Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

April 21is the day Texans remember the Battle of San Jacinto—a turning point in the story of Texas. Our State Park Guide, Bryan Frazier, tells us about a battle reenactment to take place on the San Jacinto Battleground.

This is one of the most iconic battles we have in our colorful Texas history. It’s a reenactment of what happened on April 21, 1836. There’ll be people in period costume and battle garb, and they will actually reconstruct that battle from 1836 where the Texans courageously won their independence from Santa Anna’s forces down in Southeast Texas. And that’s at San Jacinto Battleground, down just outside of Houston. Every year it draws lots and lots of people, and it’s just one of those times where you can get up close and personal with living Texas history, because the battle is reenacted right before your very eyes. People who go say it is a pretty revealing, interesting and powerful thing to see—and its so fundamental to our Texas history base. It’s something that we think everyone who’s a Texan should understand what happened and its significance to our state. Few times can you get up and really see, or witness and event that did happen in history that turned the tide of a nation.

Thanks, Bryan.

Find more information at texasstateparks.org.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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This is Passport to Texas

The good old days of the old west are closer than you think, as our State Park Guide, Bryan Frazier explains.

Out at Big Bend Ranch State Park, people can still do an authentic, four-day cattle drive with the longhorns and some of the most majestic scenery that we have in Texas anywhere. And it’s coming up in April, and it’s fantastic, and we have some availability. You know, you need to know what you’re getting into; your going to really be doing the trail ride, you’re really going to be moving the longhorns, and there’s going to be food out on the trail—the chuck wagon—it’s the whole experience of a cattle drive. People who go say they love it. It’s like being in the movie City Slickers for real.

So do you have to have any background in cow poking or horse riding?

It’s better if you’re comfortable in and around horses and realize that you’re going to be in the saddle for quite a while during each day, it’s not easy or for the faint of heart. But, for people who want an adventure and want a chance to get out—this is your chance.

How do they sign up?

Advanced reservations on this are a must. So they can call the park directly at 432-358-4444.

Thanks, Bryan.

Find more information at texasstateparks.org.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Spring Longhorn Cattle Drive

When Apr 20, 2011 08:00 AM to
Apr 23, 2011 06:00 PM

Contact Phone (432) 358-4444

This four-day event is an ideal opportunity to leave the suit and tie behind and be a West Texas longhorn wrangler. The experience is guided and directed by Big Bend Ranch wranglers that can accommodate all levels of experience. Come visit us at the ranch headquarters in Sauceda for great food, lodging, and lasting memories. Early arrival 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Wednesday, cattle drive 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM Thursday-Saturday; call for fees; reservations required.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

June Hershey, who in 1941 penned the lyrics of the well-loved song, Deep in the Heart of Texas, must have been inspired by a nighttime visit to the Trans Pecos region for her first verse.

08—The stars at night are big and bright (Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!) Deep in the heart of Texas.

Once you experience the deep, velvety blackness of the west Texas night sky, studded with a profusion of luminous stars, you’ll come away thinking….

01—The stars are unbelievable.

David Bischofhausen manages Davis Mountains State Park. He says that in west Texas, dark skies are the law.

04—There is a dark sky policy in town. You have to have restrictions on lights and stuff.

Poorly directed outdoor lighting interferes with our ability to see stars clearly. And dark skies are crucial to the park’s neighbor – the McDonald Observatory.

20—From the park headquarters you can see McDonald Observatory. It’s about thirteen miles away. They built the observatory here because some f the darkest skies in North America are right here. And I’ve seen a picture McDonald observatory did on a slide show of the United States at night. You can definitely tell where Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth are…and then you look over here, and there’s this big black spot where Big Bend and Davis Mountains are. And it’s just unbelievable.

Learn more about Davis Mountain State Park when you log onto the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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This is Passport to Texas

Spring is that ephemeral time between our unpredictable winters and our all-too-predictable summers.

The unrelenting heat and humidity of summer turns many of us into prisoners of indoor air conditioning. Yet, imagine… if you can… a place in our great state where in July, people wear sweaters and light jackets to protect themselves against the chill of the night air. Is this just some beautiful dream? No, my friends, it’s the Davis Mountains of west Texas.

03—One thing nice about the Davis Mountains is you can’t beat the weather.

David Bischofhausen (bish-off-howzen) manages the Davis Mountains State Parks Complex.

30—I see people on the fourth of July I the park having to wear sweatshirts because it gets so cool at night. It’s generally dry, and usually – you know – ten to fifteen degrees cooler up in the mountains than it is down I the flats. The lodge is right about five thousand feet in elevation. Park headquarters is about 49-hundred, so we go up from there. We’re in the foothills of the Davis Mountains. So, we’re definitely in a sky island, and lost of vegetation…and lots of wildlife…and just a beautiful place. And, some people don’t think there are mountains in Texas…you come out here and it’s just unbelievable. I mean it’s just gorgeous.

So when you can’t stand the heat…head to the mountains.

Learn more about Davis Mountain State Park when you log onto the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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This is Passport to Texas

For a family friendly, memory-making, spring break getaway—you can’t beat Colorado Bend State Park, and the white bass run. Our State Park guide, Bryan Frazier has more.

55—And at Colorado Bend, when the white bass run is on, it could be one of the best in the state of Texas. You can catch lots of fish, get kids involved and other people, and really share a memory that you might not be able to find anywhere else, or any other time of year. Well, before I turned on this machine, you shared a memory, and you said that you took your mom and son. Tell me about that. Well, I took my mother and my young son who hadn’t fished much either last year; it was one of the best white bass runs at Colorado bend that we had in a long, long time. The water levels were up, and we took our little boat, and we had a ball. We put the boat in the water and moved upstream just a few hundred yards, and started catching white bass, and we caught them for a couple hours. We kept, you know, enough for us to eat, and white bass are great to eat, so I recommend doing that when you know what the bag limits and the length limits are. We had a time that I know I’ll remember for the rest of my life, and probably my mom and little boy will as well. So, get outdoors and enjoy that—it’s spring break—white bass run…Colorado bend. That’s a great recipe right there for a lot of fun.

Thanks, Bryan.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet…building dependable, reliable trucks for more than 90 years.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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