Mission Tejas State Park will celebrate its grand reopening on Nov. 8. Photo courtesy TPWD

Mission Tejas State Park in East Texas will celebrate the completion of a three-year renovation project with a grand reopening celebration on Nov. 8.

The 659-acre park, which bristles with tall pines, was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930s to commemorate the first Spanish mission in East Texas. It was transferred to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and opened as a state park in 1957.

Today it’s known for its forested grounds, remnants of Spanish efforts to settle the area, a log home built by pioneers in the early 1800s and, in the spring, its blooming dogwood trees.

People come to fish, camp and hike 8.5 miles of trails. The Nabedache Loop trail leads hikers past part of El Camino Real, a historic route built in the late 1600s that led from Mexico City to Louisiana.

But most of the park’s facilities, including the mission, campground, fishing pond, day-use area and access to El Camino Real, have been closed since January. The renovation project includes improvements throughout the grounds by the Texas Department of Transportation and TPWD.

The reopening celebration is scheduled for 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Mission Tejas State Park is known for its tall pines and historic features. Photo courtesy TPWD

Visitors can meet new Superintendent Josh Diamond and see newly displayed historic artifacts donated by Stephen F. Austin State University. The park’s campground has 15 sites with water and electric hookups, and two with just water.

The park is located at 19343 State Highway 21 East near Grapeland, at the north end of Davy Crockett National Forest.

And heads up, park lovers. Entrance to all state parks is free for day-use visitors on Nov. 2.

The Shoal Creek Trail has long been a great place to hike, bike or get lost in nature. On Saturday, Oct. 25, it’ll be a great place to catch live music and mingle with others, too.

The first ever Concert on the Creek is scheduled for 3-7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, behind GSD&M along Shoal Creek at 828 W. Sixth Street.

The musical lineup includes Rosie Flores and the Talismen, The Lost Pines and the Texas String Assembly.

Tickets are $50 general admission or $150 for VIPs. Children 12 and under are free. Food and drinks will be available, along with family-friendly games. Buy tickets here.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Shoal Creek Conservancy, stewards of the 13-square-mile Shoal Creek watershed and creek and the trail running along it.

Filmmaker Ben Masters’ latest documentary, which traces the Colorado River from its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains to the deserts of Mexico, premiers next week in Austin.

“The American Southwest,” a full-length feature film, chronicles life and death along the 1,400-mile waterway, as it transitions from forests and canyons to diversion tunnels and irrigation canals. The Colorado, the most litigated river in the world, provides water to more than 40 million people.

The documentary makes its debut Thursday, Sept. 4 at AFS Cinema,6406 Interstate 35 in Austin. It opens in theaters around the Southwestern United States on Friday, Sept. 5.

Masters teamed with American Rivers, a non-profit organization that works to restore and protect wild rivers, on the project and its call to action.

Quannah ChasingHorse narrates the film, which also features the artwork, architecture and culture of indigenous people who have lived along the Colorado River for generations.

Watch the Official Trailer here, and click here to buy tickets for showings at local theaters.

Three special screenings that will include Q&A sessions with Masters and Matt Rice of American Rivers are planned for Texas.

• San Antonio – Wednesday, Sept. 10

• • Happy hour: Santikos Palladium Café, 5 p.m.
  • Film: Santikos Palladium, 6:30 p.m.

• Dallas – Thursday, Sept.11  

• • Happy hour: Londoner Pub, 5:30 p.m. 
  • Film: Angelika Film Center, 7 p.m.

• Houston – Friday, Sept. 12

• • Happy Hour: Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina, 5:30 p.m.
  • Screening: River Oaks Theatre , 7 p.m.
  • Bonus showing: a sneak peak of Master’s next film, a sequel to 2022’s “Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story.”

Masters is best known for his most recent film, “Deep in the Heart,” narrated by Matthew McConaughey, which highlights the wildlife of Texas, from black bears to mountain lions.

He made two earlier films, “The River and the Wall” which follows five friends who ride horses, bike and paddle1,200 miles from El Paso to the Gulf of Mexico, and “Unbranded,” which tells the story of four young men who adopt, train, and ride a string of wild mustangs 3,000 miles from Mexico to Canada.

I spent a day with Masters in 2020, when I crawled through the South Texas brush looking for ocelots with him. Read my story in Texas Monthly here. 

A new free Zilker Park shuttle will carry visitors from the parking area on Stratford Drive to three places inside the park. Pam LeBlanc photo

I’d rather ride my bike to Barton Springs Pool than fight the traffic and fork over $3 an hour to park my car there.

Not everyone can make that work, though. That’s why I’m happy to report that the city is launching a free shuttle that will loop between the parking area on Stratford Drive and three locations inside the park.

The free Zilker Loop will make stops at the Stratford parking lot, the Zilker playground, Barton Springs Pool and the Polo Fields parking area. Service begins May 24 and continues from noon until 6 p.m. every Saturday, Sunday, and holiday through Sept. 1.

Visitors who use the Stratford lot get a discount on parking fees, too. By using a code in the Park ATX App, the first two hours of parking fees can be waived.

Read more: Freeze-dried meals from Bowl and Kettle get a big thumbs up

No pets or coolers are allowed on the shuttle.

And remember, the parking lot on the north side of the pool remains closed due to the rehabilitation of the bathhouse. That project, which includes new plumbing, structural repairs and restoration of the entry rotunda and changing rooms, began in February 2024. Construction should wrap up later this year.

For more information about the Zilker Park shuttle, visit AustinTexas.gov/Zilker.

Corn Next makes non-flavored and fruit flavored biodegradable straws. Pam LeBlanc photo

I hate it when I go to a restaurant and the server delivers my drink with a straw.

Most folks don’t need straws – or single-use plastics in general – but we use them anyway, because someone hands them to us. (And yes, I understand some people need straws because of coordination or medical issues. That’s fine.)

I avoid straws and other single-use plastics when I can, which is most of the time. Plastics are filling up trash dumps, washing up on beaches and breaking into tiny bits that, ultimately, wind up inside our bodies as microplastics.

The straws stay sturdy for several hours. Pam LeBlanc photo

Happily, some businesses have stopped using plastic straws, shifting to paper straws. Still, Americans use hundreds of millions of straws every day. And in February, the White House banned the federal government’s purchase of paper straws, shifting back to plastic.

Read more: When in Argentina, try maté

Which brings us to the latest product I’ve been testing – straws made from corn starch, water and natural enzymes.

I tested a few made by Corn Next this week. They’re thicker than regular straws and felt almost like dry pasta. You can’t bite through one when it’s fresh.

The plastic-free straws sell for $8.99 for a pack of 50; less if you buy in bulk.

More on straws made of corn

Corn Next sells biodegradable straws made from corn starch. Photo by Pam LeBlanc

According to the company’s website, they can get slippery and expand after they’ve soaked in a drink for a while. I stuck one in a glass of ice water and after an hour it was still sturdy, and not at all slippery.

Weirdly, they come in both non-flavored (recommended) and fruit flavors including lemon, lime, orange, strawberry and blueberry. I tried lemon, which elicited a curious citrus twang when I used it in water.

My recommendation? Don’t use a straw at all if you can avoid it. If you must, try one made of corn starch.

According to the Corn Next website, the straws work best in cold drinks and are not recommended for hot ones. (Does anybody drink coffee with a straw?)

The straws are made with corn grown in America and break down in 30 days. They should be stored in a cool dry place, away from direct sunlight. And if you have a corn allergy, don’t use them.

Sounds corny, but I’m all for it.

Smithsonian Journeys tour guide Gabi Mlcek sips maté during a hike to Mount Fitz Roy. Pam LeBlanc photo

Here in Texas, we drink a lot of sweet tea and Dr Pepper. In Patagonia, the locals drink maté.

While traipsing through South America this month, I saw people sipping the infused herbal drink while chatting at cafes, sitting on street benches, and even while driving their cars.

“For us, maté is not just a drink,” says Gabi Mlcek, the leader of the Smithsonian Journeys trip through Argentina and Chile that I took. “For us, it’s an excuse – a moment to share with people we love, to see your friends and family, and talk with them.”

The drink is considered the national beverage of Argentina, and serving it is a lot more complicated than popping open a can of Coke. But that’s what makes it special.

How to prepare maté

Mlcek demonstrated the process one day, filling a special cup, also called a maté, three fourths full of dried yerba maté leaves, then pouring hot water over them. Traditional matés are made of dried gourds; today you can also buy wooden or metal matés.

The national drink of Argentina is maté, a type of infused herbal tea. It’s served in a special cup like this one, and sipped through a metal straw. Pam LeBlanc photo

To prepare the beverage correctly, you have to follow two rules, Mlcek told us. One, the water must be hot but not boiling. Electric kettles in South America have a “maté mode,” which heats the water to exactly 85 degrees Celsius. Second, don’t touch or move the straw once it’s placed in the vessel.

The person who prepares the maté is first to try it, sipping the liquid through a special metal straw called a bomba with a sieve at the bottom. Once the person preparing the drink has taken the first sip, he or she adds more hot water and passes the maté to the next person. In this way the drink makes its way around the circle, returning after each person drinks it to the preparer, who adds more hot water.

“It’s an acquired taste,” Mlcek says. “It’s really strong and bitter.”

Maté is considered the national beverage of Argentina, and just about everybody drinks it. Cell phones are even equipped with a mate emoji – a pumpkin with a straw in it.

“The rich people drink maté and the poor people drink maté,” Mlcek says. “And we drink a lot of maté.”

With that, she passed the maté to me.

I took a sip. It tasted bitter and earthy, with a hint of dried grass clippings. Not exactly bad, but I’m not ready to exchange it for my morning tea quite yet.