Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2016 i Texas Highways Magazine

WHERE WE’LL BE NEXT MONTH: Explore the shore with us in June as we spotlight top beach lodgings, Galveston by bicycle, and the new Independence Plaza at Space Center Houston. We’ll kayak to Matagorda Island, cruise South Texas on US 77, and set sail to several Texas regattas, then venture inland for East Texas peaches and a day at Balmorhea’s sparkling pool. It’s no secret that travel makes us smarter, whether the enrichment seeps in as we’re exploring new cultures, or while we’re navigating a nature trail or the backstreets of an unfamiliar city. And oft entimes, the best souvenir we can bring home from a trip is a brand-new skill. With that in mind, we present our “Summer School” roundup of horizon-broadening activities to consider while planning your summer…

IKNOW A MUSEUM HAS TRIUMPHED WHEN I leave a bit stunned, new realizations having just taken hold. Before my recent visit to the National Museum of the Pacific War and Admiral Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg, I had considered the site a destination solely for World War II history buff s. And while I was surprised to find the artifacts of war so intriguing, that realization is not the one that left me teary-eyed in the penultimate exhibition room. I was startled by how, in weaving together the complex threads of history, the museum tells the story of a whole generation— and in that telling, there is a story of my family, too. The awareness hits me right away, in the first exhibition room, when I read one of FDR’s famous…

Rockin’ the Rock When visiting Texas’ capital city, some may be tempted to spend all of their time exploring within the confines of the famous Austin city limits. But those who know better will roll up Interstate 35 to visit a different Texas town where the history, sports, and donuts will rock your socks. 8:00 a.m. Eating breakfast at Round Rock Donuts is a mandatory activity for tourists and locals alike. With the drivethrough line stretching down the block, I walked inside to the heavenly smell of hot grease and warm glaze. While the donuts’ signature orange-yellow color may be hard to fathom, their popularity is not. And my Texas-size appetite called for nothing short of the “Texas Donut,” which is cut with a custom bucket and fills an entire…

ALONG THE TEXAS GULF COAST, a series of decommissioned ships navigate the nation’s maritime history. In Galveston, the 1877 tall ship Elissa recalls the waning days of international sailing ship commerce while the submarine USS Cavalla chronicles the deep-sea battlegrounds of World War II and the Cold War. In La Porte and Corpus Christi, respectively, the imposing Battleship Texas and aircraft carrier USS Lexington reflect the American Naval might of the 20th-Century world wars. Knife maker Percy Richardson has created a series of knives using metal and wood discarded from these vessels during renovations to raise funds for their support. As floating museums, these ships offer a rare educational experience, but they also face difficult maintenance problems— metal corrosion and wood rot are common; upkeep is constant and expensive. Recognizing…

THE SCENE IS WISTFULLY FAMILIAR. As I pull off US 83 and into the stables at Elm Creek Ranch near Concan, there are a dozen or so horses saddled and tethered to the open-air barn where round bales of hay are stacked to the ceiling. A mess of chickens scratch around the yard, an old dog snoozes in the shade, and a frisky chestnut foal prances around the ring. Clayton Kessler, a strapping 27-year-old roper, is att empting to shoe an impatient cream-colored horse. His grandfather, George Streib, a veteran rancher who originated the trail rides and other off erings here, sits at a nearby picnic table, off ering unsolicited advice. The horse paws at the dirt, irritated. George looks at me and winks; I smile in return, feeling the…

Flags representing the 20 regions of Italy hang from the rafters, and on the shelves you’ll find hundreds of imported Italian products and more than 300 varieties of Italian wine. ITALIANS HAVE A SAYING, “MANGIA BENE, ridi spesso, ama molto”—Eat well, laugh often, love much. This approach to life also sums up the 50-year history of Jimmy’s Food Store in east Dallas, where an extensive inventory of Italian foods and attentive customer service spearheaded by owners Mike and Paul DiCarlo make each customer feel like part of the family. Located northeast of downtown, just a few miles east of Central Expressway, the store is easy to spot: Just look for the awning sporting the red, white, and green colors of the Italian flag. JIMMY’S FOOD STORE is at 4901 Bryan…

Many of you may find the thought of school in the summer somewhat, well, less than exciting. We get that. But our idea of summer school means learning how to have more fun. The kind of school where you pick up a skill—say cooking, sewing, or glassblowing— that lets you entertain or test your creativity. Classtime spent near the water, learning fun things—perhaps fly-fishing, sailing, kayaking, or sandcastle-building. Places to find a new activity you can enjoy over and over again, such as horseback riding or birding. Or, ones that offer the opportunity to explore and learn more about our natural world, the better to appreciate its amazingness and importance. That’s our kind of summer school, and we think you’ll give it an A+. JUST ADD WATER Flyboarding South Padre…

MY SON HAS TRAVELED WITH me since he was an infant, making his first journey at the age of six weeks, tucked into the bow of a canoe as I paddled in upstate New York. Journeys all over the world followed, but when we moved back to my hometown of Fort Worth, most of our travels became Texas road trips. Though Elliott was always a boon travel companion, my company became exponentially less desirable to him from the day he turned 13. But like Odysseus, your teen comes back to you in time. What triggered a return for Elliott was his desire to obtain a driver’s license. Practicing for his test returned us to our weekend ritual of discovery drives. Early this spring, the rain relentless, I suggested he needed…

30º 31’ 38.44” N 97º 37’ 49.87” W Hill Country Dell Diamond, off US 79 in Round Rock, is home to the Round Rock Express minor league baseball team. Opened in 2000, the stadium has 8,361 seats and an outfield lawn where fans can spread blankets to watch the game. There are plenty of chances to attend a home game during the season, which runs through September. Buy a ticket, pick up a gourmet hot dog, and settle in for a few hours of entertainment. For information about taking in a game or touring the stadium, see www.roundrockexpress.com.…

ANYONE WHO TRAVELS TO A big city for vacation knows that apart from lodging, food, and shopping splurges, the other big expense—especially if you have a family—is admission to attractions. Those costs can be shaved by at least 40 percent in Dallas and Houston, thanks to a program called CityPASS. CityPASS launched its program in San Francisco and Seattle about 20 years ago. The idea behind it was simple: Pick the top attractions in each city, bundle them together in a booklet that could be used over a period of nine days, and offer the pass as a discounted package deal at a savings of close to 50 percent off individual ticket prices. These days, CityPASS is offered in 12 U.S. cities and regions, and travelers purchase more than a…

A METEOR STREAKS ACROSS THE pre-dawn sky, its long tail sparkling. Perhaps Chicken Litt le is right. The sky is falling. But what are the chances that a killer meteorite might land in West Texas? The chances are low, but it has happened before. To learn more about that catastrophic occasion some 63,000 years ago, I head for the second-largest meteor crater in the United States. About 10 miles west of Odessa, I exit off Interstate 20 and follow Meteor Crater Road as it threads between tumbleweed-choked fence lines and pump jacks en route to the Odessa Meteor Crater Museum. The Odessa meteor crater site has attracted attention at least since the 1890s, when a rancher found a strange fist-sized rock in his pasture. Perched on the edge of the…

Owners Taylor and Casie Hall see theirs as a dual mission— save the bees, serve hungry humans. ON SIX ACRES OVERLOOKING the Pedernales River in Spicewood, bees come and go from 20 hives scatt ered around a field of wildflowers and oak trees. The honey these bees produce goes into select dishes and cocktails at Apis Restaurant and Apiary, where fine dining and Hill Country ambiance blend seamlessly in a cozy limestone building surrounded by more wildflowers and oak trees. Owners Taylor and Casie Hall see theirs as a dual mission—save the bees, serve hungry humans. APIS RESTAURANT & APIARY is at 23526 TX 71 W. (just south of the Pedernales River) in Spicewood. Call 512/436-8918; www.apisrestaurant.com. Taylor grew up in Bowie, and Casie hails from Louisiana. Shortly after they…

From a perch beyond the left-field fence, the mid-summer scene unfolds like a real-life Field of Dreams. An aft ernoon thunderstorm gives way to puff y clouds. Scores of youngsters stream onto the outfield turf with their mitt s and new souvenir baseballs for a session of pitch-and-catch with their parents. While litt le ones scramble aft er soft tosses they can’t catch, the older, more experienced children snap their throws to the adults, with a sharp thwack of ball meeting leather. Close by, it sounds like popcorn popping. So goes the pre-game activity on Father’s Day at Dell Diamond, home of the Triple-A Round Rock Express. Major league teams like the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers may generate the biggest crowds and headlines, but they can’t match the…