“What is your favorite day trip?” the television show hostess asked me innocently. Little did she know the torrent of thoughts and memories that she turned loose behind my blank stare.
“I have two favorite day trips,” I answered as if I had good sense. “The last trip I took and the next one that I’m going to take.”
Deciding which trips are my favorite all depends on the boundaries with which I am making my choices. My 10 favorite discoveries or rediscoveries in and around Texas for 2002 have to begin with the Big Bend.
1. It is probably best that the gateway to Big Bend National Park is more than 500 miles away from Austin. Even with such a formidable road trip, the dusty hills of Terlingua, Alpine, and Marathon are filled with a large contingent of capital-city expatriates. The Big Bend area should be every Texan’s destination at least once. For information, call 877/244-2363 or go to www.visitbigbend.com.
2. On April 19, 1995, a bomb blew apart the Murrah Federal Building and claimed 168 victims ranging from babies to grandmothers.
The Oklahoma City National Memorial is a tribute to the lives lost, a history lesson, and a prayer for the future. About 400 miles north of Austin, the memorial can be done in a weekend. For information, call 405/235-3313 or visit www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org.
3. Some afternoons when I’m stuck in the office, my thoughts drift off to the Lighthouse Lakes Trail outside of Port Aransas. Rent, borrow, or buy a canoe or kayak and explore the maze of waterways between the barrier islands and the mainland. The state parks department has marked the trail with GPS coordinates and signs to make getting lost a little more difficult.
4. Not many events have changed as little as the annual reunion at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Praha called Prazka Pout. Mark your calendar for Aug. 15. No matter what day of the week it falls on, the Czechs serve plenty of Shiner Bock, fried chicken, and oompah music beginning after the 10am mass. This is fun done the old-fashioned way.
5. One of the people who made the Big Bend special was Hallie Stillwell, and Hallie’s Hall of Fame Museum, near the entrance to the national park on RR 2627, catches a moment in time. Not only do the exhibits tell the story of this remarkable woman, but they also tell the story of a family’s struggle to survive. For information, try 915/376-2244 or www.our.town.com/stillwell.
6. Hallie is also one of the personalities that make the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth a special place. Take a peek at remarkable women ranging from Dale Evans to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. For information, call 817/336-4475 or go to www.cowgirl.net.
7. Beeman’s Coffee Bar in Port Aransas is a favorite place to stop in a favorite town. The pastries are great, the eggs Benedict on Sunday are awesome, and the coffee is always fresh. For information, call 361/749-7616.
8. A long time before I wrote about it, my favorite diner in Galveston was Beeno’s on the Beach. For fried seafood with a Cajun zest, sometimes being in Houston is close enough to warrant a trip to 1200 Seawall Dr. To call in your order, dial 409/762-4621.
9. Growing up in Fort Worth, we often took camping trips to Turner Falls just north of the Red River in South Central Oklahoma near Davis. In summer, this natural water park is full of memories and the best swimming holes. For information, call 580/369-2917 or log on to www.turnerfallspark.com.
10. One of the saddest stories in Texas history is the treatment of the Cherokee. Originally from the southeastern United States, the Cherokee moved to Texas in 1819. In 1836, Sam Houston offered to uphold the Indians’ Mexican land claim if they would stay out of the Texas Revolution. The tribe stayed on their land between Nacogdoches and Tyler, but the Congress of the Republic never ratified the treaty, and in 1839 hundreds of the tribe were massacred as they prepared to leave. In 1993, the Cherokee rolls in Texas were reactivated. For the history go to www.geocities.com/texascherokees.html.
604th in a series. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of Day Trips 101-200, is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.Boquillas Canyon in Big Bend
This article appears in 2002.
