Texas is about 900 miles from Sabine Pass to El Paso and about 600 miles from Amarillo to McAllen. It has alpine mountains, desert, piney woods, tall grass prairie, coastal prairie, barrier islands and seashore.

It really is a whole 'nuther country. Pretty much whatever physiographical or ecological biome you might want to see in the USA except taiga, tundra, and rain forest is found in Texas.

Of all the American cities I've been to in the USA, Houston is the most ... whatever it is. Houston is the product of almost unconstrained, rampant capitalism fueled by vast oil wealth.

Dallas has cornered the market on pretentiousness. Austin thinks it is the the way people would live if they only could.

The real Texas is everywhere else.

B