FORT WORTH TEXAS

Dinosaur Valley

Texas's Jurassic Park likes about an hour from Fort Worth, along the Paluxy River, near Glen Rose. Three kinds of dinosaur footprints can be found imprinted in the rock of the river bed. Two live dinosaurs, a carnopod (meat eater, see the teeth) and a sauropod (plant eater) guard the entrance.

Texas Barbecue

There's nothing that says weekend eating like Texas barbecue. It differs from other styles in that it's dry, served with a thin sauce on the side. Beef, especially beef brisket and beef ribs, is by far the preferred meat. Chicken and sausage or bologna are popular too, but only rarely can one get pork. Typically, Texas barbecue is served with beans, coleslaw, potato salad, a thick slice of onion, and toasted bread. Whether a small, family-owned restaurant or a chain, the sign of a good barbecue place is the firewood, piled out front and the number of big trucks in the parking lot.

Erath County

My job took me to Stephenville, Texas, about 60 miles southeast on Hwy 277. October's nine inches of rain (3.5 is average for the month) have made everything green and happy.

Natty Flat, Texas

Natty Flat, Texas, boasts the world's largest cedar rocking chair. A true roadside attraction, the little complex includes a dozen charming outbuildings built from local trees, a smokehouse and a rustic furniture store.

Larry kept us company throughout dinner. He's not only the establishment's owner, but the builder of the chair. "We didn't set out to break a world record," he explains, "we jus' wanted to build a really big rocking chair."

Dublin, Texas

The first Sunday in November brought glorious sunny skies and the call of the open road. We headed south west, through Granbury and Stephenville, on to Dublin, TX, home of the oldest Dr Pepper bottling plant in the country. Today the sickenenly sweet soft drink is owned by Snapple, but the proud little Dublin (pop. 1064) shop still makes Dr Pepper according to the original formula, with 100% pure Imperial cane sugar (ick). It also recycles the same, decades-old bottles. The machinery consists of a giant industrial bottle washer and a modest bottle filling and capping machine. Locals buy a crate of 24 and return the empties to get another crate.