The Old San Antonio – El Paso Road
— After the Mexican War, there was a need to establish a road through the rugged Texas country to advance west. The route would be used by mail carriers as well as pioneers and gold seekers heading to California. Two … Read More
Stranger Things
— While looking through some old photos taken at The University of Texas Memorial Museum some six years ago, I ran across an Edaphosaurus found in Archer County, Texas. This particular animal lived in the late Carboniferous to early Permian … Read More
Picket Range
— On our first day in the North Cascades National Park, we experienced majestic mountain ranges and roaring rivers. After an easy hike in the River Loop trail, we proceeded to the Rock Shelter trail and Trail of the Cedars … Read More
Doeskin Ranch
— Doeskin Ranch is an area inside the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, in northwest Austin. The area was set up to protect primarily two endangered species: the golden-cheeked warbler and the black-capped vireo. Those endangered songbirds rely on specialized habitats … Read More
Lazy Afternoon
— As a cloudy, drizzly day was coming to a close, the sun showed signs of life very briefly towards sunset time. Luckily for me, the Copperfield Nature Trail is very close to my house. I rushed to the small … Read More
Stairway to Heaven
— Happy 102nd anniversary to Bandelier National Monument! On February 11, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation to establish Bandelier National Monument. That piece of legislation protected 33,000 acres of rugged land with a beautiful canyon and mesa country. Bandelier NM … Read More
By the Medina River
— Through a contact known to a friend of mine, we were lucky to secure a long weekend in Bandera, the Texas Cowboy Capital of the World. We like the Bandera area a lot. It has great food (barbecue, Tex-Mex, … Read More
Gila Cliff Dwellings NM
— Located in southwest New Mexico, the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument encompasses 533 acres (2.16 sq. km.) of protected land near the Gila River. There are two prominent ruin sites and several other smaller ones with examples of the Mimbres … Read More
A Foggy Day
— Not in London town, as the song goes. Around mid-December 2017 we had one of those thick foggy morning in the Austin area. It was the same foggy pattern that prevented us from seeing the first Supermoon of 2018. … Read More
Walking Among Giants
— January 9, 2018, marked the 110th anniversary of Muir Woods National Monument, established by President Theodore Roosevelt. The land was donated by William Kent, who requested the park be named after the famous conservationist John Muir. As I noted … Read More
