Yahoo! Picks - bringing you the best of the Web since 1995

The border between the U.S. and Mexico is 2,000 miles long, and its significance, its protection, and its porousness have never been more hotly debated. In an attempt to see and understand the towns and people who populate this dividing line, two reporters from The Star-Telegram, photojournalist Tom Pennington and Austin bureau chief Jay Root, traveled the border's length. From Boca Chica, Texas to Tijuana, Mexico, the two men followed border agents, patrolled with a Minuteman, and sought the smuggler's perspective. They paid an emergency visit to a Mexican border dentist, toured an artists' community, dropped in on the only casino in Texas, and investigated the home of the nacho. Then they pulled it all together in an extraordinary online feature that draws on articles, photos, video, and interactive maps to convey the diversity, and dangers, of the dividing line.

Outdoor clothing company Patagonia granted every surfer's dream to the Malloy bros: carte blanche to travel the West Coast for 30 days. And dude, the desolate roads, veg-powered trucks, and egg burritos that ensued created one epic road trip. Beginning in Oregon, the crew climbed the Monkey at Smith Rocks and snowboarded with surfing legend Gerry Lopez on Mt. Bachelor. In California, the fearless travelers surfed under the Golden Gate Bridge and through other fabled secret spots peppered down the Golden State's coast. Once across the border in Baja, they settled into Camp Perfecto and spent a week playing with dogs, hanging out with organic farmers, and, you guessed it, surfing.