Innholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2026 i Texas Highways Magazine

Austin-based writer Paul Underwood spent a lot of time on the road while reporting “Ride of the Century” (Page 44). For the drive, he made a 19-hour playlist filled with songs by artists associated with the Panhandle region—think Terry Allen and Buddy Holly. This music carried Underwood from town to town along the storied Route 66, where he met, broadly, two kinds of people. “The first were the tourists, who hailed from just about every country you could name,” he says. “This included a Swiss couple traveling by RV with their cute dog, Falco.” The second group were people who live and work along the route, who Underwood says are “extremely proud of their role in keeping the Mother Road alive for future generations, and eager to tell their stories.”…

What an inspiring read! Thank you to all the park volunteers for making Texas’ state parks a wonderful place to visit. MELIDA AILSHIRE, VIA FACEBOOK Even More Marshall Don’t forget the 1935 Wiley College national champion debate team [“Track Record,” December]. They defeated the reigning champs at USC. And Marshall Pottery is an internationally known producer of collectible artisan pottery. SUE JONES MCCULLOUGH, VIA FACEBOOK Local History Judge Harrison was totally committed to preserving Black history in Brenham, Washington County, and wherever his feet took him [“Untold Stories,” November]. Wonderful historian! I was the first and possibly only Black librarian in Brenham and had the distinct privilege of working with him. I’m so pleased to know you are continuing his mission. SHEILA ROSS HENDERSON, VIA FACEBOOK Musical Muses I read…

SINCE THE 1990S, Cadillac Ranch has welcomed both professional and amateur graffiti artists to make their mark in spray paint on the 10 Cadillac tail fins sticking out of the ground. The cars’ resulting shells of hardened paint inspired Bob “Crocodile” Lile, an artist hailing from Booker, to uncover their layers and make jewelry highlighting the cross sections of hues hidden within. “It took three months to make the first piece of jewelry because I had no idea what I was doing,” the Amarillo-based artist says. But after 13 years of jewelry-making, his gallery on historical Sixth Avenue—Amarillo’s stretch of Route 66—sells a regular selection of earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and other accessories that showcase swirls of color. “This stuff has a mind of its own,” he says of the material he…

I FIRST STARTED visiting Town Lake in high school. My friends and I would park in the unpaved lot under the MoPac bridge and walk the 3-mile trail that loops back at the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge. In those days, we walked this path less for exercise and more as an excuse to hang out—gesticulating wildly, shrieking with laughter, sneaking glances at the cute runners who zoomed by. I was shy then, and awkward in that I had a body but didn’t yet understand what it meant to inhabit it. Even so, the trail felt like it was ours. As we continued to stumble through our teenage years and into young adulthood, it served as the backdrop for moments big and small—summer school P.E., high school graduation, and Saturday mornings when…

Lofty Lodging TRAVEL THROUGH DAVIS Mountains State Park to the end of the road, and a complex of white adobe buildings emerges from the scrubby hillsides. The Indian Lodge dates to the 1930s, when it originated as a creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a Great Depression-era federal program that employed young men to improve public lands. Formerly out-of-work crewmen baked adobe bricks and assembled them into a 16-room building resembling the kind of multilevel pueblo village seen in other parts of the Southwest. Opening to the public in 1935, the hotel was particularly popular during World War II. The first major remodel in 1967 added 24 rooms and amenities like a dining room, a meeting room, and a swimming pool, while a 2006 remodel restored some of the original…

Bucket List Do you know what the Perseid meteor shower looks like over the beaches of Mustang Island? Are you aware that you can walk on water on a salt lake in the Rio Grande Valley? Have you ever headbanged to heavy metal at the Texas Motor Speedway? If not, we have you covered. Our 2026 Bucket List spotlights can’t-miss event from across Texas for every month this year. Wooden Wonder Decatur’s Petrified Wood Station delighted North Texas travelers in the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s who filled up at the gas station and greasy spoon or spent a night in one of the cabins in the wood-covered complex. Once in disrepair, the station was restored to its midcentury glory in the 1990s by the owner’s granddaughter. Though the roadside attraction…

LAJITAS IS THE Emerald City of far West Texas, with bright green grass from the Lajitas Golf Resort springing out of the desert floor. My family happened upon this verdant outpost last summer en route from Marfa to Terlingua on Farm-to-Market Road 170, a picturesque yet treacherous stretch along the Rio Grande known as River Road. Rising to meet glorious Lajitas after white-knuckling it over ridges and around tight turns was one of those delightfully unexpected occurrences I associate with road tripping in this outer realm. As we marveled at our surroundings, there he appeared: Oz the Great and Powerful. In a slatted metal cage on the side of the road stood Clay, a political successor of the beer-guzzling goat Clay Henry, who was elected as Lajitas’ mayor in 1986.…

THROUGHOUT THE 1930s, winds picked up swirls of dust from overplowed farms and blanketed communities across the vast Great Plains in layers of dirt. Storms like these characterized life for millions of residents in the region, comprising 10 states through the middle of the U.S. The environmental upheaval paired with the nation’s economic downturn led many occupants to flee, but a vast majority of locals opted to stay put. To block out the dust, infants slept with wet sheets above their cribs, and the Red Cross distributed masks to protect locals from “dust pneumonia.” From 1900 to 1930, the amount of farmland in the Great Plains region had tripled, leading farmers to quickly adopt mechanized equipment to till soil. This overworking of the land turned disastrous in 1931, when drought…

GROWING UP IN LAREDO, comedian, actress, and singer Sandra Valls never dreamed her day-to-day interactions would become fodder for her Broadway debut. But at the tender age of 59, Valls starred in the 2025 Tony-nominated musical Real Women Have Curves—in a role she helped develop. Before she graced the Great White Way, Valls studied musical theater at the University of Texas at Austin and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City and honed her comedic chops in Los Angeles. In 2007, Valls starred in Showtime’s Latin Divas of Comedy. In 2019, she cowrote and starred in the Latina Christmas Special with two fellow comedic actresses, Diana Yanez and Maria Russell. The off-Broadway show paid homage to the heart and humor of growing up in a Latino household.…

SINCE ITS DALLAS debut in 2019, Le Bon Temps has drawn lines of people craving an authentic taste of New Orleans that extend far past its salmon-colored door. Mingle anywhere near its dark navy facade, and the aroma of fried dough and chicory coffee smacks you in the face, enticing passersby in the famed Deep Ellum arts district. Owner Eric Khozindar says Louisiana expats travel for hours just for a taste of his piping hot beignets, served in a paper bag blanketed with sugar. But how to account for the demand among the average Texan? The NOLA native speculates that “novelty” may just play a part in Le Bon Temps’ overwhelming success. “There are a billion doughnuts out there,” Khozindar says. “There’s a doughnut shop on every corner. Beignets are a…

IN HONOR OF the new year, we’re introducing a few enhancements starting with this issue. In each story with a “Map It” section, you’ll now find an accessibility icon denoting buildings that are ADA compliant. We’re also excited to debut our new collaboration with Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. In the Itinerary section (Page 12), you’ll find a sidebar with recommendations for state parks to visit that complement the travel recommendations in each issue. Subscribers of TPW magazine will, meanwhile, find curated recommendations from Texas Highways in each of their issues starting this month. Kicking off with a celebration of the iconic Route 66 in honor of its 100th anniversary, our 2026 issues are primed to fill your annual trips with plenty of new and classic diversions. If there’s anything…

IT’S BEEN 45 years since the sound of a train whistle echoed through the streets of Burton, but whispers of the railroad are everywhere. The town’s history museum is housed in the former train depot, and the old cotton gin draws visitors from all over the world. Passengers once stepped off the trains between Brenham and Austin at this stop, but now visitors arrive by car to explore the quiet community of about 220 people, not far from Washington-on-the-Brazos, where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed in 1836. The latest familiar sound in the area is the distinct cry of Percy, the resident peacock. There are several theories of how Percy arrived in town a few years ago, including that he escaped from a traveling petting zoo. He has…

REVOLUTIONARIES GATHERED IN the green rolling hills around the sparsely populated town of Washington on March 2, 1836. There, Gen. Sam Houston, revolutionary Andrew Briscoe, and author Lorenzo de Zavala, among others, signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, formalizing their rebellion against the Mexican government. At the same time, relatives and friends were at the Battle of the Alamo, dying at the mission as the congress deliberated. The delegates’ decision led first to the short-lived Republic of Texas, then to the Republic’s annexation as the 28th state. Since 1916, the monumental event has been memorialized at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site, a 300-acre park and museum complex in Washington, 35 miles southeast of Bryan. And on Nov. 8, the park reopened after a $57.4 million renovation that began in fall 2023.…

BIG BEND COUNTRY ALPINE Lone Star Cowboy Poetry Gathering Feb. 19-21 Poets, musicians, songwriters, and wordsmiths gather to share the oral traditions of the working cowboy. Enjoy free and ticketed performances. Sul Ross State University, 400 N. Harrison St. 432-216-2167; lonestarcowboypoetry.com EL PASO Puzzler Endurance Mountain Bike Race Jan. 17 Conquer the largest urban state park in North America, Franklin Mountains State Park. The race challenges its riders with a climb of 6,200 feet. Bowen Ranch Roundhouse, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. 915-443-6704; elpasopuzzler.com MONAHANS Resolution Run Jan. 10 Start the new year participating in the 17th annual run, which includes a 5K, a 10K, and a health walk. Children 12 and under are welcome to participate. Monahans Sandhills State Park, 2500 I-20. 432-943-2187; cityofmonahans.org/calendar VALENTINE Valentine’s in Valentine…