Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2024 i Texas Highways Magazine

I asked my kids recently about their favorite places we’ve visited in Texas. They quickly rattled off four state and national parks—Big Bend, Caddo Lake, Longhorn Cavern, and Monahans Sandhills. We traveled to the latter for spring break this year. After stopping by park headquarters to rent discs ($6 each) and pick up two copies of the free Junior Ranger Activity Journals, we headed for the dunes where my kids, 11 and 9, spent a happy few hours finding the best spots to slide down for maximum velocity. When we got back into the truck to continue our drive across the state, after dumping about a quart of sand out of our shoes, I thought about how the state’s varied landscapes have helped engender my children’s love of the natural…

“The Star-Spangled Banner” has barely finished playing before a rock buggy skids down a giant boulder, over-corrects, then crashes sideways. The sight is startling, but it’s common at the Texas Top Gun Shootout, a rock-crawling competition held annually, in November, at the Katemcy Rocks Offroad Park northwest of Mason. The landscape is littered with trucks and Jeeps jostling through rock fields as custom-built buggies clamber their 42-inch tires over granite rock faces. The constant sounds of engines revving and rubber spinning, and the occasional driveline shattering, fill the air. From farther away, the sound of a metal frame torquing and bending could be mistaken for the screeching of a wild animal. Organizers Shain Chapman and Randy Kruse have day jobs as a lawyer and a realtor, respectively, but their passion…

Eat your weight in barbecue in Lockhart Head to the undisputed Barbecue Capital of Texas early on a Saturday, when all of Lockhart’s destination joints are slinging smoked meats at full capacity. Start your tour at Black’s Barbecue, where fall-apart beef ribs pair perfectly with spiced Mexican rice and classic creamed corn garnished with a sprinkle of house rub. Afterward, head downtown for a stop at the town’s most hallowed institutions, Smitty’s Market and Kreuz Market, both decades-old establishments known for beautifully barked brisket and rarer finds, such as tender, post-oak-smoked pork chops and showstopping shoulder clod. Finish your feast at Barbs-B-Q, a relative newcomer that’s blending South Texas and Mexican influences with traditional Hill Country techniques. Try the creamy, poblano-spiked green spaghett and “Molotov” pork ribs, which are coated…

The Devils River got its name from early settlers, who said the 93-mile waterway—and the treacherous terrain surrounding it near the U.S.-Mexico border—was created by Lucifer. The river runs between the present-day cities of Sonora and Del Rio, a slim turquoise ribbon cutting into the thornscrub and sunburned sand of the Chihuahuan Desert. The river is fed by a series of springs that keep the water cool even in the desert. It’s never been dammed or impounded. Evidence of recent human activity along its banks is nearly nonexistent—hardly anyone ventures here because it’s so remote. That’s heavenly for adventurers seeking isolation but potentially dangerous for the poorly prepared. Devils River State Natural Area Though most of the land surrounding the river is privately owned, this 37,000-acre natural area has water…

While there are two natural caves in Boerne, Cascade Caverns and Cave Without a Name, Brandon McClelland only knew about the latter growing up. He went on field trips in elementary school to Cave Without a Name but was introduced to Cascade Caverns in 2019 when he found it online and went for a visit. His tour guide, Lynnrae Smith, made the adventure fun and interesting, and the limestone cave itself stuck with him. “I had never seen that much water in a cave before,” he says. When McClelland was looking for a summer job before starting college at the University of Texas at San Antonio, he applied to be a tour guide. “I was pretty antisocial at that time, but it broke me out of my shell, and I’ve…

Hike Palo Duro Canyon The second-largest canyon in the U.S., Palo Duro Canyon State Park is an outdoor lover’s dream. Clocking in at 120 miles long and 800 feet deep, the canyon—part of the Caprock Escarpment near Amarillo—has 15,000 acres of trails to hike, bike, and explore on horseback. The Lighthouse Trail, perhaps the best known of the canyon’s trails, is just under 6 miles long and takes about two hours to hike. Dogs are welcome on leash but be sure to pack plenty of water and be prepared for extreme heat or rain. palodurocanyon.com GO HIGH—AND LOW Guadalupe Peak towers 8,751 feet above sea level, offering commanding views of Guadalupe Mountains National Park and the rolling deserts of West Texas. The trail to the top is 4.2 miles each…

On a Sunday afternoon in mid-November, two forces of barbecue collide in Lexington. In one corner stands 89-year-old Norma Frances “Tootsie” Tomanetz, the renowned pitmaster who’s made Snow’s BBQ a certified institution the world over. Across from her is Chuck Charnichart, 25, Haley Conlin, 31, and Alexis Tovías Morales, 25—a trio of relative newcomers straight out of barbecue’s new school. After learning the ropes at Franklin Barbecue in Austin and Goldee’s in Fort Worth, the three friends launched Barbs-B-Q in Lockhart in 2023. Where Tomanetz has perfected the classics, the women of Barbs are bringing something new to the picnic table: smoky staples forged in a South Texas style, such as molotov pork ribs that crackle with lime zest and “Green Spaghett,” a creamy poblano take on typical mac and…

Like all the horses and donkeys on the property, Cassidy the quarter horse and an American paint horse named Delight get regular cranial massages to soothe their muscles and their minds. On sunny days, their pink noses are spread with sunscreen. Instead of being confined to stalls, these rescued animals roam sprawling fenced spaces at Allyson and Mike DeCanio’s ranch near Ben Wheeler, about 25 miles west of Tyler. Life wasn’t always so idyllic for these horses, though. Some, like Sky, Jax, and Shelby, were malnourished and left for dead on the land of a neglectful owner in Wood County. “It was a horrible place of suffering,” Allyson says. In 2016, she got a call from the sheriff’s department about the neglected herd, named the Phoenix Herd after an Appaloosa…

I stare at the waves from the Pleasure Pier boardwalk, whose glittering Ferris wheel makes a quirky beachside town in Texas look a bit like Santa Monica, California. Galveston’s low-key surf is often described as “crumbly,” which sounds like a cookie to me. But it rained the previous day, and the waves are sudsy, like a giant washing machine spilling with foam. Galveston is not the best place to surf (Hawaii, probably). And it’s not even the best place to surf in Texas (South Padre, probably). But its modest waves rolling to shore make it a decent place to learn. The surf spots, conveniently located off beaches along the Seawall, offer a good launching pad for a sport that lacks easy entry. At 49, I’ve never surfed, but I’m surfing-curious—a…

Peruse Houston’s Museum District Twenty world-class cultural institutions make up 9 square miles of the extraordinary Museum District in Houston and feature impressive exhibits that cover fine arts, natural science, photography, and more. “All of the museums are very welcoming for those new to art or new to a certain kind of art,” says Amy Yeatts, executive manager of the Houston Museum District. “The museums want to bring visitors to each genre and are happy to have them be a part of the experience.” The museums are arranged in four walkable zones, and they’re affordable. More than half of the institutions are free to the public, and the others offer special hours where admission fees are waived. houmuse.org Master the Texas two-step Our state is rich with dance halls and…

“I’m just the blowtorch lady,” Boo Eaker jokes as she levels her blue flame over a slice of banana, transforming its starchy yellow flesh into a nutty-brown coin. She doesn’t wait for it to cool, wrapping her fingers around its edges to tuck it delicately into a nest of pillowy cream. Her eponymous restaurant is running behind today, but despite being short-staffed, Eaker remains cool and calm. In the symphony of her kitchen, she directs employees with simple hand gestures, ushering them between pans of kimchi fried rice and past refrigerators filled with her famous banana pudding. With just seconds to spare before opening, the main doors swing wide to reveal a line of customers curling around the restaurant’s Fredericksburg facade. Unfazed, she marches outside to greet and mingle with…

Like a scene out of Pirates of the Caribbean, a rabble chants, “Walk the plank! Walk the plank!” as Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo accepts her fate and plunges from an anchored pirate ship into the bay. And with the annual “Dunking of the Mayor” complete, Buc Days is officially underway. Since 1938, the pirate-themed festival has featured family fun along the Corpus Christi bayfront, with activities ranging from professional bull riding and rodeos to parades and concerts, all while raising money for student scholarships. One standout is the Stripes Carnival, where families can play games at the midway and ride the Ferris wheel and carousel. For shoppers, there’s Treasure Island, a venue with over 76,000 square feet of exhibit space. Local makers and vendors sell handmade furniture, leather goods…