- The "Daytripper" is made possible by Rudy's, real Texas barbecue.

Shipping nationwide at rudys.com.

Karbach Brewing Company from Houston, Texas, makers of Karbach Lager, a beer that is proudly partnered with Don't Mess with Texas, please dispose responsibly.

Visit Georgetown, where big ideas meet small town charm.

Georgetown, the most beautiful town square in Texas.

Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, protection and peace of mind for Texans since 1952.

Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick in Georgetown.

Making Texas road trips possible for over 50 years.

Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick, Texas True.

Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, Texas' local bottler providing the Lone Star state with a variety of Coca-Cola products.

(bluesy guitar music) - Today, we head west to a popular highway pit stop that holds much to explore.

We'll crest hills and descend into beautiful caverns.

We'll skip the gas station grub for some real coffee and a brisket cheese steak worth the trip alone.

Amongst the rugged cactus, we'll find a remote resort to shoot our shot at 1,500 yards, hang with horses, and dive into a juicy steak.

We're doing much more than just passing by.

Sonora, we ride like the wind!

(boots trotting) Ride like the w... Ugh.

Okay, yeah.

(upbeat banjo music) (upbeat banjo music continues) (upbeat guitar music) Near the eastern edge of West Texas and two and a half hours from San Antonio, you'll find Sonora.

Being on one of the nation's longest Mega Highways has its advantages, but also means most trippers will just fly by and never make it to Sonora's less mega Main Street, which is exactly where we're starting.

(upbeat guitar music) So chances are if you've ever stopped in Sonora, it was to fuel up and to move on.

And that's not surprising, as this town is the halfway point across Texas, and also, across America, sitting smack in the middle between the Atlantic and the Pacific coastlines.

Or is it Atlantic and Pacific?

Needless to say, Sonora gets a lot of passers through, but today, we're gonna explore all that we've just been passing by, starting with coffee.

(bouncy guitar music) This is the old Mercantile building that's now home to Honeybee Cafe, a local favorite for a cozy breakfast or lunch and a good old fashioned cup of Joe.

Well, maybe not that old fashioned.

(bouncy guitar music) I can't tell you how many cups of bad gas station coffee I've had through Sonora, and I didn't know this was here.

- We serve the best coffee in town, grind our beans fresh every time we make a pot.

- This is Victoria, the Queen Bee, who's doing more than sell coffee.

She's growing community.

Like downtown Sonora, it's charming, - It's beautiful, quiet, safe.

- I hope people- - Everybody knows everybody.

(Victoria chuckling) - Yeah, that kind of- - And so, we definitely know when we have out towners, because we don't know you.

(Chet and Victoria laughing) - And Victoria's Texas hospitality is ready to welcome any weary traveler or tripper.

Anybody else want a coffee?

We got a long day ahead.

- Coffee!

- Coffee.

- Coffee, coffee.

(bouncy guitar music) - Ah, yes, explorer juice.

(cheerful guitar music) Like a book into Main Street is the stately Sutton County Courthouse, completed in 1891.

And if you can judge a county's pride by its number of historic markers, this town is prouder than a West Texas Peacock.

22 in a row!

Who does that?

(cheerful guitar music) (lighthearted guitar music) Now, you won't find a traditional town square in Sonora, but what you will find that I've never seen anywhere else is that right beside the courthouse is the entrance to the town's picturesque nature preserve atop Eaton Hill.

This preserve sits right where the Edwards Plateau meets West Texas, so it's a little bit hill country, a little bit Chihuahuan desert.

Plant and cactus lovers, rejoice.

Trippers who make it to the top will be treated to an incredible nature center, telling the story of all the animals who've called West Texas home, long before we got here, (lighthearted guitar music) long before!

Man, this is cool.

You know, it's amazing to have a full nature preserve, really, right in the middle of town.

You know, the main view that brings people to Sonora is actually not up high, but down below our feet.

Let's head there next.

I'm talking about the Caverns of Sonora, considered by many to be the most beautiful cave in the world.

(energetic music) - You remember where they did that cave passport?

And if you go to all of the major ones- - Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

- then you get a free T-shirt?

This is the one I didn't do.

- You're gonna get a T-shirt today?

- Yeah, are you gonna get a free T-shirt today?

- It all had to happen in a year.

- Oh, you botched that.

- You gotta start over?

- No, game over.

- Fumble at the end zone.

- But wait, we're going pretty early in the year, so that means I'm starting- - You could.

- with the one that was the hardest for me.

- You could.

- Greg and I have shirts.

- That's true, we didn't see any caves, but- - Y'all are matching.

- We had to visit all 16 seasons to get these.

(all laughing) (bluesy guitar music) - So Texas has seven public show caves, and even amongst its peers, the Caverns of Sonora are special.

Time to trade these wide open skies for the unseen world below.

Here's our guide into the depths, John Lockwood.

Now, is it gonna be cool and nice?

- No, it's gonna be very, very warm and humid.

- Oh, good.

(cheerful guitar music) This cave was discovered in 1905 when ranch owner, Mr.

Mayfield, was out with his dog, who chased a raccoon into a small hole in the rock.

After Mr.

Mayfield fished his dog out, he realized he had discovered a hidden labyrinth.

- This cave is a maze cave.

It's got horizontal and vertical passages.

Some of them interconnect, and some of them do not, just like a maze, but 3D.

- Not a good place to be in the dark.

Whoa, all right!

This room's a little bigger than the ones- - Yeah.

- we've been passing through.

- This is the biggest room that we have on the walking tour.

It's called the Devil's Pit.

And there was water here.

And once that water receded, there wasn't enough buoyancy to hold the weight of the rocks up, and they collapsed down into the bottom of the- - Oh, cool!

The first parts of the cave are dormant.

There are formations, (cheerful music) but they're not actively growing.

They're frozen in time, maybe because nature already created the perfect luchador.

(bouncy Latin music) - If you take a picture of the ceiling with your phone, there he is.

You'll see a face in your screen.

(Chet laughing) That is our luchador.

His name is Nacho Libre.

- Don't you want taste of the glory?

See what it tastes like.

(upbeat Latin music) The dormant part of the cave is great, but that's not the part that makes this cave unlike any other.

- One, two, three!

- Whoa!

(Chet laughing) Look at this!

(sentimental music) The cool stuff on the top, then, you got the walls.

This part of the cave is still active and growing.

Water, pressure, and time, creating some of the most unique and delicate formations in the world.

(sentimental music) - You remember the names of the formations that were hanging down?

- Stalactites?

- The ones poking up?

- Stalagmites?

- Now, do you know the names of the ones that are poking out sideways?

- No clue.

- These are called helictites, with an H. In the United States, caves with helictites tights are very, very rare.

We have them by the millions.

Instead of being formed by gravity or splashing water, these are formed by water pressure, and they make all these weird shapes, like our cave quarterback up there.

Rubber chicken-ite.

- Rubber chicken!

- And then, your brain can just go crazy making all sorts of shapes out of the helictites.

- I never knew there was such a thing.

The cave walls look like a sea anemone.

- Wait, they're what?

- These are helictites, bro.

You don't even know about helictites.

Caverns of Sonora, more helictites than any cave in the world.

Do you even helictite, bro?

Caverns of Sonora does.

(Daniel laughing) (upbeat guitar music) The water is actually still forming this cave, albeit, very slowly.

- This one does drip about once every three hours.

I have been down here hundreds and hundreds of times, and I've only seen it drip twice.

- Oh, come on.

Come on, baby, go!

Super exciting television.

- Crazy.

- Sometime in the next three hours, that drop is gonna fall.

Oh, and check this out.

(upbeat guitar music) These stalactites absorb UV light and can even glow in the dark.

Whoa!

Y'all, I'm gonna be honest, like, I did not expect what we found in this cave.

I mean, I've been in essentially all the other big caves in Texas, and they're all beautiful, there's reasons to visit.

Like, this one is just exquisite.

So John, has the whole cave been explored?

- Not the entire cave.

There are seven and a half miles of passages that have been explored, and there's an estimated another two miles of passages that we can see into, but cannot get into 'em, 'cause they're too small.

- So I guess what we're waiting on, like a little AI chipmunk robot that can go back there- - And actually- - and take pictures.

- that has been brought up before too.

People have offered, but the owners absolutely will not do that.

- Okay.

- Leave it as is.

- Leave it, okay, all right.

- Untouched and and pristine.

- Hey, I like a little mystery.

After all, it is the conservation efforts that have kept this cave so beautiful in the first place.

(cheerful guitar music) So when we were researching Sonora and calling locals, I have never had more people tell me that I had to eat at a particular restaurant, or else.

And if the fastest way to a town's heart is truly through the stomach, well, then, River Harvest has all of Sonora's heart, stomach, and soul on lock.

Owners, Kara and Sergio, thought they were starting a catering and carryout business, that is until folks tried their scratch made food and demanded they open a restaurant.

And by the looks of it, I would have too.

(energetic music) Oh!

Wow!

We're starting with dessert?

- Of course.

- Oh my gosh.

- That's our bourbon pecan pie with my scratch made pie crust.

I soaked the pecans in bourbon overnight.

- Mm!

I'm a connoisseur of pecan pie.

This is one of the most unique, best ones I've ever had.

Wow, okay, and this one here.

- That's our toffee cheesecake.

And then, I make fresh whipped cream to garnish it.

And then, it's drizzled with salted caramel and chocolate ganache.

- Ooh, that's good too!

- Thank you.

- You handle the baking.

Sergio, do you bake too or do you leave that to her?

- I leave it up to her.

I do all the smoking, all the meats.

- They're a one, two combo punch to knock out any taste buds.

(upbeat music) How did you get into baking?

- I was the youngest kid of four, and I was at home by myself a lot, and I was bored, so (Chet and Kara laughing) that's actually my mom's Betty Crocker cookbook, and- - Oh wow!

- I would pull it out and just start making recipes.

I started with the baking, and then, I moved on to cooking.

And I started having dinner on the table by the time everybody got home.

And- - The best little sister ever!

(Kara laughing) Both Kara and Sergio went to culinary school before finding their way to each other and to Sonora, which is when people found out about their cooking.

This place seems to be special to a lot of people.

We mentioned we were coming to Sonora, and everybody was like, you know, "If you don't go to River Harvest, I will cut you."

(all laughing) (Chet faintly speaking) - Yes, our customers are very loyal.

They're wonderful, honestly.

'Cause we were just doing catering, and everyone just kept saying, "Please, please just open up for lunch."

(Sergio laughing) And we were open three days a week, and now, we're five days a week, breakfast and lunch, full menus.

- And that's a high compliment, like, "More food!

We want to give you more of our money!

Just serve us food."

(Kara laughing) On top of the regular menu, they make daily specials, like today's smoked pot roast and harvest veggies.

Come on!

- A lot of our produce comes from a local farm in Junction.

They irrigate from the river, so that's where the name came from.

- River Harvest.

- River Harvest.

- Okay.

- Yeah.

- We wanted to have something fresh.

- Okay.

- Something that people can come in and you know you're getting something that's made from scratch, and Sergio makes his own seasoning blends.

And we put a lot of care and effort into what we do, 'cause we love it so much.

(upbeat music) - You can literally taste their passion for cooking in every bite, whether it's a pulled pork grilled cheese, or what I'm ordering, a brisket Philly cheesesteak, juicy, shredded brisket, peppers, onions, cheese, and special sauce.

All right, y'all, (lighthearted music) I present lunch.

I should probably get a fork, but that's like giving up before you even started, right?

Oh, it's beautiful.

It's gonna go all over my face.

(lighthearted music) My gosh, that's good.

I can honestly say I have never tasted a sandwich like this in Texas.

It's all the things I love about a cheese steak, mixed with a French dip, mixed with like a hot Italian beef, because it is like so juicy.

(Chet chuckling) The juices, they cannot be stopped or controlled.

They're going everywhere.

(lighthearted music) One of the best sandwiches I've had on the road, no lie.

That is so good.

Oh, and of course, you can't forget about dessert, right?

(lighthearted music) (bouncy music) How can you tell if a local person is asleep?

- I don't know, how?

- You'll hear 'em Sonoran.

- Oh, come on.

I think you're just supposed to say, "They're Sonoran."

- Better, there you go.

- Actually, that's really good.

Did you hear that?

It was so good.

(Greg laughing) - It's all about the delivery.

It's all about the delivery.

(all laughing) - Tell it again.

Tell it again.

- I don't know, man.

I just, when you got it, you got it.

- I hate these guys so much.

- I don't know what to tell you.

- I hate them so much.

(all laughing) - Are you dropping us off?

- Yeah, yeah, yeah, get out.

- We're in the middle of nowhere.

- Yeah, exactly, that's the point.

Get out.

- Oh wait, what?

- Just Greg.

- Oh.

- And Teresa.

- Oh.

- And Daniel.

- I can stay.

Wait.

- No, no, all you.

- Can I keep the shirt?

- No.

Yeah, give me the shirt back.

(all laughing) (spaghetti-western music) Luckily, Sonora is not that big, even if I made them walk all the way to our next stop, the Old Sonora Ice House Ranch Museum.

And if you're looking for cowboy and cattlemen, or cattle women history, this is your stop.

All right, so this museum actually is inside the town's Old Ice House, and this is the compressor that we get this whole building cold enough to freeze ice.

I don't think it works anymore.

(playful music) Crank the AC down.

Where's the button?

Things were definitely different back in the old days.

I remember the first episodes of "Daytripper" were made on a device much like this one.

(playful music) It's actually a projector.

(Daniel laughing) - Can I play it?

(organ bellows) How you doing?

(playful music) Rather than just listen to me make up stuff, let's find expert, Elaine Donaldson, with the museum to take us back to the beginning.

- Sonora was a pretty wild town.

We had five saloons on Main Street.

- Which is just like a block long.

- Absolutely.

(tense spaghetti-western music) That's all it is.

(Chet laughing) This is our display on Will Carver.

- Okay.

- He was one of the many outlaws that came in and out of here.

- Oh, but Will Carver wasn't just any outlaw, but a member of the infamous Wild Bunch that also included Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Man, outlaws dressed a lot nicer than we do nowadays.

- Well, the reason they're dressed up, Carver was getting married, and some of the other outlaws said, "Y'all look so good, you need to get your picture made."

Well, it was the undoing of all of them.

- Oh!

- Law enforcement did not know what they looked like until this picture was made.

- Until this picture was... Gosh, we gotta make sure no photographs are made of us ever.

- I think it's a little late for you.

- Just to lay low.

(Chet laughing) Yeah, I think it's a little late for all of us.

Railroad agents published the picture and when most of the gangs showed up in Sonora to rob a bank, they were spotted.

- The deputy and the sheriff, they go over to talk to him.

- Okay.

- The gun fight started, and Carver died of his wounds.

- Wow.

So this is the gun- - That is the gun.

- that killed Will Carver?

- Yes.

- Oh, this was a wild west town, huh?

- It was, it was.

(cheerful guitar music) - As the west grew less wild, local ranchers discovered that the land was terrible for cattle, but great for goats and sheep.

And Sutton County quickly became a wool and mohair mecca.

- We've got some vintage shearing machines.

- This looks like a medieval torture device.

- It does, doesn't it?

- We have ways of making you talk.

(Elaine laughing) - Yeah, let's do that.

- You don't need a haircut.

So I know what wool is, sheep's wool.

- Okay.

- But what's mohair?

- Mohair comes from an Angora goat.

This is an Angora goat pelt.

- Oh, got it.

(cheerful guitar music) In one year, like 4 million pounds of this stuff was shipped out of- - That's about right.

When that sack is full, it's gonna weigh about 500 pounds.

These guys would bring their sons with them.

- Okay.

- They'd throw one in the sack.

As they throw the fleece in there, he's stomping it down.

(Chet laughing) So he works his way back out.

- Oh, that's funny.

Sack stomper is not a job that exists anymore.

- Yeah, it still does.

- Oh, really?

- It still does.

- Well, darn!

They didn't tell me about that one on career day.

Now, of course, I would need a lot "mo-hair" than I've got.

(Chet chuckling) This industry built wealth out here.

And when you got money, (cheerful guitar music) you need somewhere to put it.

Oh!

The whole door screws in.

Whoa, look at the ornamentation on the back of this thing.

- It's got the three time clocks right here, that you set those on what time you want it to open the next morning.

And it's not gonna open until those clocks run down.

- So if you go in the bank and shoot the banker, you're- - You're out of luck.

- I love local museums for all the stories they hold, helping each generation connect to the ones that came before it.

(suave music) I must say, Sonora is a charming little town, surrounded by miles and miles of scrub covered hills on every side.

This is ranching country.

But next up for the day, we're headed to a place that puts the ritzy in ranch and the bougie in Brush Country, the JL Bar Ranch and Spa.

A true oasis and destination getaway, with high end hunting and its own airstrip.

Oh, the places we could trip in one of these.

(suave music) The JL Bar is packed with activities, from horseback riding, to shooting sports, all of which are open to day guests.

And we're gonna try our hand and our shot at something I have never done, long range riflery.

(energetic rock music) And this is our coach, Keith.

- Chet, have you ever done any long range shooting?

- I mean, I probably shot a hundred yards.

- All right, we're gonna start at 400, and we're gonna shoot out the 1,500.

- 1,500 yards?

- 1,500 yards.

- Folks, that is a long way, just shy of a mile.

Today's tool is a Bergara 6.5 Creedmoor, and it better be accurate.

- At 1,500 yards, you're gonna be aiming basically 80 feet in the air.

(Chet laughing) (energetic rock music) - Hold up.

What?

Yep, long range riflery is like throwing a footfall, and the arch is critical.

Let's start with a relatively close 400 yards.

(energetic rock music) All right, we're live, boys.

All right, this will be, officially, the farthest I've ever shot.

(gun firing) I expect the ding right away, but it didn't come for a couple seconds.

Like, whaaa?

- You wanna go 500?

- Yeah, let's do it.

(gun firing) Oh, where was that?

- We're gonna make a windage adjustment.

- It was the wind, you heard him, you heard him.

We didn't make a windage adjustment.

(gun clicking) (gun firing) - Impact on the plate.

- There we go.

With each distance, the scope must be dialed in to account for the arch and drop of the bullet, the wind velocity, (energetic rock music) and also, catch this, the rotation of the earth.

And that's not to even mention the racing heart of the man on the trigger.

- So your biggest thing on long range is controlling your breathing, (gun clicking) so take a breath, and on your exhale when all the air leaves your lungs is whenever you wanna squeeze the trigger.

You don't want- - Okay, yeah, nothing left.

(gun firing) - Hit.

- You have to wait so long to hear the ding.

That is nuts.

I've climbed up the ladder, time to push my limit.

(gun firing) (energetic rock music) - Impact.

- Impact!

It's a 1,500 yard kill shot, and that's it.

I could retire from long range riflery.

(Chet chuckling) I've shot short range.

I thought I'd shot long range, but I've never shot anything remotely close to this.

I can't imagine the people who do this, you know, out there for our country to keep us safe, aiming, you know, at things that aren't so stationary.

The longest confirmed hit by a sniper in combat is two and a half miles.

Crazy.

(gun firing) - Three inches from the center of the plate.

- Hey!

We're not exactly combat ready, but hey, we're not half bad.

(gun firing) - Oh, she got it!

- Really?

- Oh, yeah!

- Teresa!

- Really?

- You don't believe me?

I'm seeing it right here.

(lighthearted music) - But we've got a little bit of daylight left, so let's swap bullets for bridles as the sun sets.

This is a ranch, after all, and this is cowgirl, Kylie.

Where's my trusted steed?

- All right.

- Which one?

- You're gonna be on Adrianna over here.

- Sounds manly.

- She's a sweet girl.

Ready?

One, two, three, up and over.

Fabulous.

- Woo-hoo!

- Let's see.

- Here we go, Adrianna.

Oh, well, we're coming to see you, Daniel.

Adrianna definitely isn't camera shy.

I think we'll get along great.

(lighthearted music) Just a band of outlaws riding their horses across the plains of West Texas.

Look how tough she looks over there.

Especially how tough Greg looks on his phone back there.

(Greg faintly speaking) I mean, come on.

(lighthearted music) There is something about riding a horse that just sort of connects to my soul.

You know what I mean?

You can feel the desert's transition from daylight to darkness.

The temperature has dropped as a distant owl's call (owl hooting) marks the night.

It's quiet, a bit eerie, and beautiful all at the same time, but since my horse doesn't have headlights, well, let's head back to the barn.

(gritty acoustic guitar music) You know, maybe you're not into hunting or horses, but there's still a very tasty reason to visit the JL Bar Ranch, one that comes flame kissed and grilled to perfection.

The restaurant is ready to be the meaty cherry atop your day trip split with mouthwatering steaks and giant burgers, not to mention tasty craft cocktails.

And manning the grill is Chef, Angel Olvera.

(upbeat rock music) (upbeat guitar music) Angel, oh my gosh, that looks good.

What am I smelling?

- Browning the brown sugar and bourbon that we're glazing the steak with, so.

- You're glazing the steak?

- Yep.

- No kidding.

- Adds a little different flavor.

We don't want to be like everybody else and just season the steaks and throw 'em out.

So it's the reason they painstakingly dry age lots of their beef and find creative ways from the fire to the plate.

- You can do whatever you want with food.

It's up to you.

(Chet laughing) If you believe in it, it'll work.

- Yeah, I like that.

I like that mentality.

Angel has cooked for visitors who've flown in from all over the globe to taste his slice of Texas.

And I can't wait to taste my own piece of that bourbon glaze strip.

(cheerful music) All right, I mean, the shooting was awesome, the horseback riding was awesome, but this is the grand finale, folks.

Ah, the smells coming off this thing.

(kiss smacking) Got some grilled asparagus, smoked bacon mac and cheese, and what goes down as officially the coolest steak knife I've ever seen in Texas.

All right, here we go.

Oh my gosh, that was fantastic.

And I'm usually a steak purist, right?

Like, good piece of meat doesn't need anything else on it.

And then, you get someone doing something creative like this, taking some of my favorite things, sugar and bourbon, putting them together with beef, That's magic right there.

And drag them through the sugar bourbon, mm!

You know what I need to do with this salad?

Put it in the sugar bourbon glaze.

(Daniel laughing) I mean, this place is special, like so special that folks fly in just to do the things that we did here at the end of the day.

That was a good day.

(upbeat music) Lots of folks just passed through Sonora on their way to somewhere else, but when you take a moment to slow down and explore, well, you'll find a town overflowing with beauty, brimming with pride, and ready to feed you 'til your belly pops.

Why the hurry, partner?

Pull up a seat, stay a while.

(upbeat music) So I'll see all y'all out on the road.

Vaya con dios, amigos.

Great day, guys.

(glasses clinking) Cheers.

- Cheers!

- Cheers.

(glasses clinking) (upbeat music) Howdy, y'all.

Follow along with my adventures at chettripper on Instagram and at thedaytrippertv on Facebook and YouTube, or head to the daytripper.com for travel guides, past episodes, and info on our mobile app and team "Daytripper."

- The "Daytripper" is made possible by Rudy's, real Texas barbecue.

Shipping nationwide at rudys.com.

Karbach Brewing Company from Houston, Texas.

Makers of Karbach Lager, a beer that is proudly partnered with Don't miss with Texas, please dispose responsibly.

Visit Georgetown, where big ideas meet small town charm.

Georgetown, the most beautiful town square in Texas.

Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, protection and peace of mind for Texans since 1952.

Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick in Georgetown making Texas Road trips possible for over 50 years.

Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick, Texas True.

Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, Texas' local bottler providing the Lone Star state with a variety of Coca-Cola products.