Home//Texas Highways Magazine/October 2021/In This Issue
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021The AdventurerSenior Managing Editor Matt Joyce has been documenting his outdoor adventures in Texas Highways for nearly a decade. For this month’s cover story, the sixth-generation Texan traveled to Caprock Canyon, Palo Duro Canyon, and the Canadian River to chart a roadmap for an epic canyon-to-canyon vacation.What was a highlight of your Canyons trip that didn’t make it into the story?The best part of traveling for Texas Highways is learning about different pockets of the state from locals who are fascinated with their own home turf. Chris Podzemny of Amarillo is a good example. “Podz,” as he’s known, builds trail systems for hikers and bikers across the Panhandle. At Palo Duro, Podz took me on a hike on the Rock Garden Trail, which he helped build 10 years ago with the…2 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021TEXAS HIGHWAYS™DIRECTOR Joan HendersonEDITORIALEditor in Chief Emily Roberts StoneDeputy Editor Michael HoinskiSenior Managing Editor Matt JoyceManaging Editor Kimya KavehkarAssociate Editor Julia JonesSenior Writer Clayton MaxwellWriters-at-Large Roberto José Andrade Franco, John Nova Lomax, Joe Nick Patoski, ire’ne lara silvaContributing Editors Heather Brand, Melissa Gaskill, E. Dan Klepper, June NaylorContributing Writers Edward Carey, Michael Corcoran, Cynthia J. Drake, Chet Garner, Pam LeBlanc, Laurel Miller, Hector Saldaña, Robert WilonskyEditorial Interns Cecilia Garzella, Jacqueline Knox, Morgan O’NealDIGITALProduct and Engagement Manager Natalie MooreDigital Strategies Manager Tyson BirdWeb Editor Sarah ThurmondPUBLISHER Andrea LinARTCreative Director Mark MahorskyArt Director Ashley BurchAssociate Art Director Chris LinnenPhoto Editor Brandon JakobeitContributing Photographers Jessica Attie, Kenny Braun, Christ Chavez, Melanie Grizzel, Tiffany Hofeldt, Vaughn Luciano, Tom McCarthy Jr., Eric W. Pohl, Erich SchlegelContributing Illustrators Edward Carey, Krystal Quiles, Jane WebsterProduction Coordinator Raquel V.…1 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021Make a Night of ItTo get a glimpse of moonlight streaming through cypress trees—casting light on the alligators, beavers, minks, and owls that live on Caddo Lake—book a night tour with Caddo Outback Tours in Karnack. caddolaketours.comOvernight guests at the Canyon of the Eagles on Lake Buchanan can attend programs led by a qualified astronomer every Wednesday through Sunday, weather permitting. canyonoftheeagles.comTwo LCRA parks, Lake Bastrop South Shore Park and Jessica Hollis Park on Lake Austin, offer fullmoon paddle tours. lcra.org/parksBowfishing is legal for taking nongame fish in Texas public waters, and it’s a popular nighttime activity in the Highland Lakes region and at Martin Dies Jr. State Park in East Texas. highlandlakes.com; tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/martin-dies-jrOther state parks offer an array of nighttime activities, including stargazing programs at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Lake Whitney State…1 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021Paint the TownThe frontier era of San Angelo was infamous for its gambling halls, whiskey-filled saloons, and thriving bordellos. The San Angelo of today, however, is a kinder, gentler town with plenty of family-friendly diversions. Its brand has transitioned from the wildest of West Texas to a haven for creatives. There are two free 24-hour art galleries downtown, a weeklong fall painting festival, artist studios and workshops at the Chicken Farm Art Center, and the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts. With the Concho River as a backdrop, San Angelo is the perfect canvas on which to create your ideal weekend retreat.San Antonio 3 hoursAustin 3.5 hoursDallas 4 hoursHouston 5 hoursSTAYEATSEELEARNSHOPDRINK1 / INTERNATIONAL WATERLILY COLLECTIONFrom April to October, water lilies of various types bloom at Civic League Park, which serves as the…2 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COMEDURANGO, COLORADO. MOAB, UTAH. Bentonville, Arkansas. In Chris Podzemny’s vision, the Texas Panhandle will one day take its place among the pantheon of great mountain-biking destinations.An avid cyclist, Podzemny has spent more than a decade building and advocating for hiking and biking trails in Palo Duro Canyon State Park and on other public lands in the Panhandle. He’s a founding director of Six Pack Outdoors, an Amarillo nonprofit that organizes bike races across the region and uses the proceeds to build trails.A dedicated volunteer, Podzemny’s passion-fueled hobby turned into his fulltime job last November when the Fairly Foundation—a philanthropic arm of the Fairly Group, an Amarillo risk-consulting firm—offered him a job as a full-time trail advocate and builder.“A good trail system is the easiest, fastest, most efficient way for any…2 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021The Return of Live MusicThe lineup for Octobers Austin City Limits Music Festival, headlined by George Strait, Billie Eilish, Duran Duran, and Megan Thee Stallion, is impressive—but ACL would’ve sold out both weekends in record time no matter who was booked.That’s how starved for live music we were in May, when all three-day wristbands to the 75,000-capacity event sold out in just under three hours. ACL Fest has been held at Zilker Park every autumn since 2002, except one. The resounding silence of 2020 made this year’s festival the place to be more than ever before.The return of live music to Texas stages has been as gradual and deliberate as a first encounter with Zilker Park’s frigid Barton Springs Pool. Mask-required socially distanced shows, sometimes with audiences in cars, were the toe in the…12 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021Best Fruit ForwardIn the wine business, little happens overnight. Just as wine is sipped and not chugged, vines take years to mature; a grape crop grows over a two- or three-season period; and, of course, many wines need to age for prime enjoyment. But at Farmhouse Vineyards in Brownfield, things happen at a speed rarely seen in Texas.The vineyard, just south of Lubbock, has exploded in just over a decade. Production more than quadrupled, rising from 20 acres to 120 acres, and the vineyard now sells to 20 prestigious wineries in the state. Farmhouse releases nearly 2,000 cases of its own wine annually, up from 100 cases when the vineyard started. When it comes to wine operations, particularly in the Texas High Plains, that’s just about as quick as a lightning bolt.“When…3 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021North Padre IslandSouth Padre Island is famous for its beachside resorts and coastal tourist attractions, but the other end of the island offers a very different experience. Just beyond the bustling bays of Corpus Christi, travelers will find a remote getaway and the feeling that they’ve been dropped onto a quiet island paradise.Padre Island National SeashoreBetween the Gulf of Mexico and Laguna Madre lies a thin sliver of barrier island that stretches 70 miles down the Texas coast. You won’t find condos or souvenir shops here—only sand, water, and sunshine. Start your trip at the Malaquite Visitor Center, where park rangers offer tips for exploring the longest undeveloped barrier island in the world. During the summer months, lucky visitors can watch as sea turtle hatchlings are released into the wild. There’s also…2 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021Honey’s SheriffWearing handmade boots and a Resistol hat, Rufus “Rufe” Jordan was the larger-than-life archetype of a Texas sheriff, a position he held in Gray County for 38 years. Rufe stood a bulky 6-foot-4 and could be tough when the situation demanded it. According to local lore, four inmates once jumped Rufe in the county jail and he whipped all four in less than a minute, no weapons used. But his intimidating appearance was a facade: Rufe was widely known as a soft-spoken, tenderhearted man who would help anybody in need. So, when Dallas-based photographer Kent Barker visited in 1982 to photograph the sheriff in his office, it was no surprise when Rufe’s poodle, Honey, jumped into his lap. After Rufe died in 1991, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice honored…1 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021MERGELoved “The Original Cowboys” and the wonderful story of Samuel Buentello. His is an amazing life story and worthy of reading.Richard Johnson, DeSotoLipscomb Sweet HomeMy grandparents lived there for a time, and my grandfather was the justice of the peace [“This Happy Place,” August]. I remember all the turkeys! They’d come around every evening and sometimes get on the roof of the house.Rhyan Sikorski, DallasWine ListMcPherson’s viognier is a favorite [“High Plains Vintner,” August]. Also a fan of the sangiovese. We enjoyed a bottle with homemade pizza just the other night.David Wilcoxen, AustinDriving Across the PondYou should try lorry (truck) driving in the U.K. [“Keep on Truckin’,” August]. No two minutes are the same on our roads.David Cutforth, Stamford, Lincolnshire, United KingdomCover CowgirlI couldn’t believe my eyes when I pulled…2 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021Good NeighborsMy father and I pulled into The Market at Bonton Farms in South Dallas to grab lunch before our trip to the old neighborhood a few miles away. This was at the beginning of the year, after a long stretch in quarantine. In the “before times”—before the pandemic, before Dad’s health declined—this was something we did regularly.We would drive down to Bexar Street, to where it dead-ends into the Great Trinity Forest and a Trinity River levee—one of Dallas’ most beautiful natural treasures. There at The Market, we would have a bite for breakfast. Then we would head home, toward North Dallas, by retracing my father’s childhood steps along memory lanes called Park Row, South Boulevard, and the former Forest Avenue long ago renamed for Martin Luther King Jr.For more…14 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021Forged in FireAsk Sergio Menchaca when he became interested in knives and he’ll joke, “According to my dad, the moment I was born. But in reality, he gave me my first knife when I was 5. For some reason, I’ve always been drawn to them.” Menchaca has grown up to be the gifted, mostly self-taught knifemaker behind Texas Sage Forge, an online operation offering highquality custom blades.Menchaca’s upbringing in Junction was typical of a Hill Country kid. He spent his time fishing, hunting, and butchering wild game for the dinner table. Knife in hand, he began to equate preparing food and cooking to familial love. Nowadays, he pairs antique steel scraps such as sawmill blades, plow discs, and hay rakes for blades with vintage wood, antlers, bone, cactus, and reclaimed native hardwood…2 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021Where to Safely See SharksTexas State Aquarium, Corpus ChristiA permanent Saving Sharks exhibit features a life-size great white shark replica, jaws of a prehistoric Megalodon, full-size diving cage, and a map tracking tagged sharks in real time. The touch pool features small sharks; reef sharks circle a shipwreck in the H-E-B Caribbean Sea exhibit; and sand tiger sharks swim in the Islands of Steel exhibit. texasstateaquarium.orgFlower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, Gulf of MexicoOn these reefs 80-125 miles off the Texas coast, scuba divers can get close to a variety of sharks, including reef, bull, silky, sandbar, and nurse sharks. Scalloped hammerheads gather here in large groups from January to early April, and whale sharks pass through July to September. flowergarden.noaa.govShark-a-thon, Padre Island National SeashoreThe largest land-based shark-catching tournament in the world is held…1 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021En Plein AirWhile EnPleinAirTEXAS is celebrating its eighth year in San Angelo, the tradition that inspired the festival has been in Texas for a century. Texas Artists Camp, a group founded in the area in 1921, once hosted some of the largest en plein air gatherings in the Southwest. The term is French for “in the open air,” and refers to a movement started by Impressionists who would paint outdoors. The San Angelo celebration, which runs Oct. 23-30, invites artists to put brush to board in nature and visitors to watch. The weeklong series of events culminates in an exhibit and sale at Fort Concho. enpleinairtexas.com…1 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021CANYON COMFORTSYou could save money by camping and cooking your own food on an excursion to the Panhandle canyonlands, but visiting the local towns adds color to your adventures.TURKEYTONY’S: breakfast, Tex-Mex, burgers, sandwiches, and ice cream. 806-423-1579HOTEL TURKEY: historic hotel and restaurant celebrating the legacy of native son and Western swing pioneer Bob Wills with regular live music. RV hookups available. Rooms start at $80/night. 806-759-0272; hotelturkeytexas.comQUITAQUETHE COFFEE MILL & MERCANTILE: a Caprock Canyons pit stop with baked goods, sandwiches, ice cream, and desserts. 806-455-1029; facebook.com/quitaquecoffeeAMARILLOCOWGIRLS AND COWBOYS IN THE WEST: horseback rides and chuckwagon events on the rim of Palo Duro Canyon. 806-672-9256; cowgirlsandcowboysinthewest.comCANYONJOE TACO CANYON: Tex-Mex with spacious open-air seating and bar on the downtown square. 806-452-8226; joetaco.netPALACE COFFEE: a cool urban spot serving stout coffee on the downtown…1 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021Simple, ElevatedThe first time I visited Carnitas Lonja in 2019, I sped past the old service station exterior on San Antonio’s South Side. I checked my GPS, doubled back, and parked on the gravel drive. A warm, savory aroma greeted me when I walked into the tiny space. It felt like entering a family member’s house for a special meal that had been cooking on the stove all day long.Owner Alex Paredes greeted me from behind a steel counter. I knew I needed to order whatever I was smelling. “We have carnitas,” he said, placing a small cup of chopped pork into my hand and smiling. I can’t think of a better—or more Texan—greeting than that.In 2020, Paredes earned a James Beard Award nomination in the “Best Chef: Texas” category. That…6 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021‘Caught Between 2 Countries’When Albert Seguín Gonzales was a boy, his grandmother told him stories about their ancestor Juan Nepomuceno Seguín—how he fought for Texas independence, commanding a company of Tejano volunteers. He even served in the Battle of the Alamo, surviving because he’d been sent out to seek reinforcements—he knew the territory better than anybody else—before Santa Anna’s army attacked.Juan Seguín had deep roots in San Antonio, where he was born in 1806. In the 1720s, his family was among the city’s founders, and his father had helped a settler from Missouri who, because this was Mexico at the time, sometimes signed his name “Estevan F. Austin.”As Seguín Gonzales listened to his grandmother’s stories, he tried to keep his mind from wandering. “I was just a kid,” he says, now a 76-year-old…7 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021No Ordinary FilmmakerFilmmaker Chyna Robinson is on a roll. Her debut feature film, No Ordinary Love, was released in June and is circling the globe on streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime and Apple TV. In its portrayal of two women connected through their church, one married to the minister and the other to a police officer, the story peels away the facade obscuring domestic abuse. The romantic thriller has become a catalyst for education and conversation. Robinson—in tandem with Tracy Rector, the film’s executive director and a board member of SafeHaven of Tarrant County—has worked with universities and domestic abuse organizations worldwide to discuss the film and the oft-hidden suffering it unveils.Robinson has a passion for writing and directing that started in her childhood in Fort Worth. After attending TCU and the…7 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021Behind the StoryThere’s no British equivalent to Texas’ infamous grackle, at least according to Edward Carey, who wrote and illustrated “Grackles!” (Page 40). Before moving to the Lone Star State from the U.K. 11 years ago, the Austin-based novelist had been aware of Texas hallmarks like cowboys and cacti, but “nobody told me about grackles,” he says. Nearly immediately after arriving, the grackles commanded Carey’s attention, and he began drawing and painting the creatures. “They are such a joy to draw because their faces are so dramatic,” says Carey, who has become quite a fan of the bird. “They are like small demons that are a part of our daily existence. They are the birds we deserve.” During the pandemic lockdown, Carey began a series of daily drawings, and grackles made frequent…2 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021Golden PromiseBigtooth maple trees make Guadalupe Mountains National Park one of Texas’ best places to see colorful fall foliage. “I had planned to be in the Guadalupe Mountains on an unrelated assignment and was lucky that it coincided with the change in colors,” says photographer Kenny Braun, who took this shot last October while hiking Devil’s Hall Trail. Luck certainly helps when it comes to catching peak leaf display, but summer conditions this year portend a colorful fall. Elizabeth Jackson, Guadalupe Mountains’ chief of interpretation, says the season’s soaking rains should enhance brilliant colors. An October cold snap of three to five days and mild winds would also help, she adds. Guadalupe Mountains’ fall foliage typically lasts from mid-to-late October through November. The park updates a Fall Color Report on its…1 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021What Lurks in the Dark?I’m following Trevor Francke down a twisty trail at Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area an hour after dusk, sweeping a black light along the ground in front of me with every step. A glowing green scorpion pops into focus, and then another. Soon I discover spiders lurk everywhere, too. Add to that a cacophony of whippoorwills and some coyotes yipping in the distance, and it quickly becomes apparent the night shift has reported for duty on this cloudy, still evening in late May.“I’ve seen a scorpion every time I’ve done this trek—sometimes 50 of them,” says Francke, who is leading us through the 654-acre park that skirts the shores of Lake Travis northwest of Austin.The Lower Colorado River Authority launched its series of after-dark hikes here last fall and now offers…6 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021That BitesSharks pose little danger to humans. “We just aren’t on the menu, and shark bites are very rare,” Stunz says, adding that the last fatality by shark in Texas was over 50 years ago. “Most of the time, they really don’t want to interact with us.” Statistics back him up. Your likelihood of being killed by a shark is 1 in 3.7 million; of being hit by an asteroid, 1 in 700,000. Here are some easy ways to lower those odds even more.Stay away from people fishing or schools of fish in the water.Avoid being in the water at dawn and dusk, when sharks are most active.When fishing, don’t put your string of fish in the water.…1 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021CANYON TOCANYONTHE MOUNTAIN BIKERS OF AMARILLO have it better than most. On Thursday evenings, beginners and experts alike gather in Palo Duro Canyon State Park to ride some of Texas’ most thrilling trails. They glide through the canyon bottom, swooping under shady cottonwood trees on the banks of the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River. They rattle across sunbaked rocky draws lined by orange pinnacles. Those wanting to test their legs and lungs climb the park road 600 feet to the canyon rim.When it starts getting dark, the riders gather near the park entrance at a pavilion on the grounds of a complex of vacation cabins owned by the Shepherd brothers, local cyclists. The fridge is stocked with beer from Amarillo’s Pondaseta Brewing. Bratwurst sizzle on the grill. Stories…9 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021LIVING WITH THE DARK BEASTS OF TEXAS GRACKLES!Before I Texas made my home, I was entirely ignorant of grackles. I am from England, and I’d been looking forward to seeing new creatures in my new home—armadillos, for example, a few snakes, perhaps even a puma (from a distance). No one told me about grackles. No one talked about grackles. But here I was, and there they were, seemingly all about Austin, from parks to parking lots. Strange black broken umbrellas making their noise of disquiet. “What is that?” I asked a native, pointing to the shadowy thing. “A grackle,” the shrugged response. Good heavens.“Grackle” does not sound like a bird’s name. Rather it is the description of a noise, something between a grate and a cackle. When I came to live here in 2010, I thought at…8 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021Water Into WhiskeyWill Glass scrambles down an embankment at Bar None Ranch in rural Mason County. There, he feeds a hose connected to a 250-gallon container toward a narrow stream. With one hand, he plunges the end of the hose into a rock-lined crevice where a spring bubbles up. With the other, he tosses a stick to his springy black lab, Hondo, who’s come along for the excursion.It takes about 20 minutes to fill the container. When he’s done, Glass sprawls on his belly, dips his cupped hands into the stream, and takes a few gulps of limestone-filtered water before loading his pup and equipment back into the truck for the drive home.Glass repeats this ritual once a month in order to gather water to make whiskey for Austin-based brand Nine Banded…4 min
Texas Highways Magazine|October 2021On the RailsMeandering through the pines of East Texas, the Halloween Express offers more treat than trick for those looking for a family-friendly way to spend the holiday. Operated by the Historic Jefferson Railway, the Halloween Express is an antique narrowgauge locomotive ride that features spooky storytelling throughout the 40-minute trip. Along the way, riders glimpse scenes along the railroad tracks, including ghostly spirits, monsters, and even Bigfoot emerging from the swamplands—Jefferson is the Bigfoot Capital of Texas, after all. “We have a toxic wasteland setup in one area of the tracks, and a graveyard and ‘spider land’ in other areas,” says Melissa Moit, general manager of the Jefferson Railway. “There’s a story for each scene, and we give out candy to kids and allow them to ride along in their costumes.”…10 min
