Gearing up for Palestine’s El Camino 205 bicycle tour
We rise before daybreak to a chorus of birdsong and pump up our tires. ... Read More »
Texas’ Top Natural Wonders: Big Bend
“Vast is just too small a word. It is a world apart from the flat, sprawling suburbs and plains of North Texas, where I was raised. For me, Big Bend is a cruel mistress. Her raw beauty is intoxicating—and she’ll kill you if you’re not careful.” – Andrew R. Slaton Read More »
Explore the wonders of nature in the Hill Country River Region
We could hear the river before we could see it. My 11-year-old daughter, ... Read More »
Biking with Birds
Not a half-hour into my daylong adventure, in the middle of a prairie of sea lavender and leatherleaf, I stopped my bike in wonder. A few dozen yards from the pavement, dozens of sandhill cranes comingled with a flock of ivory snow geese, completely ignoring my entrance into this unspoiled coastal scene. Read More »
10 Epic Summer Travel Adventures
Get even more summertime adventure ideas. Hello summertime! We know it ... Read More »
Nine-river Day
There’s something about the summer solstice that inspires adventure. As ... Read More »
The Alamo Inn B&B Welcomes Birders Flocking to the Rio Grande Valley
On the historic Alamo town square—bordered by a shaded plaza with a bandstand—we found the round sign with a picture of a golden-fronted woodpecker that marks the Inn’s entrance. Innkeeper Keith Hackland greeted us warmly. White-haired and soft-spoken, Keith dressed the part of a birder in hiking boots, cargo pants, and a long-sleeved camp shirt. His accent from his native South Africa made me wonder how he ended up in the Valley—a story he’d share later. For now, he led us through the lobby to a literature rack nearly as high as the ceiling. “We offer our guests information as far as birding goes,” Keith said modestly as he assembled a voluminous sheath of brochures, maps, and checklists. Read More »
Big Thicket Drift
“It’s not too often that you just don’t have anything to do,” our guide ... Read More »
The Art (and Fun) of Stacking Rocks
Michael Grab wades into the waist-high water of the Llano River in Central ... Read More »
Favorite Big Bend Mountain-Bike Rides
When out in Big Bend for the Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest, I talked with multiple local riders to gather information for my story about mountain biking in the Big Bend region. I threw in an extra question for some of them: What’s your favorite ride? Here are their responses. Read More »
Biking Big Bend
Chances are I won’t be hitchhiking out West any time soon to hire on with a ranch or join a sheriff’s posse. My boyhood fancies of a cowboy life on the open range, fueled by Lone Ranger reruns and imaginative bicycle escapades around the neighborhood, lost steam over time. But I’ve still got a Lone Ranger poster, and I’ve still got a mountain bike. And exploring the Texas countryside by bicycle still kindles my childlike excitement for adventure, freedom, and fun. Read More »
Return to the Guadalupes
I got to know the Guadalupe Mountains as a child in the 1970s, when my ... Read More »
Nature by Day … or Night
The sun is low and the gate guarded as we arrive at the south shore of ... Read More »
The Sweet Side of Texas Summers? Swimming-Hole Satisfaction
In Texas, we love our swimming holes as much as we love barbecue and country music. We’ve got plenty of them worth bragging about, too. From east to west and north to south, shimmering natural ponds and river respites abound, beckoning us to kick off our sandals and take a flying leap. Our advice? Give in to the temptation. To help you plot your adventure, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorites. Read More »
Hail to the Boys of the CCC
When I was a child, Texas’ state parks were beloved vacation ... Read More »
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