Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

The Texas Bucket List – Magic Worm Ranch in Plantersville

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On the backroads of Plantersville, Texas, you’ll fittingly find a lush green garden planted by a passionate producer with the perfect name, Gary Green. Gary’s got one goal when it comes to his line of work. “We like helping people and our thing is about growing food and doing it in an innovative way,” Gary said.

With a variety of vegetables and flowers growing in his garden, it seems the vegetation in this part of Plantersville does really well, and the secret is in the soil, or at least what Gary adds to it. “Everything that a plant needs to grow to its full potential is in there,” said Gary pointing to a container filled with dirt.

You see Gary’s got a squiggly side hustle that involves dealing with dirt that’s been processed in a particular way. It goes through a worm. “Back in another life, I had a job where it wasn’t making much money, but I had an empty basement, so I said, okay, we’re in the fishing capital of the world. Everybody’s got to have worms if they’re going to go fishing so I thought I’d raise some worms,” Gary explained. “I found out that what the worms make is much more valuable than the worms, and what they make is worm castings. For those who are not familiar with worm castings, what is it? To put it bluntly, it’s worm poop,” said Gary.

While it’s technically number 2, worm castings are number 1 in Gary’s book when it comes to growing some great vegetables.  And that’s all he does at his Worm Ranch. “If you had a microscope or a magnifying glass, you would see little footballs. When the material goes through the worm, it coats it in what’s called polysaccharides and makes little footballs. That’s the worm poop,” Gary explained. “But that is the best castings in the United States right there. Worms are deaf, blind, they have no spine, but they are one of the most amazing creatures on the planet,” Gary said.

It all starts with a bucket, some dirt, and some worms, lots and lots of worms. Next, Gary showed me the earthworm domicile where hundreds of thousands of worms are housed. “This is it right here. There are actually eight towers of worms in here. 64 cans on each tower. There are 128,000 African Nightcrawlers housed in here, enjoying the luxury of life. It’s 70 to 75 year-round, 365, 24/7, so they lead a pretty good life in here,” Gary explained. “They’re doing their job. What goes in the front of the worm comes out of the back of the worm, and that’s what we’re after.”

Now when it comes time for the worms to wiggle their way out of the dirt, that’s when they get to go through the worm tunnel. Basically, a mesh tube that spins. Gary said the worms can’t go through the screen because they’re too fat and happy, but they wind up going out at the end and falling into that tub. But the castings go through the screen and fall into tubs down underneath.

These castings are what you’ll find in Gary’s garden. “So Shane, this is the Return to Eden. The Magic Garden. Here’s where you will see the magic of earthworm castings. This garden was saturated with worm castings into the compost to make the dirt, the soil, the best that it could be,” said Gary as we walked through his garden.

Of course, I had to taste the end product. So, I tried a snap pea straight from the garden.  Man, if vegetable tasted like that, I would eat a lot more vegetables. “The plant had the ability to take in all those nutrients to make it the best that it could be, and the castings made that happen,” Gary said. “That garden out there is one-twelfth of an acre. It will produce about four to 5,000 pounds of food this year. We can’t eat it all. We give a lot to the neighbors, but a lot of the food that we grow out there goes to the SOS Food Bank in Magnolia. We feed people. We also use the garden to show people how to grow food for their family.”

So, if seeing worms work their magic is on your bucket list, this worm ranch will rope you in, no saddle needed course. “How to garden without killing the soil, without hurting the environment and helping to make the planet a better place for us to live and a better place for their kids down the road; support global worming. Got to be careful how you say this. It’s not warming, it’s worming. Support global worming,” said Gary.

The Texas Bucket List – Texas Through Time in Hillsboro

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Hillsboro – Texas has always been a popular place for earth’s inhabitants, even long before the Lone Star State became a state. Evidence of the biggest beings to roam the planet have been discovered in places like the Waco Mammoth Site and Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glenn Rose.

Conveniently located between both those sites is the Texas Through Time Museum in Hillsboro and it’s where you’ll find Andre Lujan digging through the dirt. “Texas is really unique because just about every geologic time period is represented in our fossil record. We had a flying reptile with a 40-foot wingspan, a flying reptile the size of a jet. We had some of the largest living land animals that ever walked the planet Earth. Amazing stuff.”

Andre is a self-taught paleontologist that put together this prehistoric place dedicated to telling the tales of Texas’ ancient past. From spiny creatures with sharp teeth to ancient alligators, Texas Through Time runs through the gamut of gargantuan and not so gregarious things that roamed these parts. “We’re really leaving no stone unturned. It doesn’t matter if the fossil’s the biggest or the best, if it’s found here in the state, then it’s part of our story. And they’re all important,” said Andre.

Getting to experience unique places like this is what we pride ourselves on showing here on The Texas Bucket List, but Andre has a different list he goes by. “Finding things that are on your bucket list. I found a saber cat skull when I was in the White River Badlands in South Dakota, and it was just so surreal,” he said.

Research and restoration takes place around the clock at Texas Through Time, and it’s work that you can actually witness. The prep lab is where the work gets done and where a lot of the dust gets made that you see on cases out front. Some fossils are displayed still intact with the rock in which they were found.

One of their trophy pieces at the museum is a cretaceous shark found in Uvalde. According to Andre, to find a skeleton of a shark is extremely rare, and to find one covered in skin is even more rare. This particular fossil represents the finest example of this type of fossil found in the universe, and it was found right here in the great state of Texas.

Andre’s expertise and passion for our prehistoric past has even made him an expert appraiser on Pawn Stars. “My knowledge of paleontology, which a lot of it’s been gained through experience and reading as much as I can, has kind of made me an expert in a lot of areas. So I’ve been called on as an expert for the History Channel and the other places to come out and share my knowledge and help them solve problems,” Andre mentioned.

But Andre’s biggest goal is to inspire the next generation of dinosaur diggers. He said, “when I have young people coming in here, kids that want to be a paleontologist, and I can put a fossil in their hand, and they can go in the lab, it becomes real for them. It’s no longer a dream, and that’s really cool.”

If you’re looking to learn more about our prehistoric past and want to see some cool fossils along the way, be sure to check out the Texas Through Time Museum. And just maybe, you’ll find as much interest in it as Andre, who will do this until he is also a fossil.

The Texas Bucket List – Swimming with Sharks at Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi

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Corpus Christi – We’ve done some pretty amazing things on the Texas Bucket List over the years but there’s an adventure in Corpus Christi that ranks right up near the top. You see the Texas State Aquarium is already a great place to visit on our list but now you can do something that had my Mom and my kids all concerned, swimming with sharks!

“Probably the most successful programs we’ve launched,” said Jesse Gilbert, the president and CEO of the Texas State Aquarium. Before I was forced to swim with the fishes, I had to know how all of this came to be. Since 2003 Jesse has been part of this place and that includes the introduction of their swim with the sharks experience.

Now the Texas State Aquarium didn’t build its reputation on this unique experience but rather the years of fun and educational programs that they’ve had since the aquarium opened in 1990.  Back then the entire exhibit was dedicated to the Gulf of Mexico but today there’s a boatload more thanks to the recent Caribbean Ocean addition. “We doubled the size of the aquarium in 2017 when it opened, and from there, we went to the wildlife rescue center. So that pattern has just continued to go,” explained Jesse.

Seeing these sizable exhibits is quite exhilarating but then you realize, someone has to take care of all these fish. “There’s about 70 individuals alone that make sure that the animals are safe, the water’s good to go, the bay is in good shape. We use natural seawater from Corpus Christi Bay, and so we have to make sure that the Bay’s doing well. So there’s a lot of data that’s collected and a lot of operations that go on around the clock,” explained Jesse.

“My whole life. I have wanted to work with Marine animals, specifically sharks,” stated Jordan Campbell, an instructor here at the aquarium. Jordan took me on a behind the scenes tour of the Texas State Aquarium and that’s when you really get a scope of how big this ocean operation is.

“It’s like a small city. We have to generate our own power. When we have hurricanes and freezes, we have to make our own water, we have our own hospital for the animals, we have our own commissaries and kitchens. And so it’s really kind of a neat way to take people behind the scenes and they can see all the different facets of what it takes to operate an organization with us,” said Jesse.

Jordan then took me to the Islands of Steel exhibit, their largest exhibit that mimics just what we would see in the Gulf of Mexico. “So we’ve got some larger shark species. We have two nurse sharks.Their names are Luna and Soul. We’ve got a few larger game fish in here as well, we’ve got some crevalle jacks, we have a sheepshead, a northern red snapper, we have some tarpon. We have one barracuda kind of right there in the middle. And then of course we have Tiki who’s our loggerhead sea turtle,” explained Jordan while showing us the exhibit.Here you get to feed the fish, and they sure do go crazy for it!

Now if I can prevent myself from becoming food, we’ll be okay, so Shannon Hunt got me prepared. Shannon took me to the Caribbean Sea exhibit where I will be snorkeling with the sharks! “Yeah. There’s sharks, eels, stingrays, all kinds of really cool marine life that we’re going to get a nice close look at,” said Shannon Hunt, a staff member of the aquarium.

Fortunately, I spotted the cage I will be in. “Yes, we will be in that shark cage in just a few minutes. And when we’re in there, we’re going to be able to see our animals up really, really closely. All of the animals, the sandbar sharks, our stingrays, even our eels, aren’t shy about swimming right past the cage for an awesome view,” explained Shannon.

“Our sharks all have a nice balanced diet. It does not include any of our snorkelers or any nice, tasty snacks that you might have brought along with you today,” joked Shannon.

“So by getting up close and personal, we can remove the stigma around sharks and give people a better appreciation for the ocean. As the aquarium here, we are trying to get people to care about these animals and the quality of our ocean. And by seeing all the incredible stuff nice up and close, then you care a little bit more,” explained Shannon.

Now what I am worried about is the water being ice cold. “However, this water is right around 72 degrees Fahrenheit and that’s the optimal temperature for all of the different species in this exhibit,” said Shannon. “We’re going to get you in the water with some sharks today,” stated Cassie Gunter, a three-year employee at The Texas State Aquarium.

Cassie got me ready for the dive.  Fortunately, I love snorkeling so passing the quick swimming test wasn’t a problem, the 72-degree water on the other hand was a bit chilly. The salinity of the water was surprisingly strong, keeping me more afloat than I am used to but keeping my legs up in the water was a good thing, especially when you see sharks swimming right in front of you. “The sharks here are pretty friendly, so we get in there every day with them, so they’re really used to human interaction, but we don’t touch them unless we absolutely have to, this is their home so we make sure to respect that,” explained Cassie.

Once you settle in, watching these huge animals glide gracefully in the water is exhilarating while knowing there’s a cage around you is comforting. “A lot of people are pretty surprised, I know that sharks get a bad rep in the media sometimes. Everyone’s seen Jaws and all the scary sharks, but the whole purpose of this snorkel here is so people can get up close with sharks and say, ‘Hey, that shark wasn’t so scary, maybe they’re pretty awesome and an important part of the ecosystem.’,” explained Shannon.

“There’s that wow factor of being with sharks. Sharks aren’t dangerous, we want to make sure that people understand that. And so we were trying to come up with a way that people could get in there. It was safe, but it also kind of kept this mystique about sharks,” said Jesse.

Swimming with the sharks comes highly recommended but if just visiting the aquarium is enough to float your boat, we’ll that’s well worth a stop as well. “The Texas State Aquarium has something special, the people here have something special. Everyone, as soon as you walk in the doors, they want to share what we know about the animals, about the environment, and it’s really something you have to see and experience firsthand,” expressed Jordan.

“That’s what’s so special about Texas is that Texans love the outdoors and they love their wildlife. And so it makes telling that story easier and impactful. We’re just not saying it, Texans really understand it and go out there and do it,” said Jesse.

The Texas Bucket List – Cave Without A Name in Boerne

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Boerne—Kendall County sits on the Edwards Plateau and has some of the most quintessential hill country in the state, but below the beauty on the surface of our state, lies a cavern with another incredible landscape.

“We’re in the middle of the hill country and it’s great,” said Jesse Hilger.

Jesse Hillger built bombs for the air force for 14 years, but today explores this explosion of exquisiteness known as the Cave Without A Name.

“I love it. It’s great… You can easily spend two, three hours down there and think it’s only 30 minutes,” said Jesse.

The second longest running showcave in Texas, the Cave Without A Name, was officially discovered by James, Harold, and Mary McGrath in 1938.

“They didn’t expect to discover an amazing cave down there, but they did,” Jesse explained.

In 1940, the Cave Without A Name took the title of Cave Without A Name after a local contest was held to name the cave.  One 9-year-old boy claimed the cave was too pretty to have name, so it has been known that way ever since.

The McGrath children first encountered the cave while chasing a lost sheep, and the first few feet down they came across a moonshine shelter.

“We’re pretty sure that this was the area. If you look on the ceiling here you can see a lot of discoloration….Probably would have been for quite a few years as well…to get so much soot on the ceiling,” said Jesse.

Just a bit further down in the dark was something much more impressive.  Keep in mind, the kids who discovered it did not have a nicely constructed stairway to get there.

“So we’ve gone down about 126 stairs, and here’s our cave,” Jesse said.

80 feet below the ground are six massive caverns with all sorts of curious features that have formed over thousands of years.

“When the limestone was created, that was in the early Cretaceous period and dinosaurs were actually still roaming the earth at that time. They couldn’t actually roam right over this area though, because this used to be the seafloor,” Jesse explained.

This marvel made over time almost looks man made, until a closer look is taken at the incredible formations formed over millions of years.

“So over here we have two really cool formations. The white formation right there is a really unique, a stalagmite. We call that one Modern Art, because people see different things, and some of the different things people normally see are mushrooms or jellyfish… Now this formation that’s in front of it, that one kind of looks like a nativity scene,” Jesse pointed out.

A little further down the line sits the throne room, a subterranean brook, and pools of water surrounded by sediment basins.

“So in this room we have some more stone rim ponds…These lower ponds actually fluctuate with the amount of rain that we get,” said Jesse.

Along with these beautiful pools is the best food reference found below ground.

“We have what I’ve been told is the longest piece of cave bacon in Texas. It measures over 20 feet,” said Jesse. “My nephew came down here a couple of spring breaks ago. He was about four years old at the time, and he told me he didn’t think he could eat a full piece of it.”

So if you have a hunger for some subterranean adventures, The Cave Without A Name is well worth getting below ground for on The Texas Bucket List.

The Texas Bucket List – Monahans Sandhills State Park in Monahans

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Monahans  -West Texas has always been known for being a bit dry, but there’s one sandy spot that seriously seems out of place, even for these parts, the Monahans Sandhills State Park. Park Superintendent Michael Smith understands what it takes to work here.

“My house is covered in sand,” Michael said. “So it’s always sand in everything. Sweep the bed out in the evenings so you can go to bed, ’cause it’s full of sand. To be honest when I drew Monahan Sandhills State Park, I had never seen past the office up there. I was pleasantly surprised, it is a beautiful and unique park. It’s the only place in Texas where this particular type of ecosystem is preserved. And so I’ve been pleasantly surprised ever since.”

This place is literally like a Texas-sized sandbox that provides all sorts of recreation, but playing in it is most popular.

“This is where most families come to play, to dune, what they call duneing, or sliding down the dunes on anything they think might slide,” Michael said. “Children of all ages. There actually used to be a gentleman that lived in Odessa, that came out here regularly, way up into his 70’s, was coming out here and surfing the sand dunes pretty regularly.”

Watching these 60-70 lbs. kids have a hard time going down the hill makes one think what it would be like for grown men to go down.

“I’ve gone down on discs and on boards,” Michael said.“Have not tried the toboggans yet. A long disc.”.

A park since 1957, the sand dunes have been sitting here for very long time.

“So the theory goes that this sand was underneath the last ice age, located in the northern New Mexico, Colorado area, and it was ground under the weight of the ice until it’s much smaller and much closer to perfectly round than most sand is,” Michael said. “And so when the ice melted away, the wind and water was able to blow it this direction, wash it and blow it this direction, until it blew it down into the Permian Basin. So now we’re in a big bowl, and the wind and water can’t have the same effect on it that it had before up on the top. And so it stays down in here, now it blows around a little bit, but doesn’t blow out, and so it moves enough that the vegetation has a very difficult time encroaching on the sand, because it’s moving.”

This sand isn’t your average sand.

“This is the only place in all of Texas where this resource is protected,” Michael said. “So you can go to the beach, you can have your water, but this sand is very unique, it’s different material. It’s quartz, about 97% quartz. It’s almost perfectly round, it’s smaller, and is the only place in all of Texas where this resource is protected. So if you wanna see this type of resource, this is the place to do it. Up is hard, so because of its physical characteristics, the same thing that prevents plants from growing on it, makes it move around quite a bit easier than most other sand. It blows in the wind more, makes it harder to walk on. So I tell people, ‘Down is the easy part. Then you gotta go back up.’”

When you get it in your hands, it just doesn’t feel like going down to the beach.

“That is true,” Michael said. “When visitors are talking to us, one of the most common comments is how good it feels on their feet. Most visitors choose to go barefoot. It’s like getting a pedicure from God. It’s amazing to walk, it feels good on your feet. I’ve never made a reference like that before, that was a first.”

If you want to get the special foot treatment and maybe attempt to sled, summer is usually not the best time.

“When it’s very, very hot, it doesn’t slide as well,” Michael said. “So not only is it just a really, really hot place to be the sun reflects off the sand as well as the direct sunlight, it’s very, very hot in the middle of the summer. Best time to come is gonna be spring or fall. Easter is actually our single busiest day of the year.”

The Monahans Sandhills State park is a great place to see and experience a very unique part of Texas, making it a great stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“…you’re guaranteed to get sand in your stuff,” Michael said.

The Texas Bucket List – Far Flung Outdoor Center in Terlingua

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Terlingua – The majesty and beauty of Big Bend is truly hard to behold. Covering over 800,000 acres and an elevation of over 6,000 feet, the features of this fine place are far and wide.  Hiking is how most folks see the sights in the national park, so if you want a bit more adventure you’ll have to head a wee bit west in Terlingua to take a ride at Far Flung Outdoor Center.

“Well the people ask my why we moved out here,” Greg Henington said. “It’s like well the car broke down, we’re still waiting for parts to get delivered.”

Greg Henington and Mark Evans got this business venture dedicated to adventure started back in the mid 70’s.

“Well, we knew folks wanted to see the Big Bend and we wanted to provide a way to do that,” Greg said.

They did just that…with four wheelers.

“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve enjoyed sitting on mechanical machine and riding it out to some country that’s pretty spectacular,” Greg said.

We suited up to the sights with our tour guy Randy Carnes.

“I first came here in 1972 and fell in love it,” Randy said.

Randy took us to the hot spots accessible by ATV in the area, and if you’ve never ridden around one a 4 wheeler before, it is awesome.

“We require our guides to have a real good knowledge of the area,” Greg said. “It’s not just a ride around on the ATV. It’s all about sort of teaching folks about, this is our backyard, so we want people to respect our backyard and understand it and learn a little bit about it and have some fun in it.”

Our next stop, Indian Head mountain.

“Between 20 and 40 million years ago this whole region became volcanic,” Randy said. “Some of these mountains were actual volcanoes, other were volcanic intrusions. As this magma came to the surface it cooled into rocks and it’s very unstable.”

If you’re up for a ride through the scenery of West Texas that provides a good look at the beauty of the Big Bend, finding your way to Far Flung in Terlingua is a fine stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“It looks sort of like a barren, nothing’s out here, you know, wasteland,” Greg said. “Well, when you really start getting into the backcountry and look around, there’s just some amazing plants and geology, animals, insects, all kinds of things. I think people are sort of like surprised sometimes that there’s this much beauty out here when you start really looking. Right up there with the Alamo in my opinion. It’s one of our big treasures here in Texas.”

The Texas Bucket List – Sea Turtle, Inc. on South Padre Island

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South Padre Island – The sands of South Padre Island are a stupendous summer stop on  The Texas Bucket List, but when you’re down on the island it doesn’t all have to be about the sand and surf.  If you’re up for something that will get you out of your shell, situated smack dab on the center of South Padre is Sea Turtle, Inc.

“These people are very passionate about what they do,” Jeff George said.

For 26 years, Jeff George has had a role in keeping this Texas treasure on its totally tubular turtle mission.

“Sea turtles are endangered species, they live in and around South Padre Island,” Jeff said. “Our mission is to treat the injured turtles and release them. We also take care of all the nesting activity, the eggs and the baby turtles on South Padre. And one of our big components is creating public awareness.”

Throughout the year, injured sea turtles make their way to Sea Turtle, Inc. via volunteers and regular folks who come across turtles in a tight spot along Texas beaches.

“We’ve seen some horrific injuries and animals make it, we’ve seen turtles released as juveniles, finally, come back and lays eggs as a mom,” Jeff said. “And so, these are very heartwarming stories, but they’re amazing animals.”

It was over 40 year ago in 1977 that this sea turtle sanctuary was started by women affectionately known as, “The Turtle Lady.”  Ila Fox Loetscher started all of this in her backyard and thanks to donations, it’s grown into what it is today.

“So this is the educational center that we’ve made for public awareness, education,” Jeff said. “And these are turtles that can’t be released. So these tanks go from 20,000 to 55,000 gallons of water. There’s sea water that’s filtered continuously, these are tanks large enough to send a diver, a human being into the tank with turtles that aren’t going to be released, much like aquariums. But it presents the opportunity for people to actually communicate with somebody actually in there with the turtle. What’s that skin feel like? How hard is that shell? What does this turtle eat? So it’s great way to engage kids and the public, and let them see people interacting with sea turtles.”

Getting a good look at these Loggerheads, Hawksbills, Kemp’s Ridley and Green Sea turtles is a terrific treat, but seeing the work that’s done will make you flap your flippers. Nina Nahvi is a bit newer here, and she sticks her neck out when it comes to her passion for turtles.

“I love talking about sea turtles, I love talking about sea turtle rehab,” Nina said. “ I think it’s great that the public can actually come here and see these injured animals, hear their stories, which, nine times out of ten, they’re here for human related reasons, whether it be entanglement, fishing hooks, hit by boats. So I think it’s really important for people to actually come here and actually see these turtles in the various stages of the rehabilitation process.”

Much like a turtle in race, the slow and steady work of rehabilitating these sea creatures is a thorough process. Others take a bit more time with injuries that really make you realize how resilient turtles can be.

“These are amazing animals,” Jeff said. “They can recover from some horrific injuries where they’re nearly sliced in half, where a propeller is going all the way to the lung, and they’re making remarkable recovery. Honestly, it’s that they are such amazing, hearty, resilient, animals that they can recover with a little bit of human help.”

Considering these animals have been hanging out on South Padre long before Spring Break was a thing, keeping the reptiles regulars is part of the mission here. That’s why volunteers scour the beaches making sure nests are marked and properly cared for.

“That’s the legacy we’re leaving, is helping this population recover to keep the species alive,” Jeff said. “None of us make a lot of money, none of us ever will, but we’re passionate about our oceans, we’re passionate about the sea turtles in our oceans and that’s what drives us every day, that’s what gets us up in the morning, that’s what keeps us up at night with the hatchlings. And so, many of us are working 15, 16 hour days because we love what we do.”

If you’re passionate about sea turtles or simply want to see some folks that are, Sea Turtle, Inc. on South Padre Island is well-worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“Until you’re nose to nose or up close and personal with a sea turtle, you just don’t get the sense of how magnificent, how beautiful they are, how majestic they are, how prehistoric they are, until you can lay eyes on them,” Jeff said.

The Texas Bucket List – Mrs. Lee’s Daffodil Garden in Gladewater

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Gladewater – Over in Northeast Texas, between Tyler and Gladewater, you’ll find a few back roads that beckon to be explored.  During the month of February, the trees are still waking from their winter slumber. If you follow the long twisty turns through the thicket, you’ll come across a garden that springs into action earlier than others,  Mrs. Lee’s Daffodil Garden.

“This is Mrs. Lee’s garden,” Dennis Phelps said. “It’s the world’s best kept secret in East Texas.”

Dennis  is a former petroleum engineer who moved to East Texas from Midland to take on the perfect retirement gig.

“If I could pick my dream one then I’d pick this one,” Dennis said.

Maintaining millions of perennials in this lush 28-acre garden is a far cry from Dennis’s days in West Texas, and that’s a good thing.

“It’s just real peaceful,” Dennis said. “You can do a lot of deep thinking. There’s nobody out here but me, for the most part. “

During the majority of the year, usually 11 months or so, the garden looks like your typical East Texas terrain. Around the middle of February, and only for a few short weeks, something magical happens.  Daffodils direct from Holland put on a dynamic display. This was all started in the 1950’s by a woman named Helen Lee.

“It’s spelled Helen, and that’s the way people are going to pronounce it, but she pronounced it ‘Heelen,’” Dennis said.

Helen’s husband left her this piece of property after he passed away, and she turned it into a paradise. She converted gravel pits into lakes stocked with fish and bought a literal boxcar of daffodil bulbs from Holland.  Mrs. Lee enjoyed her gardens until she passed away in 1984, and it was her request that the gardens be maintained and open to the public during the bloom.

“That’s what she wanted,” Dennis said. “That’s the reason the land was kept together and I’m sure she’s up in heaven saying, ‘Good job.’”

Now, the only issue when it comes to viewing these delicate daffodils occurs if it drizzles.  

“We’ve seen a lot of storm damage here in the last couple of years,” Dennis said. “We’ve had years when we’ve been open one day. We’ve had years when we haven’t opened at all. And then, normally we’ll get a couple of weeks out of it.”

The serene setting of the gardens provides a great stop on The Texas Bucket List to enjoy the beauty of our great state, even if it’s transplanted from another part of the world.  In Texas, everything thrives once it finds its footing.

“Yeah, I think God’s doing good enough by Himself,” Dennis said “All I’m supposed to do is mow and keep the grass cut so when they come up they’ll bloom again. And that’s pretty easy.”

The Texas Bucket List – Basecamp Terlingua in Terlingua

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Terlingua – The Big Bend is one of the most remote and remarkable regions of the Lone Star State.  Natural, God-given beauty surrounds this desolate destination that draws in people from all over the globe.  When you arrive to this part of the world, it’s good to set up a basecamp and a good place to do that……Basecamp Terlingua.

“Not your average tee pee, and a pretty cool place to hang out, I think” Tony Drewry said.

Tony Drewry is in charge of this 40 acre refuge with all sorts of strange structures. He is the gatekeeper to one of the most picturesque places to stay in these parts.

“This is a lot more work than it probably looks like,” Tony said. “You know, here we are, sitting in the desert by tee pees drinking beer.”

A slower pace of life is what they live by here because there’s really no need to rush.  Enjoying your surroundings and solitude is the main reason to trek to Terlingua. At Basecamp, the accommodations seem native and rustic, but they’re really nice.

“Everything you need,” Tony said. “A king size bed, we’ve got some really heavy comforters for the winter months, we’ve got an electric blanket, we’ve got some supplemental heat. This skirt around the side actually keeps the dust from blowing in and things like that, because it is raised up at the bottom. Then this is also pulls out into a queen size bed, so you can sleep four in here. We get a lot of families that come through. Got a little nook for the books, got a coffee station, fridge. I mean, running water.”

Now if this view still isn’t up close and in your face enough, Basecamp has another option that’ll make you feel like you’re living in a bubble.

“I don’t know, bubble rooms, bubble house,” Tony said. “I don’t know what you want to call it.”

These unique bubble rooms are the only ones of their kind in the country, and they couldn’t be in a better setting.

“Pretty cool to be able to do a tour from the outside in,” Tony said. “Yeah, and it’s marine grade plastic. I mean, it’s tough. You can kind of punch on it.”

Made in France, Basecamp has two of the structures for rent that give you an eye-opening way to experience the outdoors.

“You lay there, you look at the stars, you watch the sunrise right over the mountains,” Tony said. “That’s the Chisos, you know, over in Big Bend National Park, and you can see it. Watch the sunrise in the morning. Man, it’s … You don’t even have to get out of bed. It’s pretty cool.”

Getting into the air bubble is sort of like getting into a spaceship.

“Step in here,” Tony said. “This is the airlock. We’ve got a little mini fridge, got some local books.”

Just like any other hotel room, you’ll find it all here.  

“Then we’ve got a full bathroom in here,” Tony said. “A toilet, a shower, and the sink. I’ve taken a shower in here. It’s actually quite an experience. You got a nice little skylight there. Kind of your own little slice of the mountains there, and a really great place to wake up.”

As the sun sets on Terlingua and the night sky takes over the majestic beauty of the Chisos mountains, Basecamp lights up. However, it only lights up enough to see where you’re staying because the stars are the stars here.

“I’ve had a lot of friends come out here and stargazing, you know, hanging out for the weekend, and he’s like, ‘Man, it sure is cloudy tonight,’” Tony said. “And I’m like, ‘No, that’s the Milky Way, man.’”

A stay at Basecamp Terlingua is well worth getting a good night sleep on The Texas Bucket List.

“I mean, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this,” Tony said. “I really … It’s almost … You know, you wake up every day and you’re just like, ‘Man, we’re so lucky.’”

The Texas Bucket List- Copper Breaks State Park in Quanah

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Quanah – When traveling west in the Lone Star State, it doesn’t take long for the terrain to start taking on a whole other look.  About an hour outside of Wichita Falls, you’ll the route to an incredible state park, just south of Quanah. Sitting on 1900 acres on the banks of the Pease River, this picturesque Permian part of Texas gives you the feeling that this is where the west begins.

We’re at Copper Breaks State Park.

“The nice solitude, open space is very serene,” Edwin Quintero said. “If you’re looking to get away from the city and really enjoy nature this is it.”

Edwin is the Park superintendent, and he’s originally from the Valley.

“My background is in Biology,” Edwin said. “As you can see this is perfect terrain for snakes. “

Head up or tails up, we don’t want to come across any copperheads at Copper Breaks.

“I knew I was gonna travel around the state and that’s why I like you know working for Texas Parks and Wildlife,” Edwin said. “You get to see some beautiful parts of the state.”

Edwin took us on a tour of the park that used to be the homestead of Comanche and Kiowa tribes.

“During the winter this is where you would see all their settlements,” Edwin said.

The rigids and peaks of Copper Breaks provided protection from the elements but also sparked interest from mining companies after the Civil War.

“All that greenish streaks on horizontal lines on the breaks that is the mineral form of copper,” Edwin said.  “It wasn’t profitable, I mean there was copper it was actually taking more money to mine for it than to actually see any of the profits from the copper. “

What the park does see is a massive amount of biodiversity.  With 80 species of reptiles and amphibians as well as being a central flyway for migratory animals, there are all sorts of passersby. However, there are a few permanent residents that roam the prairie.

“This is why Copper Breaks is very unique. We have 5 of the official longhorn heard and these guys are pretty awesome actually,” Edwin said. “You get to go to other parks where they have longhorns but I’ll tell you what you don’t get to get up close and personal with these guys. They’re very majestic, very rustic and this is what Texas is all about. It’s an iconic symbol of Texas.”

Feeding the large longhorns is something you can check off your bucket list.

“They love these cattle cubes they are basically like you know like m&m’s to them, very sweet,” Edwin said.

If you’re feeling like you need some longhorn love, just pucker up.

“ When you have handsome young fellows like me here all you have to is you have to go over and tell it ‘Hey Raider give me a kiss’”, Edwin said. “Nowhere else in Texas do you get to see kissing longhorns out here, but you don’t have to bribe them with some cattle feed or anything like that.”

 

If you’re looking for a serene state park with stunning surroundings and some slobbery steers, Copper Breaks State Park in Quanah is quite the stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“If you wanna come in and really experience solitude and the dark skies definitely come out to Copper Breaks,” Edwin said.