Big Sky National Monument - Stonewall, TX

Lyndon Johnson is not a president often associated with the Antiquities Act. In his term, he enlarged four existing national monuments and established another two, most of which he did only at the behest of others. The exception to this is Big Sky National Monument. Set close to his ranch in Stonewall,Texas, Lyndon used to load VIPs into the back of his Lincoln Continental and go careening across the open prairies that would one day become the monument. He’s quoted saying that he loved seeing the faces of those unfamiliar with the Texas sky, crushed under the weight of it. And admittedly, there is something magical about the skies over the Lone Star State, something countless have commented upon. It’s in every song and story the state has to offer, the wide panorama of open sky that ensures storms can never sneak up on you, that teaches you from an early age how small you are in the world. It’s only fitting that a state obsessed with size would be blanketed by an equally big sky. Previ...

Whitetail Diner - Cibola, TX

The conquistadores spent centuries hunting for Cibola, the fabled “Seven Cities of Gold.” Thousands of men died in this ultimately fruitless quest, leading to the conclusion that Cibola was a lie, a story told by the natives to drive off their invaders. But Cibola was real. The conquistadores just weren’t that good at looking for it.

Today, Cibola is only a distant echo of its storied past, a small town of 328 set along Route 67 between Ft. Stockton and Alpine. In the city hall, done in yellow brick, there is a small interpretive display explaining the failed search for Cibola.

Today the closest you’ll get to “gold” in the town is the Seven Golds Pie at the Whitetail Diner. The pie is made of seven “secret” ingredients which come together to make a slice that shines like a wedge of 10 karats. If you ask around nicely folks will let you know it’s nothing but a dolled up buttermilk pie. As the saying goes, “not all that glitters is gold.”


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