Pam LeBlanc
Museum of the Big Bend’s Expansion Enters the World of Art
November 17, 2023
Step onto the patio that juts from the recently opened expansion of the Museum of the Big Bend in Alpine, and the spiny ridgeline of the Davis Mountains rises in the distance.
Historic Spoetzl Brewery Eyes the Future with New Distillery and Barbecue Restaurant
May 4, 2023
Beer isn’t all that’s rolling off the production line at the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner these days.
Mating Season Is Underway for Attwater Prairie Chickens. Just Don’t Call Them “Boomers.”
March 29, 2023
In a grassy field near Goliad dotted with cow patties, eight football-size birds waggle their tails, inflate mango-colored pouches on their necks, stamp their feet, and emit a forlorn “woo-woo-woo.”
These male Attwater prairie chickens (also spelled as Attwater’s prairie chicken) hope their flashy “booming” display will impress the hens.
South Llano River State Park, a Treasured Hill Country Haven, is Getting a New Headquarters and Bridge
September 12, 2022
South Llano River State Park, a former goat and sheep ranch that’s now a beloved outdoors playground on the edge of the Texas Hill Country, is getting a new headquarters building, new low-water crossing bridge, and an amphitheater.
A New Adventure Tour at Natural Bridge Caverns Gives Novices a Chance to Be Explorers
August 9, 2022
A new tour at Natural Bridge Caverns takes visitors up rocky inclines and across slippery ledges into portions of the cave never before seen by the public.
Up For Sale, the Old Spanish Trail Restaurant in Bandera Serves Up Cowboy History
July 9, 2022
The Old Spanish Trail in Bandera, one of the oldest continuously operating restaurants in Texas, is on the market for a cool $3.25 million.
Flash-Flooding Prompts a Soaking Hiatus at Big Bend National Park’s Hot Springs Pool
June 8, 2022
Big Bend National Park‘s soothing hot springs along the Rio Grande is a popular draw for visitors—even during the summer.
Mason County Starts Rebuilding Its Courthouse 1 Year After a Devastating Fire
February 4, 2022
A year after the Mason County Courthouse was nearly destroyed in a fire, scaffolding is rising around the 112-year-old structure.
Vandalism at Big Bend National Park a ‘Gut Punch’ for Texas Heritage
January 10, 2022
Vandals defaced prehistoric rock art at Big Bend National Park over the holidays, the latest example in an uptick of such incidents on West Texas’ sprawling public lands.
Got Land? The Making of Palo Pinto Mountains and Other New Texas State Parks
May 20, 2021
Seventy-five miles west of Fort Worth, a hilly parcel of ranchland is making the transformation into the first new state park since the birding hotspot of Resaca de la Palma swung open its gates near Brownsville in 2008.
Big Bend National Park Announces Plan to Build a New Hiking Trail Around Lone Mountain
January 29, 2021
A new trail at Big Bend National Park will take hikers on a 3-mile loop around Lone Mountain, a Texas-sized hill that bristles with scrub brush and cactus just north of the Panther Junction Visitor Center.
See the San Antonio River Walk Like You’ve Never Seen It Before
November 13, 2020
Until recently, I’d only explored the San Antonio River Walk by foot, strolling over its arching bridges and beneath its canopy of trees as it winds alongside an urban waterway.
Paddle Your Way to Beauty, Isolation, and Adventure on a Canoe Camping Trip
August 6, 2020
Earlier this summer, I strapped my aluminum canoe to the top of a friend’s truck and headed west to the Devils River.
