Texas Highways – September 2019

TEXAS

HIGHWAYS™

© Texas De Transpor tation 2019 partment of

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EDITORIAL

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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

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Joan Henderson

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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