Explorations in Texas.
I stayed four nights at Davis Mountains State Park. For $20 a night with electricity, it was a bargain. I hoped it would give me a chance to make progress on my blog backlog. I had been working through my recent images, and much work had been accomplished. But High Island and all the stops … Read more
Tuesday morning I broke camp early at the rest area 20 miles east of Marathon Texas. I drove to town and had breakfast at the Oasis Cafe. Marathon has a population of just over 400. It is one of the two gateways to Big Bend National Park. (The other is Alpine, 50 miles to the … Read more
For many reasons I enjoy touring Texas. There is much I enjoy about Texan culture. One is their thoughtfully placed mini-oasis along their two-lane highways. Criss-crossing their vast remote landscapes, they are a welcome sight for weary travelers. These Texas Roadside Rest Areas, sometimes called ‘Picnic Areas’ or ‘Parking Areas’ can be worthwhile places to … Read more
As I write these notes, I have returned to my southern California homestead. The past three weeks have been so hectic, I have not had time to properly tell the stories of my stops along my way from Texas and beyond. Some of my visits, including the one below, lasted several days. Twice, I visited … Read more
It’s been nearly two weeks since I published my last episode about my 2023 North American Expedition. Since then I have fallen way behind in my story-telling chores. Having crossed through Alabama, I have more episodes to share. Below is the account of my first stop in Texas. It was a hard decision, but I … Read more
On February 27, I left San Diego on what turned out to be a 16,000 mile tour of western North America that lasted 7½ months. I began with a slow crawl north up the Pacific Coast, with my first stop in San Luis Obispo, and followed it to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. During the … Read more
Davis Mountains State Park has its origins in the 1930s as a Civilian Conservation Corps project to help lift the broken economy out of the depression. Miles of trails were constructed across the 2,709 acres of this property, along with a sixteen room lodge. In 1967, 101 campsites were added, including many with full or … Read more
I spent two nights at Fort Clark in Brackettville Texas. It was my base camp during my tour of Kickapoo Caverns State Park, about 30 miles away. In the spring of 2021, I tried visiting Kickapoo Caverns on my way out of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, but my timing was bad. My visit was … Read more
During the last week in September 2022, it was my pleasure to spend several days with friends and visiting wildlife at the National Butterfly Center in Mission Texas. I spent several restful days at this sanctuary enjoying the birds and butterflies. I’m no butterfly specialist. While it requires patients to photograph butterflies, much like it … Read more
My friend Luciano told me how much fun it was to explore the Rio Grande aboard our friends Matt and Marianna’s boat. So when I ran into them at the SPI Birding and Nature Center a few days into my two-and-a-half week tenure on the island, and they extended an invitation, I knew I would … Read more
