Outdoors With Mat Taylor
I did a little traveling last week

If you know me, you know I like to travel, at least in my automobile or pickup. With gasoline prices rising almost every day, however, my travels have been reduced. Also, in my younger days I could drive 600-800 miles a day without any adverse affects. I can't do that any more.

Despite the high price of fuel and not caring to travel a long distance in a single day, my wife and I drove to Snyder last week to attend her cousin's reunion. About 16 Strickland relatives attended, and it has been 10 years or more since Nelda visited with most of them.

I have noticed one thing at family reunions: All the relatives look so much older than I do. Of course that is not true, but I think everyone thinks they don't age past 30.

Anyway, Nelda enjoyed visiting with the relatives on her father's side. As someone remarked, it was nice to visit and relate past experiences at happier occasions than at the funeral of a family member.

As we drove to Snyder, we traveled through Brownwood, Coleman and Winters. I noted in a prior column that we drove through a huge windmill farm south of Sweetwater. Thousands of these huge, gleaming windmills turn in the wind, generating electricity.

From Roscoe north to Snyder, hundreds more windmills are being erected, with more scheduled to be built. To me, that is a good way to harness a relatively inexpensive source of energy. Someday Texas may run out of oil and natural gas, but there always will be wind in West Texas.

After the reunion, we drove to San Angelo and spent the night in a motel. The next day we visited Fort Concho National Historic Site. Established in 1867 along the banks of the Concho River, the fort was built to protect frontier settlements.

The post was home to several Buffalo Soldier regiments. It deactivated in 1889.

The fort is not a national or state park, but rather a historic preservation project and museum owned and operated by the city of San Angelo. Today, Fort Concho National Historic Landmark encompasses most of the former Army post and includes 23 original and restored structures.

As you undoubtedly have read, the 400-plus children taken from the polygamous sect ranch at Eldorado have been housed there recently, and the fort was closed to the public. Last week, however, the children had been moved to the coliseum, and the fort reopened for visitors.

The Texas Mesquite Association was holding its annual Texas Mesquite Festival at Fort Concho. The event featured the works of about 30 of the state's best mesquite artisans. It is amazing what an artist can do with the wood of the lowly mesquite tree.

We saw everything from Christmas tree ornaments, name boards and bowls to beautifully finished furniture. Prices for the items ranged from $4 to $10,000. If I ever build a new home, I would like to use some mesquite items in the house.

I saw some nice fireplace mantels displayed, and I viewed several tables, desks and rocking chairs I would like to have had, except for the price.

One interesting display featured sinks carved from large mesquite blocks and sealed with epoxy.

I was informed the association would hold another Mesquite Festival Oct. 10-12 in Fredericksburg.

When I was with the Soil Conservation Service, I assisted ranchers for more than 30 years in controlling invading trees such as cedar and mesquite. The mesquite is not very pretty and is a high water-use plant that restricts the growth of grasses. It is not all bad, though, as mesquite wood is one of the most stable hardwoods in the world, and it makes for good barbecue.

I would recommend a visit to Fort Concho, especially when special events are staged there. Every year on the first weekend of December, the fort hosts Christmas at Fort Concho. We have attended several of these events and enjoyed them. In addition to vendors and other activities, Buffalo Soldier and other re-enactments are offered that simulate life at the fort in the 1800s.

I hope gasoline prices do not continue to increase, as there are many interesting places to visit in Texas such as Fort Concho.

Former Soil Conservation Service employee and longtime writer Mat Taylor offers his outdoors column for Dispatch Record readers. He can be contacted at (254) 518-2262 or via email at mntaylor@agristar.net.