October 2009
Table of Contents
Features
Climb Every MountainWhether you want to ride a horse, bomb down a mountain-bike trail, hike up a hill, relax in a hot springs, scale the face of a giant granite boulder, or just sit on your tailgate and look at a pretty sunset, there’s a lot to do on and around the peaks of West Texas. So strap on your pack and go! Plus:Lost in LajitasSaddle up and take in the rugged landscape of the Bofecillos Mountains. Photographs by Charlie Llewellin Mountain HighFrom the Guadalupes to the Chinatis, Texas mountains have some of the best views in the state. Photographs by Charlie Llewellin Cattle DriveThe Sauceda Ranger Station, in the Bofecillos Mountains, is still a working cattle operation—and the home of a registered Longhorn herd. Photographs by Charlie Llewellin With God On Their SideLast year’s child custody battle between the State of Texas and a fundamentalist Mormon sect prompted many people to wonder how 437 kids could have been ripped away from their parents. When the criminal trials of a dozen sect members get under way this month, the question may become, Was it really safe to send them home? Fear FactorIf you really want to scare your boots off this Halloween, take a look at these eight places, which our bloodcurdling, hair-raising, nerve-racking research has determined to be the state’s spookiest. Plus:Spirits of TexasA slide show of images featuring our state's haunted haunts, from the Grove, in Jefferson, to the Baker Hotel, in Mineral Wells. Photographs by Todd Hido Weird ScienceMembers from the Austin-based Aether Paranormal Team talk about electromagnetic-field detectors, electronic voice phenomena recorders, and their scariest investigations. |
Texas High WaysA growing chorus of unlikely voices, from the El Paso City Council to the Arizona attorney general, has called for a serious look at legalizing marijuana. Why Texas should lead the way. Snap JudgmentRaise a Pearl beer to our ten greatest college football plays. Ever. Plus:Get in the GameLions and tigers and bears. And cardinals and eagles and pirates. Good sports from schools across Texas get into character. (Adapted from the October 2007 issue.) Photographs by Jeff Minton |
Columns
Behind the LinesWhat I’ve LearnedNine years as editor of this magazine taught me a few things, like failure is always an option, the writers are usually right, and whatever you do, stay far, far away from postcoital astronauts. Gary CartwrightLast RightsThe tragic case of Lloyd and Kim Yarbrough raises an old question: Why doesn’t the decision to die belong to the person who is dying? |
Sarah BirdRats!Turns out being a test subject for a dermatology research lab is not the best thing that could ever happen to a girl. Letter From CampRock of UnderagesHow to take five dozen girls and turn them into eleven rock bands in one week. |
Reporter
The ManualBuilding a Barbed Wire FenceHow to build a barbed-wire fence. Plus:The Manual 2.0The experts from League City–based American Fence and Supply Company teach Andrea Valdez how to build a barbed-wire fence. |
The Filter
Miscellany
ContributorsWilliam Martin, Katy Vine, and Todd Hido |
Editor’s LetterFare E Well |
Web Exclusives
Nature TripWhatever I do in them, Texas mountains have a way of clearing my mind. A Prayer (and a Recipe) for CowgirlsThe queen of the rodeo may not have been mother of the year but her pecan pralines were to die for. Don Yarborough’s TexasIt was an era when segregation and civil rights were still issues and liberals had a base from which to run. That Texas is gone. The Crown Jewel of Costa RicaThe Nicoya Peninsula has some of the best wildlife seeking, bird watching, and hiking in the hemisphere. Waiting for MotmotWhile traveling in Mount Arenal, I ponder the Costa Rican tourist slogan, “Pura vida.” Memo to KayEven someone who supports the death penalty, as you do, can and should be up in arms over the Cameron Willingham case. Parent TrapI’ve read more articles on overscheduled children than I care to count, and I like to think that I’m very in tune with trying to balance school, free play, and scheduled activities. But am I? |
Family PortraitsAustin-based and independent filmmaker Andrew Bujalski talks about Beeswax, relationships, working with friends, and the allure of documentaries. Texas PaletteTexas City–native Opie Otterstad discusses painting sports figures, being a Texan, and signing bats. Texas TailgateFor some University of Texas football fans, getting together with friends to eat, drink, and rally before a game is a ritual that they wouldn’t miss for the world. Photographs by Kristin Ellertson High SocietyThe Houston Chronicle’s loss is CultureMap’s gain—Shelby Hodge. The ChampsHow mixed martial arts went from what one senator called “human cockfighting” to an event that draws record crowds and millions of pay-per-view buyers. Oh, the Horror!Christian Sosa, the producer of a new horror flick called The Eves, talks about the film, the cast, and shooting in southeast Texas. |
Multimedia
Go Texan Restaurant Round-up With Chef James Robert of Eddie V'sScampi-style Texas Shrimp |
Recipes
Carrot Soup With Shrimp PicoRecipe from Chef David Garrido, Garrido’s, Austin |
Ruby’s Pecan PralinesRecipe by Donna Xander. |
