffed with berries and cream. After rolling and shaping balls on a floured marble surface, they hit them with a soft thwack and set them aside to rise. La Panadería’s recipes originated four decades ago in Mexico City where Josefina Galicia, known to her community as Doña Josefina, owned a bakery. She would wake up before dawn and drive though the city in her old orange Volkswagen Beetle. She had previously achieved success in the corporate world but quit her high-powered job to be home…

In a business park just west of Bastrop, Matt Mancuso plays mad scientist. As the co-founder and distiller at Violet Crown Spirits, he crafts elderflower, jasmine, and marigold liqueurs, as well as the only absinthe made in Texas. In stark contrast to the utilitarian production space, the fragrance of anise and flowers emanating from sacks of bulk botanicals is the olfactory equivalent of a summer meadow. Absinthe was invented for use as a medicinal aid in Couvet, Switzerland, in the late 18th century. Since then, the spirit has been the subject of scandal, intrigue, and myth. Absinthe rose to popularity after French soldiers, who were administered servings of the drink to ward off dysentery and malaria during the conquest of Algeria in the 1830s, returned home and began ordering it…

Kenneth Henneke is the kind of guy who greets visitors to the Hallettsville Knights of Columbus Hall with a slice of apple strudel and a twinkle in his eye. The KC Hall is a home away from home for Henneke, who’s been part of the Catholic fraternal service organization for 60 of his 80 years. Raised in a German farming family, Henneke is the proprietor of Henneke Fish Hatchery, a family business that supplies catfish, bass, and perch. The hatchery grew out of his love for fishing and “underbanking,” or using bare hands to pull catfish from their river burrows. When he’s not handling fish or playing dominoes, Henneke helps organize KC Hall events like the Texas State Championship Domino Tournament and the Texas State Championship Fiddlers Frolics, which he…

In his 1900 memoir, The Evolution of a State, or Recollections of Old Texas Days, Noah Smithwick—a fighter in the early stages of the Texas Revolution—describes the hats worn by the ragtag army of Texan rebels marching with Stephen F. Austin to overtake San Antonio in the Siege of Béxar in 1835. An excerpt: “Here a broad-brimmed sombrero overshadowed the military cap at its side; there a tall ‘beegum’ rode familiarly beside a coonskin cap, with the tail hanging down behind.” The ensuing battles of the revolution—and movies and TV shows later made about them—equated the coonskin cap with Texas’ fighting spirit. It is still revered today as the sacrosanct headwear of one of the Alamo’s greatest heroes, Davy Crockett, the Tennessee politician known as the “King of the Wild…

Getting Around Port Bolivar: Once you disembark the ferry from Galveston, drive along State Highway 87 for a mile and a half and take a right on 17th Street. When you arrive at the end, park and take a walk along the North Jetty. Then, to get to the Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary, drive two and a half miles along SH 87 to Rettilon Road, a sandy two-track path. Turn right and drive along the hardpacked shoreline until you reach the vehicular barriers, or large weathered pylons, and park. (Note: Drivers need to purchase beach passes to drive on the beaches of the Bolivar Peninsula, which are available at local convenience stores.) Travel further east on SH 87 for about 25 miles to High Island. For Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge,…

Music is a mysterious force that conveys emotions and communicates with listeners in a way lost in spoken word. Musical inspiration is shrouded behind an equally mystical veil. This raises the question: Does the muse that moves its musician have a place? Does place matter in creating music? If you’re talking music from Texas, the short answer is, “yes.” Most Texas music reflects its origins because the people who make it are heavily influenced by the state’s spirited ethos. It’s a prehistorical fact, going back to when people sang around the campfire to relate events. Music is simply a part of being Texan. The Texas muse is clear in references like “my rose of San Antone,” as Tommy Duncan of the Texas Playboys once sang; or in catchy song titles…

BIG BEND COUNTRY ALPINE Avenue Q: The Musical April 3-5, 10-11 Sul Ross State University Theatre Department presents the Tony Award-winning musical comedy featuring both puppets and human actors facing the challenges of adulthood. Sul Ross State University, Motion Capture Sound Stage, 400 N. Harrison St. sulross.edu/theatre ALPINE Trappings of Texas April 16-May 17 Considered one of the best Western art and custom cowboy gear exhibits and sales in the country, the 34th annual Trappings of Texas brings up-and-coming and well-established artists under one roof at one of the longest-running events of its kind in the country. Museum of the Big Bend, 400 N. Harrison St. 432-837-8143; museumofthebigbend.com ALPINE Alpine Gem and Mineral Show April 17-19 For 30 years, the show has featured spectacular gemstone specimens, jewelry, and artwork, plus…

I I’m a quixotic traveler, more drawn to a new place when I’ve been beguiled ahead of time by a story about my destination. That story might come from a novel, or it could be biographical, concerning a singular person who lived in the place or passed through—a widowed queen wandering around the castle, a down-on-his-luck explorer scoping the rapids. Really the more romantic—cliché, even—the better. Why is it, I’ve wondered, that I most enjoy travel when I can tie that kind of tale to it? To me, it seems like a small failing, but a failing all the same, the impulse to lean on a narrative rather than appreciate a place directly. Last fall this tendency took me to the McDonald Observatory in far West Texas. It was my…

Pepper steaks are as simple as they look. Lean ground beef doesn’t shrink as much, and it generates less grease, which is convenient if you’re using a frying pan. INGREDIENTS Two ground-beef patties, about one-quarter to one-third pound each Seasoned salt of your choice A handful of grated cheddar cheese Pickled or raw jalapeños or serranos, sliced or diced DIRECTIONS Form two beef patties as you would for hamburgers. On one of the patties, place the cheese and peppers. Press the second patty on top to encase the cheese and peppers. Crimp the edges to contain the good stuff. Cook the steak on a grill or frying pan as you would a hamburger. Garnish with more grated cheddar, peppers, or chile con queso.…

“Amarillo Highway,” Terry Allen, 1979 “South Side,” Lil’ Keke, 1997 “London Homesick Blues (Home to the Armadillo),” Gary P. Nunn, 1973 “Valse de Port Arthur,” Harry Choates, 1946 “Swell San Angelo,” Ernest Tubb, 1940 “Corpus Christi Bay,” Robert Earl Keen, 1993 “Levelland,” James McMurtry, 1995 “Big Ball’s in Cowtown,” Hoyle Nix, 1949 “My Kinda Day On Padre,” Larry Joe Taylor, 1994 “Ay Te Dejo En San Antonio,” Santiago Jimenez, 1937 “The Shiner Song,” (traditional) popularized by the Joe Patek Orchestra, 1947 “Dallas,” Jimmie Dale Gilmore, 1972 “Houston, The Action Town,” Juke Boy Bonner, 1969 “The Valley,” Charley Crockett, 2019 “Deep Ellum Blues” (traditional), first performed by the Cofer Brothers, 1923 “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind?” Whitey and Darlene Shafer, performed by George Strait, 1984 “Desert Blues,” Hattie Ellis,…

Over the years, the West Texas town of Midland has been called many names. It got its actual name because of the railroad—it’s located midway between Dallas and El Paso—and it was nicknamed the “Tall City” because the downtown skyline is about the only thing taller than the mesquite trees in this part of the state. But no matter what you call it, this boomtown is booming once again, and it’s packed with daytripping delight. Petroleum Museum Oil—aka “black gold” and “Texas Tea”—put Midland on the map when it was first discovered in the Permian Basin in the 1920s. Dive into the details of the ever-changing petroleum industry at this museum packed with interactive displays. Try your hand at drilling, refining, and even risking your fortune to hit the payloads…