Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2023 i Texas Highways Magazine

I was enjoying an aimless drive down US 87 on a sunny October afternoon when my engine started to sputter. I had been listening to Lucinda Williams’ album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road and feeling the kind of thoughtless calm only the open road can inspire, the warm fall air rushing in from the open windows of my Mazda sedan. Just when Lucinda was about to lay into the chorus on “Drunken Angel,” a slow mist of black smoke started creeping from under the hood, blighting the clear and cloudless afternoon. The wheel locked. I steered the car toward the shoulder, barely managing to get it off the road, before the engine stalled. That’s when I discovered I was out of cell service. I had finally gotten what I…

Along the beaches of Padre Island National Seashore each summer, newly hatched Kemp’s ridley sea turtles crawl across the sand to reach the Gulf of Mexico. Tens of thousands of spectators from across Texas and around the world have gathered to watch the event for the past 40 years Historically, the Kemp’s ridley nested from Mustang Island to Vera Cruz, Mexico, and a majority of newly hatched turtles came ashore on the beaches of Tamaulipas, Mexico. But from the 1940s through the ’80s, the population of Kemp’s ridley sea turtles dwindled due to harvesting of eggs for human consumption, development of oceanfront habitat, and entanglements with fishing operations. Scientists from both sides of the border stepped in to bring turtle eggs from Mexico and release hatchlings in Texas to imprint…

Texas Parks and Wildlife hosts a variety of year-round diversions across the state. Activities include strawberry festivals, duck expos, and other family-friendly outdoor events. Enter online giveaways for the chance to win experiences like archery or fishing, or for the opportunity to meet and talk with game wardens. tpwd.texas.gov/education/get-outside For ideas on what to do with your kids outdoors, try Nature Challenge, an online tool that lists a range of simple but creative activities, like searching for things that start with each letter of the alphabet. Curated by Texas Children in Nature, Texan by Nature, and the Texas A&M Forest Service, the guide offers challenges, maps, and directories to help children connect with nature. texasforestinfo.tamu.edu/naturechallenge San Antonio-based Black Outside aims to reconnect Black youth to the outdoors. The organization provides…

RUBY RED. REAL RED. RIO STAR. RUBY SWEET. RIO RED. South Texas grapefruit comes in a variety of evocative—some even trademarked—names. But the characteristics they all have in common is one of the first things I noticed when I moved to Texas almost two decades ago: their distinctive color and taste, unlike any grapefruit I’d encountered back home in Mexico. Round and luscious and bright on the outside, plump and riveting and cardinal on the inside, grapefruits grown in the Rio Grande Valley are unabashedly sweet. No need to toss these wonders in honey to de-sour them as I did with the grapefruits I ate during my childhood, when my mom insisted on serving the lion king of the citrus world at breakfast. Who knows where those bland aberrations she…

IN MID-OCTOBER, I visit Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, a 70-square-mile expanse of coastal prairies, salt marshes, and freshwater sloughs along the Gulf Coast about 60 miles south of Houston. The summer drought has lingered into the fall, and Lake Texana is shrunken in its banks. The wetlands are covered in dry thickets of brush and hard packed dirt. “This is sad,” says Michael Price, a naturalist, snake breeder, and public outreach director for the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority. “This was all underwater a few months back.” Originally a West Texas herper—he keeps a Texas reticulated gecko in his office at the Brackenridge Recreation Complex in Edna—Price has come to love and respect the reptilian wildlife of East Texas. His company, Wild About Texas, offers classes on venomous animal safety and reptile…

SCAN THE GROUND WHILE HIKING. Pay attention to sunny spots where reptiles like to bask, and listen for the sound of movement. FLIP LOGS, STONES, OR DISCARDED DEBRIS to see what’s hiding beneath—but make sure to use a stick and lift them away from you for safety. Always put flipped material back as you found it to preserve habitat. ROAD CRUISING WORKS BEST ON WARM EVENINGS after a recent rain. Pick a low-traffic road through relatively undeveloped areas, and drive slowly once the sun starts going down. Wear a reflective vest for safety. Remember, it’s illegal under Texas law to handle reptiles on the roadway. KNOW THE VENOMOUS SNAKES IN YOUR AREA. If you can’t identify a snake, don’t touch it. If you don’t know if it’s venomous or not,…

Blissful Folly Farm, La Grange This 30-acre organic farm, created by Wendy and John Rohan in 2009, is home to the La Grange Brewing Company and Rohan Meadery. Sip on craft beer, wine, mead, and cider alongside the farm’s goats, chickens, and sheep. blissfulfollyfarm.com Hound Song Brewing, Columbus Founded by the Kocurek family, Hound Song Brewing offers five flagship beers and plenty of food options. The menu includes a rotating selection of beers. houndsongbrewing.com Brazos Valley Beer, Brenham With 24 taps, there’s something for everyone at Brazos Valley Beer, including non-alcoholic beverages. The brewery is pet friendly and has a park for kids. brazosvalleybeer.com…

As soon as I stepped out of the car, the star of the National Butterfly Center showed itself. In the gardens in front of the visitors pavilion, located in Mission, clouds of queen butterflies floated on wild huddles of milkweed and mistflower flecked with lavender and white blooms. At first, it was hard to discern the shimmer of the butterflies from the shimmer of the blossoming plants. But soon, the delicate winged insects became more visible, looking like glinting coins of sunlight and color against the late October landscape of South Texas. Many Lone Star naturalists might be aware of the birds and hawks that migrate through the Lower Rio Grande Valley, but perhaps not as many know about the various butterflies that make their home in this southern corner…

From state parks to nature centers, the diverse regions of Texas offer a variety of landscapes to explore. The Valley Nature Center in Weslaco is a 6-acre park and nature preserve full of hiking trails, colorful butterflies, birdwatching opportunities, tortoises, rabbits, and more. valleynaturecenter.org In East Texas, Tyler State Park offers camping, hiking, fishing, and plenty of space for kids to roam the Piney Woods. There are over 13 miles of trails, a spring-fed lake, and boat and kayak rentals. tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/tyler The Connemara Meadow Nature Preserve encompasses 72 acres of land in North Texas with meadow bird walks, places to play, and plenty of space for kids to study native plants and insects. connemaraconservancy.org Monahans Sandhills State Park is a giant sandbox about 30 miles west of Odessa. Families can…

MY GUIDE, LEE HOY, HAS BEEN DRIVING FOR HOURS. Our car motors down US 90, past craggy roadcuts and open rangeland west of Marathon. With clouds hiding the midnight stars, we stare out at the pool of light shining from the truck’s headlamps, watching the road. As we drive, Hoy often throws the car into hairpin U-turns to investigate snake-shaped objects appearing on the asphalt. Hoy, the owner of Big Bend Birding & Photo Tours, leads wildlife expeditions all over the world, but the deserts of West Texas are his home base. The desert mountains and rocky canyons contain the state’s greatest diversity of reptiles, including rarities that herpers prize, such as gray-banded kingsnakes. Despite the number of species in the region, finding reptiles amid the Chihuahuan Desert’s wide-open spaces…

With a big grin and open arms, Diego Ramos steps out from behind the counter of his food truck in downtown McAllen to greet customers. Some are old classmates from high school, others are regulars, and some are newcomers excited to learn what all the fuss is about. Though Diego’s Food Truck is a small operation in the Rio Grande Valley, it’s earned a reputation among locals for flavorful and adventurous farm-to-table fare. Opened in 2019 at the McAllen Food Park across from the Casa de Palmas hotel, Diego’s Food Truck sources most of its ingredients from Provenza Farm and Cattle, Ramos’ family’s farm just east of McAllen in Edcouch. With plans to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant this year, Ramos describes his menu as a culmination of all the places…

Charles Goodnight first encountered bison in late 1845. Moving from Illinois to Texas, his family stopped to camp in Dallas, which at the time consisted of one log cabin and a Trinity River ferry boat. The Goodnights traveled with two wagons, and 9-year-old Charles rode bareback on a mare. After crossing the river, the family continued south to the area now known as Oak Cliff. There, Goodnight watched as hunters used hounds to corner a group of about 10 bison—commonly known by the misnomer buffalo—and shot them for meat and hides. Goodnight saw similar scenes throughout his childhood in Milam County. When he rode out of the Cross Timbers region in 1876 and settled in Palo Duro Canyon to build a ranch, he came upon piles of skinned bison carcasses…

Texans have loved a good road trip at least as far back as the creation of the most iconic road in the U.S.—Route 66. The “Mother Road” from Chicago to Los Angeles cuts right through the Panhandle. Interstate 40 now bypasses many of the route’s original towns, but if you know where to exit, you’ll be treated to a dose of nostalgia and some really good food. Whine Knot Ranch and Café This small town café embraces its identity as a roadside stop for Route 66 travelers with signs, maps, and even a mural of Betty Boop in a red Corvette. International tourists frequent the restaurant looking for an authentic American experience, and the menu provides with a mix of country comfort cuisine and southwestern staples. If you make it…

Mary Beth Gahan Gahan enjoys diving into historical documents and shedding light on Texans who lived before her. She wrote “Where the Cattalo Roamed” (Page 70) about Charles Goodnight’s herd of bison. “Digging through interview notes from the 1920s and typewritten pages with first-person accounts from Charles Goodnight at the Haley Museum was like embarking on a treasure hunt,” says the writer based in Dallas-Fort Worth. Gahan has been a beat reporter and covered breaking news for national outlets. Ricardo J. Rivera Reflecting on his freshman year in college, Rivera wrote about traveling Texas highways in search of meaning after his father’s cancer diagnosis. “I wanted to write about that time of youth where everything seems possible and everything seems hopeless,” the Houston-based writer says. “For me, that time was…

Ten years ago, on the evening of April 17, 2013, a fertilizer plant in the Central Texas town of West exploded. The blast and fire at the West Fertilizer Co.’s storage facility destroyed the town’s northside neighborhood, a nursing home, an assisted living center, an apartment building, and two public schools. Fifteen people died, including 12 first responders; another 200 people were injured. Since then, the community has rebuilt, and in 2019, West dedicated the Fallen Heroes Memorial featuring a reflecting pool and a plaque for each of the 15 victims. Located 100 yards from the explosion site, the memorial is a somber reminder for West—an agricultural town known for its kolache bakeries, sausage shops, and Czech heritage. The latter is celebrated annually on Labor Day weekend at Westfest. David…

Growing up in the Rio Grande Valley in the 1980s, I had plenty of opportunities to explore. I was what’s now called a “free-range kid,” left to roam the outdoors as I pleased. Some days we didn’t come home until the streetlights came on. During weekends, summers, and breaks from school, my friends and I walked to local parks alone and spent our days pretending we were superheroes fighting off imaginary supervillains. We would meander down the railroad tracks past civilization, living out our own Mexican American Stand by Me (without the dead body, of course). When we got BMX bikes for Christmas, we rode on “the jumps,” which were hard-packed mounds of dirt near the canal behind our neighborhood. On Saturdays, my cousins and I strolled alongside the Rio…

Near Fort Davis in West Texas, children can explore the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute’s 507-acre preserve with canyons, rocky outcroppings, and a spring. The botanical garden and nature center showcase the diverse region and its yucca, agave, and ocotillo. Events include Critter Camp or Herp Day, where students learn about amphibians and reptiles. Bring a hat and sunscreen. cdri.org The Blackland Prairie Raptor Center northeast of Dallas is a rehabilitation center and sanctuary for owls, falcons, eagles, and birds of prey found all over the state. The center’s 66 acres on the shores of Lavon Lake are open to the public the first and third Saturday each month and for special events. They also have hiking trails, where kids can learn the importance of preserving and maintaining the Blackland Prairie.…

On the outskirts of La Grange, about halfway between Austin and Houston, a high limestone bluff offers an expansive view over the snaking Colorado River. The bluff extends out of a steep rocky incline, presenting an in-built foundation and a natural spring that flows at its foot. Here you’ll find the ruins of the historic Kreische Brewery, one of Texas’ earliest commercial breweries, built more than 150 years ago. Visitors to La Grange can walk the grounds of the now defunct brewery, which was founded by German immigrant Heinrich Ludwig Kreische. A stonemason who left the German province of Saxony for Texas in 1846, Kreische purchased the 172 acres of land incorporating the bluff in 1849. He built a three-story home for his family on the bluff’s peak, a smokehouse,…

New research at Texas A&M University could change how ranchers and conservationists manage their bison herds. In a study published in April 2022 in Scientific Reports, James Derr and Brian W. Davis, geneticists at Texas A&M, concluded that all the bison in North America have a legacy of hybridization. Derr’s previous research dating back two decades had found that some, but not all, bison share DNA with domestic cattle. The idea that herds of “pure” bison still existed at places such as Yellowstone National Park led wildlife officials to manage those herds separate from others. With genome sequencing becoming more affordable in recent years, Derr, Davis, and graduate student Sam Stroupe revisited the subject of bison DNA. The technology they worked with was many times more magnified than when Derr…