Texas Highways Magazine March 2016

As the temperatures rise and the landscape awakens, many of us become a bit entranced by the prospect of spring travels. And whether you love history, the outdoors, wine tours, or tasty pastries, this issue can take you from daydreaming to day-tripping in short order. Topics range from the Charles Goodnight Historical Center in Goodnight to Gil’s Broiler in San Marcos, home of the cinnamon-y Manske Roll—and we celebrate the state with a patriotic look at our symbols and “The Ride for Texas Independence.” Starting on page 58, Melissa Gaskill’s “Sweet 16” excursion spans some 160 miles from San Saba to Graham and includes its own tempting cinnamon-roll stop. In its entirety, Texas 16, considered our longest state highway, slices almost smack-dab through the middle of Texas, just short of reaching…

Beauty is all around. You just need to pause long enough to notice. ANN PARKS, Canton OUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA OF THE MONTH... As a student reporter at Abilene High School in the mid-’50s, I interviewed Elvis at Thornton’s Store. He was doing an autograph party there. I still have the autographed picture he gave me. Precious memory. Jan Jonas Corpus Christi The @Texas Highways tale of a US 90 road trip across southwest Texas [January] will make you want to hop in the car & hit the road. @texastourism Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Pull of the Parks Reading the National Parks issue [February] evoked memories of when my family and I moved to Dallas in 1989. We wanted our children to experience Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains national parks when they were still small. We…

Hill Country The Pennybacker Bridge along Loop 360 (Capital of Texas Highway) spans Lake Austin in northwest Austin. Its steel arch was designed to weather over time, gradually changing color. Opened in 1982, the bridge is part of a scenic urban drive along the nearly 14-mile loop. Some of the most picturesque photographs (like this one) come from the cliffs on the north side of the bridge. A boat ramp and parking area are on the south side for those who want to enjoy a view from below the bridge. For more places to see while in Austin, visitwww.austintexas.org.…

ZIPPED UP Fashioned from leather, vintage canvas, and other sturdy materials, these stylish bags make traveling a breeze. A fan of one-of-a-kind pieces, Wright makes some of his products from vintage mailbags and military goods. W DURABLE GOODS is at 901 Foch St. in Fort Worth. Hours: Tue-Sat 11-7. Closed Mon and Sun. Call 925/272-8465;www.wdurablegoods.com. I DO A LOT OF TRAVELING AND HAVE DEVELOPED A SYSTEM OVER the years. I keep a kit packed with toiletries, a backpack stocked with such essentials as binoculars and sunscreen, and I carry my passport and emergency-contact information in a small case. All I have to do is toss these into the car or a suitcase whenever the travel opportunity arises. However, I remain on the lookout for improvements to my system. On a recent trip to Fort Worth, I…

Those of us who couldn’t snag a ticket to the gala can still participate in the celebration through a “Lonesome Dove Trail” of events that continues through late July. THE SIX-HOUR MINISERIESLONESOME DOVEFIRST aired in February 1989 while I was taking an evening painting class in Fort Worth. My fellow students and I usually didn’t pay much attention to the television in the studio, but that evening we couldn’t focus on our still-life lesson. As retired Texas Rangers Capt. Augustus “Gus” McCrae and Capt. Woodrow Call rode off on an epic cattle drive from Texas to Montana, they took us along, too. One by one, we set aside our paintbrushes and gathered around the TV. Our instructor ended up canceling the class and joining us. We figured we still got an art…

THE GOODNIGHT HISTORICAL CENTER is at 4989 County Road 25 in Goodnight, 42 miles east of Amarillo. The home and visitor center open Tue-Sat, 10-5. Entry is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for children. Call 855/881-6499;www.armstrongcountymuseum.com. EARLY TRAVELERS ON THE WAGON road that later became US 287 must have thought it was a mirage—a gabled Victorian manse with a covered porch on a West Texas plain. Now the centerpiece of the Charles Goodnight Historical Center, the ranch house of legendary Panhandle cattleman Charles Goodnight is also a tribute to grit and creativity—his and that of a pair of modern-day ranch women who strived to preserve it. Likely the first house in the Panhandle designed by an architect, the 2,900-square-foot, two-story structure was built when Goodnight founded his ranch in 1887 in…