An Elephant Experience in Texas

Elephants in Texas? No way. That’s what I thought until I spent a September afternoon with five gregarious pachyderms at the Hill Country Elephant Preserve outside of  Stonewall, Texas—about 65 miles west of Austin. I learned about the preserve while perusing a list of typical businesses on the website of the Stonewall Chamber of Commerce. Immediately curious because I’m fascinated by elephants, I emailed the preserve for more information.  An invitation to join an “elephant experience” arrived a few days later. I followed Google maps...

Exploring the ‘Grand’ Canyons of Texas

The glowing orange sphere slowly peaked above the dark walls of the “Grand Canyon of Texas,” illuminating subterranean spires, buttes, and mesas bathed in soft terra cotta colors. Watching the stunning sunrise over Palo Duro Canyon was well worth skipping soggy scrambled eggs and dry bacon from the hotel breakfast buffet. But I was sorry I waited so long. Palo Duro Canyon State Park has been on my travel list almost since I moved to Texas two decades ago. But every time I was near...

Rendezvous in Wyoming’s Green River Valley

Trout are plentiful but elusive in the fast-flowing Green River in western Wyoming. Anglers from big cities on the West and East Coasts arrive every summer by private jet to stay at rustic ranches in the shadow of the snow-capped Wind River Mountains. They rise early to cast fanciful, hand-tied flies into the clear emerald water in hopes of hooking an inquisitive cutthroat. Fishing was not what drew mountain men, Native American Indians and traders to the lush Green River Valley nearly 200 years ago....

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