Texas Highways – September 2019

(lily) #1
TEXAS
HIGHWAYS™

© Texas De Transpor tation 2019 partment of
All rights reserved. txdot.gov

EDITORIAL
Executive Editor
Emily Roberts Stone
Managing Editor
Michael Hoinski
Senior Editor
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Events Editor
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Associate Editor
Kimya Kavehkar
Writers-at-Large
Clayton Maxwell, Joe Nick Patoski
Contributing Editors
Heather Brand, Melissa Gaskill, E. Dan Klepper,
June Naylor, Daniel Blue Tyx
Contributing Writers
Michael Corcoran, Asher Elbein, Chet Garner,
Dana Joseph, Dakota Kim, John Lumpkin,
Veronica Meewes, Michael J. Mooney,
José R. Ralat, Robyn Ross, W.K. Stratton
Editorial Coordinator
Cindy Newsom
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Contributing Photographers
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Sean Fitzgerald, E. Dan Klepper,
Nathan Lindstrom, Tom McCarthy Jr.,
Eric W. Pohl, Dave Shafer, Robert Strickland,
Will Van Overbeek
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DIRECTOR
Joan Henderson

PUBLISHER
Andrea Lin

Governor of Texas
Greg Abbott
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J. Bruce Bugg Jr., Chairman
Jeff Austin III, Commissioner

Alvin New, Commissioner
Laura Ryan, Commissioner

Published monthly by the Travel Information Division of TxDOT

6 texashighways.com Photo: Robert Strickland (top); Wyatt McSpadden (middle); Tara Nieuwesteeg (bottom)

It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it. Normally
when writer José R. Ralat explores a taco destination,
he plans an itinerary that allows “at least a little time
for the food to settle.” But on Southmost Boulevard in
Brow ns v i l le—feat u red i n “ Welcome to t he Taco Capi-
tal of Texas” (Page 42)—the concentration of amaz-
ing taquerias was so dense “the trip nearly broke my
spirit,” he jokes. Ralat, the author of the upcoming
book, American Tacos: A History and Guide to the
Taco Trail North of the Border, says his Southmost
experience outdid other memorable reporting ad-
ventures, including a weeklong trek through Denver,
Phoeni x, and Tucson that involved a surprise snow-
storm, altitude sickness, and a lost wallet; and even
an El Paso visit during which he tried 17 taquerias
in one day. But Ralat hasn’t been scared off South-
most forever. “I’d risk another breakdown,” he says.

Featured Contributors
W. K. St rat ton
The Round Rock-based writer
drove to the Rio Grande Valley to
be fitted by master bootmakers Ar-
mando Rios Jr. and Henry Camargo
for “These Boots are Made for
Gawkin’” (Page 52). “I wanted some
great boots but also to plug into the
rich traditions and culture of the Valley,” he says. Stratton
is the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller The Wild
Bunch: Sam Peckinpah, a Revolution in Hollywood, and
the Making of a Legendary Film and eight other books.
His work has appeared in Outside and GQ, and he is a fel-
low of the Texas Institute of Letters.
Michael J. Mooney
Based in Dallas, Mooney vis-
ited a handful of the state’s fin-
est drinking establishments for
“The Magic of a Hotel Bar” (Page
12). “I don’t need much of an ex-
cuse to hang out at a hotel bar,” he says. “It’s a fascinating
glimpse of humanity.” He’s a New York Times bestselling
author whose work has also appeared in GQ and ESPN
the Magazine. Mooney is also co-director of the annual
Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference, held at the Uni-
versity of North Texas in Denton.

Behind the Story

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