Texas Highways Magazine March 2022

Like many Texans, John Erickson has strong ties to the land that reared him. Despite short stints in Denver and Boston during his college years, the beloved Texas author has lived in the Panhandle most of his life. In fact, if it weren’t for his affinity for the region, generations of Texans might never have had the chance to fall in love with Hank the Cowdog, the main character in Erickson’s popular book series. Hank’s first misadventure was part of a collection of short stories, The Devil in Texas and Other Cowboy Tales, self-published by Erickson in 1982 through his imprint, Maverick Books. Called “Confessions of a Cowdog,” the Hank story wasn’t even Erickson’s favorite of the bunch. But his former neighbors in his hometown of Perryton let him know…

Writer Dina Gachman has a new favorite wildflower: the ghost pipe. “When you really crouch down and look at it, it is just the coolest plant,” she says of the species she encountered in Nacogdoches while reporting “The Rogue Wildflower Hunters of Texas” (Page 27). “They’re otherworldly.” Gachman traveled to the Piney Woods to meet people who track down the rare plants that don’t get as much attention as bluebonnets or Indian paintbrushes. “They sounded like they were kind of like spies,” the Hutto resident recalls thinking of the group. The experience of looking closely for less-celebrated flowers changed her perspective on her surroundings. “I’ve become much more aware of everything on my own lawn,” she says. “It’s definitely caused me to look closer, which is actually really fun. I’m…

CAJUN CAPITAL OF TEXAS GATOR COUNTRY Beaumont’s Gator Country is the place to visit to get to know all about scaly reptiles - and even hold a baby gator. The park is home to nearly 600 alligators but the headliners are Big Al and Big Tex, the largest alligators in captivity in Texas - certified by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Both gators weigh in at 1,000 pounds and almost 14 feet in length. PUBLIC GARDENS Take in the beauty of Beaumont, Texas with a visit to our beautiful Botanical Gardens. A public garden located within Tyrrell Park, which includes the Warren Loose Conservatory - the second largest public garden in Texas. See camellias, modern and antique roses, bromeliads, and native plants connected by a paved walkway offering plenty of benches to sit…

Cat Person As much as I admire anyone who can successfully travel with a cat, I do take exception with the statement that “Any cat is adaptable with enough patience” [“The Ultimate Guide to Traveling With Pets in Texas,” February]. I traveled between Fredericksburg and Pagosa Springs, Colorado, for nine years, usually with three cats. Two of them have a total aversion to car travel and have never gotten over it. They have motion sickness and are sick before I can even get out of the driveway. I tried herbal remedies, prescription drugs, and CBD oil for cats. Nothing really worked. Patience is important, but my cats didn’t get the message. Sue Ford, Fredericksburg A Helping Paw It was so nice to see the article about Guide Dogs of Texas in the February issue…

Photographer Theresa DiMenno roams Texas’ backroads every spring in search of wildflowers to document. Staying closer to home in March 2020, she found this field of firewheel blooms near a South Austin retention pond. On a rainy and overcast day, the evening sun eventually broke through the clouds. “The landscape was extraordinary in its brilliance,” DiMenno recalls. This year, she is hoping for colorful blooms in the Hill Country, which received decent October rainfall. “I’ve got my eye on a little cabin west of Fredericksburg I’d like to stay in for a few days as a home base,” she says.…

When he’s not out collecting old windmills, Jim Collums can most often be found at Poteet Country Winery, located on the former dairy farm where he grew up. The farm sells wines, jams, ice cream, iced tea, and even beer made from the homegrown strawberries that give Poteet its designation as the “Strawberry Capital of Texas.” Collums ran a utility construction business before deciding to devote his time to farming and making wine from strawberries and mustang grapes. Named for the town’s first postmaster, Poteet has been an agricultural hub since the early 1900s when local farmers tapped into artesian wells for irrigation. Sweet strawberries became the signature local crop, leading to the founding of the Poteet Strawberry Festival in 1948. From 1980 to 1996, Collums served as festival director,…