Lewis and Clark could have learned a thing or two from Howie Richey. This expert guide and interpreter passionately procures detailed knowledge about the culture and ecology of every nook and cranny in the Lone Star State. Long known as The Texas Back Roads Scholar, he’s been there and wants to take you, either with actual trips or through his slide presentations. Result: you see Texas from a whole other perspective.

A connoisseur of the obscure in Texas, this hiking encyclopedia believes that “you can’t really know a place till you’ve walked over it and slept on the ground there.” His Texpert Tours of the Austin area encourage historical and environmental preservation, but mostly emphasize the beauty inherent in natural settings. “Besides,” he adds, “learning about new places is fun!” Under his characteristic palm straw hat is a stunning store of fascinating facts and personal anecdotes Richey uses to entertain his audiences. An insatiable reader, Richey finds a library or store full of books dangerous. “I’m running out of shelves,” he explains.

Richey’s ebullience for all things Texan comes from being a native. “Ever since childhood, I knew Texas to be a place of contrasting landscapes. From my home in Corpus Christi, where the water is salty and the air humid, my family took our vacations in the Hill Country, where the water’s sweet and the ground tall. And I always wondered what mystery and romance waited down that little back road . . . ” His career began with helpful hints for his high school choir trips, growing into college slide shows and informal classes in community schools and the Texas Union. Today, it’s flourished into a full-time business of tour design, workshops, and consultation. Everything he does relates the big picture to important minutiæ.

Clients who benefit from his acumen include Elderhostels, youth groups, retail outlets, schools, association meetings, and service clubs. On the growing list of individuals and small groups that he’s escorted, you’ll find British travel writers, Japanese businessmen, and vacationing Americans. Even long-time Austinites stand to gain new understanding of their locale from a Texpert outing. His invitation is compelling. “You can spend three years studying Texas’ uniqueness, or spend three hours with someone who has--ten times over.”

Richey enrolled at the University of Texas in the fall of 1971. He signed up for every course about the state in the UT catalogue, graduating with a degree in geography. He’s among the many who “tried, but just couldn’t leave Austin.” His civic pride evinces through his frequent volunteer stints at the Austin Visitor Center and his membership in a plethora of environmental and historic organizations.

Along with touring and lecturing, Howie Richey is nature program director at Rancho Richey Refuge, a family-owned preserve near Belmont, Texas. He produces a weekly radio calendar of outdoor events and promotes nature tourism throughout the state. Residing in Northeast Austin with his one wife, two cats, two dogs, and two doves, he operates from a painted-floor study surrounded by antiques, maps, and books.

Many Austinites know well the highly entertaining thematic parties he presents every solstice and equinox, and sometimes on days in between. Check back soon for details!