What I'm up to
Working with the Texas Outdoor Recreation Alliance — with summit details
Texans love the outdoors. From horseback riding to bass fishing to mountain biking, outdoor recreation has long been a mainstay in the Lone Star State. With investments in public lands ticking upwards (more state parks, yay!) and a growing population of “domestic migrants” (here’s looking at you, California), the resulting outdoor economic boom in Texas according to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis is approaching $56 billion in annual revenues.
Dingus on my dashboard
Penned on spec for a cancelled column, sigh......Borderland souvenirs from Big BendBy DAN OKOA man on the horse rides down to the Rio Grande, where my backpacking buddy and I are cooling down after a 16-mile hike across the high Chisos of Big Bend National Park. I...
Yeehaw! Historic win for Texas Parks in November election
Moving to Texas over 20 years ago, I was worried about the lack of public lands in the Lone Star State. We were coming down from Montana, which is over 37 percent public land, including the splendors of Glacier and Yellowstone national parks, and prior to that I had...
Something fishy going on with CSP
My kid, a dyed-in-the-wool Swiftie, surprised me when she didn't have much to say about the alleged "beef" between her hero Taylor Swift and up-and-comer Olivia Rodrigo. Rodrigo has a new album out GUTS, and is one of the very few artists (another being alt-country...
It’s a doggy dog world
Labor Day just hits different after a summer on the road. And while I couldn't take Domino on the Appalachian Trail with me and Ursula back in June -- she's not conditioned for that kind of effort, and the additional energy it would have taken to keep both the dog and...
Trail notes — from Springer Mountain
My toenails are no longer purple and my heel blisters have resolved themselves, and I am beginning to feel ready to talk/write about the adventure I had with the kiddo in Northern Georgia back in June. We covered 52 miles on the Appalachian Trail over a week, a nice...
The Last Great American Roadtrip
“I was surprised, as always, by how easy the act of leaving was, and how good it felt. The world was suddenly rich with possibility.....” -- Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac I've been driving -- and hiking -- and piling miles in the trusty 4Runner, crossing the American...
Chain chain chain, chain of food
You are not the dominant species out there. That's what my buddy Doug Peacock says about traveling through Grizzly Country. (If you don't know Peacock, he's a Vietnam veteran who was the model for Edward Abbey's famous eco-saboteur George Hayduke, and one of the...
Who does Number 2 work for?
When I headed out to Sea Rim State Park, for my latest in Texas Highways, I knew I would need a WAG bag for the privy. After all, the floating campsite sits on the edge of the marsh, with a sort of chimney where you'll find a toilet seat tucked away, ready for...
Explosions in the sky — Space X blows it
If Elon Musk expects people to believe that Tesla electric vehicles reflect his commitment to the environment, the South African born multi-billionaire is going to have to address the damage Space X has wrought across South Texas. The explosion of the Super Heavy...