There was a time when we dreaded the 800-mile slog across Texas, especially the desolate 550-mile stretch between El Paso and someplace we considered worth visiting—say, Austin or San Antonio. But that was before we unearthed the gems of West Texas. There is beauty and peace in these wide-open spaces, quirky towns scattered about, and interesting […]
Archive for Texas – Page 2
In late December, we made our third trip in five years to Hueco Tanks State Park. This time, I was not leaving until we got to see the Starry-Eyed Man. Located in a remote canyon 30 miles northeast of El Paso, the park contains a unique assortment of pictographs left behind by the ancient peoples who […]
One of the best things about road trips is discovering out-of-the-way gems that we would never otherwise visit. When we’re traveling across the vast expanse of Texas, there are always plenty of opportunities for new adventures, often in the most unlikely of places. Leaving Austin, we headed to Carlsbad Caverns in southeastern New Mexico. In […]
There is no shortage of fun things to do in Austin. It’s kind of a problem, actually. There are so many enticing possibilities—hiking and biking trails; intriguing restaurants, coffee shops and breweries; music, art and museums; interesting shops and galleries and events—it’s not easy to choose. I finally had to stop reading Trip Advisor and […]
A visit to High Island is on every birder’s dream list. People flock to this tiny town from all over the world in the springtime to witness one of the great wonders of bird migration—the return of our feathered friends from their winter homes in Central and South America to their spring nesting grounds in […]
We’ve traversed Texas many times in our cross-country journeys on our way back and forth to Florida to visit family. We’re always looking for new places to explore—but as far as we’ve been able to figure out, there are only a handful of places worth stopping in the 500-mile drive from the Hill Country to […]
I doodled and daydreamed my way through history classes in high school and college. Fortunately, my short-term memory was good enough that I could spend an evening memorizing dates, people, and events—just enough to pass exams. And then, of course, I promptly forgot everything. Now, though, we’re on The Mother of All Field Trips, visiting […]
Whatever Texas does, Texas does it big. You want wildflowers? Texas will give you huge expanses of wildflowers, rolling hills covered with cobalt blue lupine (the beloved “bluebonnets”), brilliant red Indian paintbrush, sunny yellow coreopsis, and hundreds more. Much of the state has always been grasslands. This makes for large stands of sun-loving wildflowers, helped […]
I naively thought that given a year to travel, we would never feel rushed. But the first week of November, in the middle of Texas, we looked at each other and said, “We need to get rolling.” We had reservations for the Keys starting mid-November, but first, we wanted to spend a week with my […]
I don’t mean this as a rallying cry—(Texas Forever!)—but more as a protest—(Oh my God, Texas goes on forever!). Invariably in our cross-country journeys, we find ourselves at the border of Texas. We steel ourselves for the crossing, knowing that it will be DAYS before we see another state. There is a lot we like […]
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If you enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking, birding, art, music, quirky towns, good food, and good friends—you'll enjoy traveling with us. Join us as we explore the backroads of North America—we love company and comments!