The Hills Are Alive.... (Part 3)♦

It's official -- I married Snow White. Sunday morning, I awoke to hear Angela telling Brandy and Amanda about her early morning encounter. Apparently, she had stepped outside for a little fresh air, and she saw a couple of bucks fighting up on a hill a distance from the camp. While she was watching them, she heard a noise near her. She looked over and saw a baby deer approaching.

Now, she knows better than to mess with young animals, so she peered around, and spotted the mother, watching closely. By this time, the young one was nudging her, and so, with mama's apparent approval, she carefully petted a baby deer for a while, before mother and child decided it was time to go. As they disappeared over a rise, Angela reflected on how rare a thing that was, that moment of being literally in touch with nature. She was giddy about it for the rest of the week.

Today was to be the last day of the trip, which meant it was time to show off the twisties Brandy and I had run through the previous week on a day trip. First thing was first, though...repack the car, go let the park know we were heading out so as to get the deposit on the cabin returned. We headed out, and stopped briefly at Longhorn Caverns, where Brandy bought Amanda a ring that had caught her eye, and I picked up a bag of magnetized hematite - boy, that stuff is fun to play with. Slip down to where 1431 crossed near us, and stopped again right at the beginning at the scenic overlook above a bend in the Colorado River.

The Colorado River...we'd followed it, crossed it, played in it, and admired it all through this trip. We had been criss-crossing the valley for the last day and a half, and seen it as a bubbling brook, a tubing stream, dammed up as a lake, and now, as the majestic river it really was. When you stand on the side of the road, with a cliff behind you, houses below you, and looked out to where the distant shore was about as far as you could see, you could really sense the strength of the waters that had carved the Grand Canyon. Someday, we'll have to go see the Colorado in that aspect, too.

A simple snack of apples and cheese while standing there, and we continued, keeping an eye out for a new tacqueria. Eventually, somewhere between Granite Shoals and Marble Falls. Another round of ordering food that made poor Amanda turn green, and we all were fascinated to get Coke in a bottle labeled in Spanish...apparently it was Coke from Mexico, which I believe is made with cane sugar instead of the ubiquitous high-fructose corn syrup that seems to be the ingredient of choice for every American food product. Afterward, we picked up some pineapple soda and Mexican sweetbreads, and got back on the road.

Passing through Marble Falls, I happened to be browsing a motorcycle magazine I had picked up which listed some of the most scenic rides, best stops, and other goodies in all parts of Texas. As I flipped over to "Best Swimmin' Holes" and was amused to see Balmorreah, there was an exclamation from the rest of the car at the number two site.

"Ooohh!! Where is that?"

A quick flip through the Gazetteer showed that it was actually in the general direction we were headed and not really far, either. That was easily settled, and Hamilton Pool was added to our itinerary for the day as a must-see spot.

Twisties and hills on 1431, and even smoke from a fire on a hill somewhere in the distance...we watched it get thicker and darker, then fading back away as firefighters dealt with it. Just another day on the job for them...but a unique sight for those of us out for a country drive.

Skirting the west edge of Austin, we marvelled at the hills, valleys, Lake Travis and the dam. There was the requisite joking of going to Hippie Hollow when we passed the sign, and then all of us chickening out at the allure/embarrassment in the idea of visiting a clothing-optional beach. Ah, the hippie culture that is Austin.

Soon enough, we found the turn for Hamilton Pool, and after wisely stopping at a gas station so as not to have a repeat of our arrival at Colorado Bend, we continued through the glorious scenery that is the Hill Country, where we soon found ourselves trapped behind a jeep that didn't seem entirely sure of where they were going, judging by their low speed.

Months later, we finally arrived at the park, and amused the ranger by showing him the picture that was our inspiration to visit. We parked, and then headed for the trail leading to the pool itself.

The path proved difficult for Angela, who seemed to be dropping heavily off each step on the way down...unfortunately, this wreaked havoc on her knees, and she was limping by the time we made it to the pool area. Needless to say, she was quite upset, angry that it happened, and angry that she would also have to deal with the return trip.

At least she was able to enjoy the incredible environment that is Hamilton Pool. Here the Pedernales River drips over a limestone cave, and you can sit within it, watching the water falling in front of you into a pool with blue-green water so inviting, we almost went for a dip before we remembered what the Colorado River had demonstrated the day before -- it was still February. Clinging moss with clear water dripping from the plant life, limestone boulders, stalactites at the edge of the cave roof, making the whole thing resemble a giant mouth...just, amazing.

Yes, Angela was upset about her knee...yes, she suffered the long uphill climb, although we went up the smooth trail instead of the rocky step trail, even though it was officially closed. We saw more deer cross our path on the way up, and it reminded her yet again of why we were really out there. There are things you can see and experience in nature that you simply can't match by watching it on TV. Yes, nature can make you pay dearly if you're not prepared for it, but the rewards are certainly worth it. Despite the pain, Angela has said that what she got to see, the place she got to take in, was worth every bit of it, and she still wants to go again.

The afternoon was starting to get long, and we knew it was time to start making our way north, but first, we continued past the entrance to Hamilton pool, down a steep switchback into a canyon, where we paused on a one-lane bridge just over the Pedernales River to take it in once more, before driving up and out into more open road.

Wait, what was that bounding along the side of the road? We stopped and backed up (I love country roads), and Angela was treated to her very first sighting of a live armadillo.

Eventually, we were back to 281, on the long drive toward home...unfortunately, Amanda began feeling ill, with symptoms that had us worried about appendicitis, but it turned out later to be an ulcer. Dragging ourselves home and into bed sometime near midnight, exhausted.

A stomach-ache for Amanda, a hurt knee for Angela, an aching back for Brandy....our bodies were screaming at us when we finally made it home...the weekend made us pay for every bit of experience we had.

And we'd gladly pay it again.

Slice of Time : Galveston 6/2/07

"Beef goes moo!"

"You'll get sand up your hoo-hoo!"
"He doesn't have a hoo-hoo, he has a ha-ha."
"Nope, I have a back-hoo."

"My dragon got all wet and quit flying!"

"The screaming monkey was pretty cool..."

"Look past the bikini...I know it's hard, but you can do it. See the guy on the kayak?"

"Her tits have a fish cleaning station?!?"

"He's getting to have his dessert before his dinner."
"He's an adult, he's allowed."
"At this rate, I might get to finish my dessert before my dinner arrives."

"Hey look, we're next to a titty bar -- we are in a classy hotel."

"My aquashoes are soulless!"

"We're looking for Kansas Street."
"No problem, we just passed Texas Street...should just be a couple more blocks north."

"This is the coast. Thunderstorms here just go pooft!"

"What's up?"
"Nothing, just freezing the moment."

"Yay, I get to de-head the shrimp too!"

"That's a much cooler Surrender the Booty flag....and there's some booty that needs to be surrendered."

The Hills Are Alive...(Part 2)

Oh, would that I could describe the sunrise in the Hill Country, yellows and reds and oranges and pinks, a pastel magnificence as the life-giving warmth returns once more to our lives and we once again make the transition from night to day. I would gaze upon the lake surface, stirred by a stiff morning breeze, small whitecaps picturesque against a blue lake that somehow remained clear rather than murky. Perhaps I would also describe the people around us, starting morning cookfires to prepare breakfast or get a bit of early exercise, stretching their waking muscles to make ready for the day's activities.

Of course, all of that would require I had been awake for it. We did get to camp at 4 in the morning, after all, so it was an amazing enough feat that we rose around 10 as it was. Well, I woke to see a half-naked Amanda on the other top bunk writing in her journal, and in the process of getting out of bed and making some orange juice (from concentrate!), everyone else started making somewhat more conscious movements. Today, the plan was to drive around the area and see what uplifting sights the Hill Country had to offer us, to best cheer Amanda up. To save money on dinner, we had brought along ingredients for chili and a slow-cooker. I dropped in the still frozen chunk of ground beef and the sauce and spices, then we loaded up and headed out for breakfast.

It's always interesting to see people's reactions the first time they go to a tacqueria. Some, like us, see the menu that we can barely understand and start picking things at random to try. A few are more hesitant, but if they at least know what they're getting are still willing to experiment. Still others see things like goat, beef cheek linings, and pork skin and go "eeeewwwww!", then either run screaming in terror or order something "safe." Well, at least Amanda didn't run screaming in terror...she did stick with potato and egg breakfast tacos, though. I actually hadn't known there were chicarrone breakfast tacos (think pork rinds, but not dried up), so I had a couple of those as well as barbacoa. A little sweet tea to round it out, and we thought about where we wanted to go for the day.

One plan for the weekend was to take highway 1431, which was full of twisty roads, gorgeous vistas of the Colorado River Valley, and was simply a fun drive. We opted to save that one for Sunday and instead went a bit north, passing through many little farm roads, including a county road we had thought would be a shortcut, but turned out to be a dead end. At least we got the amusement of driving right past a herd of cows milling around the road...we were inside the fence, after all. We mooed at them a bit, then made our way eventually to Colorado Bend state park.

On driving in, all we could see was the dust kicked up by the car in front of us on the chalky, gravelly dirt road. We saw a watering hole, and hiking trails, and were driving a bit faster than we technically should have. You see, we'd been in the car a while, and it had been a long time since we'd passed any kind of gas station or anything else which might house a bathroom....the urge was building, and at that moment, all we cared about was actually getting into the park, finding park headquarters, and finding relief. Damn, that was a really long, bumpy road, and for much more time than we would have liked, we weren't seeing any real signs of civilisation. Finally, though, the road dipped down (a steep, curvy hill -- the 5 mph limit wasn't just kidding around), and we entered the park proper.

Wow.

Some scenes give such a sense of majesty that words cannot do them justice. A limestone cliff face towered over the park, like a canyon with only one side. The river was shallow here, and it rippled over stones scattered throughout its bed. Grassy banks sloped down, along with a few little waterfalls of their own, but the eye ignored much of that and was drawn back time and again to the wall, analysing it, finding handholds and footholds, as that was a surface that demanded to be climbed. Maybe not today, but soon, an attempt must be made.

And then a bit of reality set back in.

"The bathroom! Gangway!"

Miraculously, I think we remembered to lock the car before abandoning it. After we were all feeling much better, we took another look at the scenery and knew we had to go play in the river. Yes, the water was ice cold, but no problem...it was shallow and I had my boots on. Of course, it was just deep enough I would have gotten wet anyway, but I managed to carefully balance my way across on very slippery rocks. I waved at the girls, then sat down and relaxed, looking out over the river bubbling along in front of me.

A moment later, I heard a squeal, and looked over in time to see Brandy rising drenched out of the frigid waters of the Colorado River, with a dripping Amanda perched on her back. Apparently, she had leaped on, calling out, "Carry me!" Brandy did okay for a little bit, but those rocks are more slippery than they look, and the water much deeper than it appears. After reaching the bank I was on, Brandy was quickly out of her jeans, with her socks and boots drying near them.

I went and visited with Angela for a while, back on the original side of the bank, as she was uncomfortable with the slope of the ground down to the water...maybe next time. After a bit, I went back, this time saying the hell with it and just slogging through the river, setting my boots out to drain and my socks to dry once I got over there. We spent who knows how long just pocking around the rocks and cliff face, joking with some fishermen on their way upstream -- wise men...they had waders, and just generally having a good time. Eventually, though, it was time to depart, and we prepared to wade back across the mighty Colorado.

Deciding my boots and socks had absorbed enough of the river for one day, I hitched up my pants and waded across barefoot.

The river opted to remind me that it was still late February. I found that barefoot, it was not only very, VERY cold, but also that river rocks are unpleasant to cross without something on your feet....note to self, buy some aqua shoes at some point...I don't think I could feel my toes by the time I was delicately stepping on the gravelly shore like someone walking across burning coals for the first time. I squeezed another quart of water out of my socks, which I had carried across with me....I think they got wetter just by being close to the water. I also poured a gallon of river water out of each boot, then went ahead and put them back on. I then paced about, skipping a few pebbles while I waited for Brandy to cross....I think Amanda was up the shore somewhere...then we went back and sat with Angela for a bit before we were ready to get back in the car and start making our way back to camp....hurray for Angela's homemade trail mix!

It was quite a pleasant meandering drive back to Burnet, and when we pulled into town, the sun was well past down....we might not have planned originally on a campfire, but what the hell. We bought some wood, some marshmallows, and some Little Smokies to roast, then continued back to the park, where the chili was delicious, built a fire, and relaxed a bit before finally drifting off to sleep.

Come see.

Come fly with me.
come spread your wings.
Wander the forgotten paths with me.
Explore the lost trails.

Experience what life is about with me.
Experience what makes us human.
Feel the joys of freedom
as your soul takes flight with mine.

Feel the sun on your face
hear the avian chorus above.
Dip your toes in the crystal clear waters,
as your eyes gaze on an infinity of stars.

Welcome the cool morning dew
and the scents carried on the morning breeze
of places nearby that have been lost
and of memories buried long deep.

Drink of the fountain of youth with me
of the splendor and glory which is life.
Pain and sorrow and joy and strife
and the laughter that frees us all.

Come fly the paths less travelled with me
See the wonders that are there.
Live life as it was meant to be lived,
with the universe whispering.. "Come, See!"

The Hills Are Alive... (Part 1)

It may be mid-February, but in Texas, it's just starting to warm up for spring. Life is returning after lying dormant for a frozen couple of weeks (regardless of the calendar everyone else uses, winter in Texas is about a month long), and the urge to go was raging within us.

Alas, the camping/canoeing trip we had hoped for was not to be, as overnight lows were predicted to be in the mid-30s. *shudders* Oh, hell no.... So Plan B was to go and wander the Hill Country in some detail, especially the area around Inks Lake and the Colorado River west of Austin. We'd find a hotel room near Burnet or Marble Falls to be home base, trek down Friday night, spend all day Saturday and most of Sunday wandering, and back home Sunday night.

Oh, fickle internet, why did you forsake me? The nearest reasonably-priced hotel room was all the way off in San Marcos! Hmph...hey, wait a second...some state parks have cabins...I wonder how much those are...

Lo, and behold! A cabin at Inks Lake, for the same price as Econolodge in San Marcos. So we might need a space heater to help warm the room, and the bathroom is a short hike away...but what does that matter against stepping out on a crisp but warming February morning to seeing the lakeshore and trees and ducks and deer and...but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's back up a bit.

This trip was to be about many things....showing Angela the twisties Brandy and I had found on our last day trip, finding new twisties as we explored the area further, enjoying another "outdoorsy" trip with all three of us, and de-stressing from a very busy couple of weeks with me out of town on business more than usual. We also were bringing a friend with us, who had just been through a nasty breakup, and planned to use this trip to do a little soul-searching. We hoped to give her the kind of experience that always helped our own souls.

A little last-minute shopping with Angela to pick up some supplies, and packing the car while Brandy was on her way home from work, and finally, on the evening of the 2-month anniversary of Brandy moving in, we piled in the car and were on the road.

First stop, Buffalo Jones for dinner! Since finding this little gem of a burger place in Venus, we have become regulars there, trying to stop by whenever we were heading south. Of course, with Brandy's new schedule, we were arriving much later than normal, and sure enough, they were closed. The girls were disappointed, but rather than drive on by, I figured we'd take a chance on playing the "regular customer" card, and pulled into the gravel lot, walked up and peered in the door. Sure enough, as soon as Dwayne spotted me, he opened the door right up and invited us in as his wife fired up the grill to take our orders. Skittish, squeaky, shy Amanda got the honor of having one of the last two buffalo burgers, as this was her first experience. It was so funny to see her reaction as we explained she was eating actual buffalo meat, that the burger wasn't just called a buffalo burger to have a catchy name. Lemme just add "squeamish" to that list of S-adjectives, as her further reaction of "ewwww" when we told her they also had ostrich burgers was to become a running theme for the trip. I guess not everyone can have the cast-iron stomachs and adventurous appetites that we do.

After much fun chatting with the Buffalo Jones proprietors and a very good meal (as usual), along with several attempts to get Amanda to stop reading a catalog and eat so we could get going, she finally admitted to being full, and we got her a to-go box, said our farewells, and drove on, into the night.

It was a glorious and clear sky, and we knew the stars would be very visible, so that meant a stop in Chalk Mountain was on the agenda. We missed the turn that we used there before, but found another good spot, just off a county road as 67 meets with 220. We piled out of the car, stood in the darkness outside the glow of the metroplex, and looked up.

Infinity.

I know that green is the color of life, the rebirth of the forests and fields from their winter slumber, but black dotted with white, the inverse of frost-covered expanses, holds a different kind of promise. The promise of mystery, of something to explore, no matter how far we look, there will always be more to see. Brandy has described the Hill Country as naturally breeding curiosity - what's around the next bend, behind that hill, down that trail? I grew up in the Hill Country, exploring those trails, climbing those hills, and peeking around those bends. My second love was astronomy...I may not have studied it as deeply as I could have, but the mystery and promise of things to explore always appealed to me, and so I love to take the time to look at a full night sky, even when I'm shivering from the cold. Shooting stars, satellites, constellations, and the Milky Way...there's so much to see, and Amanda was seeing shooting stars one after the other. It was like the universe was telling her, "Everything is going to be all right." Eventually, though, the cold began to get to us, and one by one, we slipped back into the car, with Brandy the last to leave the stars behind.

A quick stop for some cocoa in Hico, and we were at last making our way south on 281. Angela had fallen asleep as per usual, and we had just switched drivers so Brandy could make the second leg to the cabin. Night driving is usually Brandy and I keeping each other awake and is typically when our conversations take a more philosophical turn. On this occasion, we spoke with Amanda about where she's been, where she's going, and offered hope that while things may have gone sour for her recently, there is always opportunity for happiness if you don't let yourself miss it. I spoke of when I had a romance end in high school and spent so much of my energy missing her that I missed several girls that in hindsight were pretty blatantly hitting on me. While unfortunate, I can't regret that it happened that way, as I otherwise might not have learned the lesson I saw later. Be happy with yourself, and it will be easier to be happy with others. If you spend a relationship waiting for it to fail, you might just find yourself unable to see how well it really is going. There is always more out there...whether you see it is up to you.

After an hour or two of good deep conversation, she was feeling basically good about things, and we were finally turning onto Park Road 4, one of our favorite roads to drive...the first hill gives a great roller-coaster sensation, followed by a nice, hilly, twisty road, and even a castle! Unfortunately, it was dark, so we couldn't admire the scenery just yet, but that would come in the morning. Carefully making our way around, trying to make sure we don't hit any deer as we progress, we pull into the Inks Lake park entrance, find the keys to our cabin, and go on a quest to locate our accomodations in the dark...after a while, we found where the cabin numbers were hung, and drove around until we found ours, right on the shore of the lake, and only a couple minute hike from the bathroom. Everyone was sleepy and ready for bed, but we got the gear unloaded, the space heater set up, and one last pause to view the stars over the lake before bed.

Beautiful...and this is only the beginning...

Returning thoughts...

Another incredible weekend. Amazing vistas of rolling hills, tree covered mountains, Lush green valleys, sparkling bluegreen pools with waterfalls and moss covered limestone. Granite hills, quartz beaches sparkling next to crystal clear rivers.

I'm still recovering from this latest outing. Blisters on my feet from falling in the Colorado River and getting about 6 cups of water in each boot. Wrenched knee and bruised leg from having a very dear friend jump on my back going "Carry me!" while on the rocks in the river... and stepping on an unstable mossy stone and taking a very cold dip. Twisted ankle from running up the trail to Hamilton Pool ... and the Perdenales river. Looking up that steep trail to go back to the parking lot, knowing that nobody can help me, and laughing at the situation and attacking it wholeheartedly. Miles and miles and miles of back country twisties. Deer, armadillos, coyotes, raccoons, more deer, MORE DEER, goats and llamas and sheep and horses and more cows than you want to try to comprehend. Prickly pear everywhere.

So many folks get so damn squeamish about food. What's wrong with new experiences? It can irritate me to no end how folks think that food means it comes prepackages in some styrofoam container, lacking all resemblance from what it actually was. Screw that. Meat is meat. It irritates the **** out of me how people will hear about something other than beef or chicken or pork and go EEEEWWWWW! What the hell?! .. Let me give a for instance....

One of our favourite places to stop when we're out on the road and want breakfast is Taquerias. Good, CHEAP, filling breakfasts. To the tune of 18$ (including tip) for 3 people... with plenty left over! There's many excellent dishes on the menu, and we had a new friend with us out for the first time. She'd never been in a place like this before, and needed a translator as she spoke NO spanish whatsoever. Barbacoa.. cow cheek meat.. very flavorful and tender. Cabritos = barbecued goat. Lengua = beef tongue. Chicharrones = similar to pork rinds, but much much better. During this description, she turned various colours of green, white, and other less than savory shades. Finally we all got our orders and she was of the opinion that she didn't want to hear any more of the menu or what it was that we ordered. At work, talking about various things and the subject of food comes up. A comment on duck eggs brought on the reaction of EEEWWW! and it went downhill from there.

People always hear of my travels and want to come with me. They hear of the glorious scenery, the wonderful people I meet, the new friends in far away places, and want to experience it... but they don't want to experience the whole thing. They balk at the idea of a goat bbq cookoff, or tamales on the side of the road, or of lengua breakfast tacos, but this is the essense of the places we find ourselves. When experiencing life, you make a choice. Styrofoam contained "all american beef" preformed patties... the same food you would get in New York City or New Orleans, or you can experience the life the people there lead. Jambalaya from our lovely coast, fresh fish and shrimp caught just earlier that morning in the gulf. Barbecue from a falling down tin shack on the side of the road. Tamales made by a grandmother according to a generations old family recipe. Make new friends in far away places. Find a family you never knew you had.

The writeup of this latest trip will come later. I have so many things I need to write up as is, but time constraints get in the way. I would rather be out doing it. Experiencing life at its fullest. More posts will follow soon... until then remember to live the life you've got now.

The Wurst Trip Ever - Day 4 (In which the Wurst happens...)

Day 4, and it's time to make the trip home. After a home-cooked breakfast (thanks, Dad), we load up the car and make our way north, along boring old Interstate 35, so that we can begin the day in New Braunfels, where it is the last day of WurstFest, a German sausage festival that goes for a little over a week. The only tricky part is in figuring out where to exit 35 to get to the right place -- these things never have decent maps drawn, just a couple cross streets and you're supposed to puzzle out how to get there. Fortunately, I've got a knack for puzzles.

We exit and make our way to the main square of downtown New Braunfels, where we see a whole bunch of little craft tables set up and people in German folk outfits. We stop and wander about for a while, looking at birdhouses, glass etches, pottery, pressed wildflowers, clothing, and all kinds of other goodies...but no sausage! Guess we weren't at Wurstfest itself yet.

No problem.....I use my big honkin' nose to do what it does best -- sniff for food!

*sniff sniff*

*sniff sniff* Ah-hah! That way!

We hop back in the car and continue driving past the far more obvious but less entertaining method of the sign with an arrow pointing in the direction of WurstFest, and make our way to the traffic jam of people trying to find a place to park. After a bit, we made our way into a little lot where a couple were directing folks in (wow, that wife had some serious cleavage on display...oh, right -- story) to park in a field that was right next to the front entrance. We parked under a tree next overlooking the Comal River, where I could see a small waterfall where we would be entering the festival.

We hike a bit to the gate and while we're standing in line, we're greeted by an elderly couple in front of us who just happen to have an extra coupon for buy 1 entrance fee, get the second free. Well that was awfully nice of them to give them to us, I think as I put the remote control to the orbital mind control laser back in my pocket. We pay our fees and enter the park, first pausing to take a few pictures of the waterfall I had noted on our way in. We debate entering the contest for a vacation or whatever it was, but on purusing the back, found that it was mainly a trick to get registrants for contacting by a timeshare sales company. No thank you!

Besides, it was lunchtime and I was ready for some wurst-ification! Make a beeline for the Marketplatz and within minutes, I'm tearing into a knackwurst sandwich loaded with sauerkraut and dijon mustard, followed by sweet potato fries, a multi-wurst kabob, and a slice of german chocolate pie....mmm....chocolate & coconut.....

We debated going on a couple of the rides, but at a buck a ticket and all of the rides costing 4 or more tickets each, we figured our funding was getting a bit low for rides. We took a stroll along the Comal River, enjoying the scenery and getting another nice shot of the waterfall there, before glancing at the time and realizing our time was running out, since we wanted to stop at the Hidden Dutchman on the way back, and they closed at 6pm.

Cutting over to 281 out of New Braunfels took us along some more interesting Hill Country roads, and we even passed a ranch with a castle look at its front gate. It appeared to be a tourist ranch, and we may have to see if we can stumble across it again to find out more about it. Heading north along a familiar back road, we reflected on the trip, all that we had seen and done, the messed up plans and easy shift to backup plans and we saw that it was a microcosm of life.

You see, life will throw you hardships...what matters is how you deal with them. Granted, that's a little bit of wisdom you might hear everywhere...life also lobs the occasional bit of opportunity, which takes a different kind of viewpoint to see. As you travel down your path, you will see many branches...some merge back together, barely having any consequence except slightly different scenery...some veer off in distant tangents, where you can easily become lost, and some have obstacles that must be hurdled, avoided, or otherwise overcome to continue that path. Many see the obstacles easily. Some become stuck staring at them...others take steps to chip away until they can get through them...others see the barely visible game trails of opportunity that slip through the forest, only to come out in the clearing just a bit down the path. These are backup plans, each with their own risks and rewards....we couldn't set up the tent on the beach? We could have slept in the car, or gone to camp at the next nearest park, or even found a hotel room. But instead we went just that little bit further to stop at my parents' place a day earlier than expected, and ended up getting to have my father along on an adventure for a day. That reward was worth giving up the night on the beach, and we at least got to see the full moon over the waves with the beach all to ourselves...not a ruined plan, just a shift to a different one.

Keep an eye out for other ways to do things, or other things you could be doing....is it worth turning off the TV and driving out to take a walk in a park or fly a kite in a field? My opinion is my own...but why don't you try it, and see what you think?

To the trees and back.. in one day.

I'm sorry, life catches up with me and drags me away from the puter long enough that I forget to post or just have so many things to post about I can't decide what to do next. I should finish the San Antonio trip first, however, we have more pressing things to post about. Later trips... about 150 miles of fog through Victoria, about the secret to eating cheap on vacation, and about the latest trip.. back to Lufkin.

I can go a little longer without a long drive than I can without sex.. and that's not very long. About three weeks and I start getting really twitchy. Need to go. Soon. Want to experience. The pines and swamps have been calling me, and after a little discussion with Jacob, we decided we could go... but only if we didn't spend hardly any money, and if we were back that very night. Deal. As long as I can go for a little while, I'm happy.

Up at 5am... well, he's up. I'm slightly less than enthusiastic about being up that early, so around 5:30 I finally haul my keister out of bed. A shower and a glorious cup of coffee made with generations tried and true Valdez family recipe... started with Juan Valdez... or as he is better known, Don Juan Valdez.. not known so much for his sexual prowess, but for the glorious cup of coffee afterwards. But I digress...

Stepping out for a smoke into the predawn silence. Rooster crowing in the distance, birds twittering at the hint of light, the world is just on the cusp of waking, and its the perfect morning to go. The air is heavy with the scent of rain, cool, but inviting. Come. The world is waiting to be explored.

Back in I go, and I go into high gear, sandwiches, snacks, and drinks are stowed in the cooler. The fold-up picnic table is fetched from the attic, and off we go. Before the sun is even up, its 6:30 in the morning, and we're on the road... and never fails, whenever I go home to east Texas, it rains.

Ennis is passed by, with their wonderful kolaches. Corsicana is passed by with their chocolate factory and the pecan place. Palestine is passed by, with all the memories of that city. And then we start getting hungry. Chattering along, hadn't really mentioned food, when around the bend in Elkhart there's a doughnut shop. Ooooh... doughnuts. Sound good? YEAH!

I love small town Texas. Chattering with folks, they're commenting how nuts everybody is to be up at 9 on a Saturday morning. ... I neglect to mention that we've been up since 5ish just for a nice long drive. I can't help but mention how friendly folks are when we're out wandering. It doesn't matter where we are, they're still nice and you always end up with amusing tales afterwards.

Back on the road with doughnuts and coffee in hand, headed towards the deep forest, I am just happy. Its good to be free and alive and experiencing life again.
We pass by Kennard (with the surliest waitress in the universe) and Ratcliff, and turn into the forest. I think they did some road work out here, cause its less... wild than it was before. Its actually a gravel road, and at least 2 cars wide at that!

A sign is seen that we Officially remember that we did not see before, and turn down a narrower dirt road, leaving all trace of gravel or pavement behind. A last house, a car parked on the side of the road, a narrow one car "bridge" that's just a couple timbers spanned over a swamp / creek. and we're deep in the wilderness. Alternating between deep pine forests and swamp on either side. Craning our necks out the windows looking for gators or other wildlife, the only thing we see are birds.. but you can tell there's more out there. You just can't see it. Further in we go and the road gets smaller... small enough that I'm glad we're in my tiny car cause otherwise it may get too narrow.. til we come to a mud pit. I seem to have this knack for finding the biggest potholes in whatever county we're in... and this one is worthy of that title. Wider than the road, longer than my car, with ruts in it that I know I'd bottom out if I tried to go through them, I pause for a moment, line it up the best I can, and go for it. A minor bit of fishtailing, and damn near getting stuck, and my perfectly clean and shiny car absolutely COVERED in mud, we're out... and laughing our asses off thinking about how we're going to tell Angela about it.

We keep going for a bit, and suddenly find we're on blacktop again.. that makes no sense though, as the road is supposed to dead end into the Nechez river. What the hell... did someone just dump a load of tar out here? After about a hundred feet the blacktop goes away, the road (as much as you could call it one) peters out til it simply stops. We stop, get out of the car, and can't see the river.. but there's the birds. Standing there, miles and miles away from civilization, from the nearest people, listening to the birds in the deep forest, my love's arms around me.. the perfect moment of the trip is found.

We're so close to the river, its supposedly just right over that ridge over there, it'd be a shame to not check it out. We start hiking through the forest in the direction of the river and I'm in heaven. I'm noticing so much plant life.. even though its late January, there's still things growing, still things green, and there's all the mushrooms. This is my home. I may not have been born here, but I've always loved the swampland. I can't understand how people could find it creepy.. its so alive, so invigorating. The river was gorgeous, and we found a huge old pine that'd fallen out over it, and climbed up on top of it, and on the river to sit and listen... and that's when it started raining. Nothing too nasty, and unfortunately not even a hint of thunder, but a light cool rain.. that sounded amazing. The entire place smells like life to me.. then add water. Water above, water below me, water all around me. Countless birds chattering away all around us, the rain in the leaves and on the water, watching the river slowly pass us by. Life doesn't get much better than this.

We start talking about canoeing.. one of my all time favourite things to do outdoors, and how this river would be quite challenging to try to get down because its all choked with trees. Not too far away is Silsbee and a canoe rental place down there that I had been to a long time ago.. do we want to rent a canoe for the day and go paddling? Why not? Its a beautiful, if still rather wet, day. Why not?

Eventually we start heading back to the car to get going and Jacob takes the lead. I'm engrossed looking at the vegetation of the area, and am grateful when we finally hit what feels like a game trail to me. The ground is less spongy, more solid than the rest of what we've been slogging through... when he confuses me. I noticed a trail when we left where the car was parked, but before we get all the way back to it, he veers off the trail. I dunno.. maybe he has a shortcut in mind?

After slogging through the bog, and what I swear to god must have been peat moss, he turns around and asks me "what do you think" .... what do I think? I think I'm enjoying myself out here and following you! A little later on, he says he has a rough idea what direction the road is, but doesn't know where we parked the car... Well, my most wonderful love, it was right off the trail you left back there... "Trail?" Apparently the city boy doesn't recognize a game trail when he's on it. *officially teasing my love here*

I turn us around and start heading back to the trail, when I spot something white we'd passed before. Originally I'd passed it up, thinking it was some kind of trash, but this time I veer towards it. Its not trash, its the bottom of a turtle shell! A really big, almost perfect condition, turtle shell! He gets to carry that out, and I lead us back to the car with no further incidents other than enjoying being outside on a lovely long hike.

After getting us back down that mud track, and back over the pit, we make it back to the road safely.. and turn east again. Towards Lufkin, Kountze, and eventually Silsbee. The road opens up before us, the skies open up above us, and laughter fills the car once more.

The Wurst Trip Ever -- Day 3

Well, we're in San Antonio a bit earlier than expected, but that's all right. I browse through the books and such in the "Travellin'" bag, and find that there are several Scenic Drives near where we are....well, the Hill Country is pretty scenic. Ooh!! The only railroad tunnel in Texas is nearby! A quick invitation to bring my father along, and we pile in the car and head for the drive's starting point in Comfort, TX.

It is early November, and as such, it's the wet season in the Hill Country, so it wasn't any surprise that it was drizzling as we paused for road drinks in Comfort and I read the details of the drive we were about to embark upon. I could recount them again here, but why do that if I'm about to describe the actual drive we took?

Well, the first error happened as we were going out of town. There was a road we were supposed to go east on, and I turned what I thought was east, and as we left Comfort, I noticed that none of the other landmarks that we were supposed to be seeing had come up. Eventually, we turned around and went the other way, but I'm still not entirely sure how that happened. Let's see....

Heading northwest on I-10, we exit for Comfort and turn left...this should be south. The road goes straight into Comfort, going south as far as I know, and somehow a left turn takes us west again. Go ahead and look at a map...I can only guess I missed something, but I think Comfort may actually bend the space-time continuum somehow. Anyway, turning right from a road leading south somehow took us east and then curved to the north, where we crossed back under I-10, and were on our way.

Shortly after passing under the interstate, we looked off to our right and saw what the book told us was the only bat roost of it's kind left in Texas. Looking like a steeple without a church, it was built by the people of Comfort in the hopes of keeping the mosquito population down. Interesting, although I'm not sure how by just building a house for them, bats somehow know it's there and move in.

Driving up a road and it curved to the right....and it curved to the left, and up and down, and oooohhh....this is a fun road to drive....someday, I really need to make this run on a bike....farmland and gullies, and my dad talking about the bonsai trees he could make from many of the twigs he's seeing on the side of the road as we pass. It was drizzly, and things were going dormant in preparation for winter, but it was still gorgeous country, well worth going again in the spring to see it all coming back to life.

Many many sheep on the roadside, as well as goats, cows, horses, chickens, and wait....is that a single turkey in that person's yard cavorting around with the chickens?? It is! Wow...maybe all those hens were well behaved because of the size of their co....er...rooster. *grins*

After much curvy fun (although my dad was beginning to complain of motion sickness), we arrived at last at the Texas Railroad Tunnel Wildlife Management Area. Wow....the view from up there.....as we exit the car, we see a small platform, and just past is are steps leading down into a simple set of wooden benches arranged like stadium seating, overlooking a deep valley. This is the upper deck for watching the emergence of the bat colony which now lives in the cave. Alas, they've migrated farther south for the winter by this time, but I will definitely want to make a return trip for a unique wildlife-watching experience. As I look around, I notice a trail off to the right, leading down into the valley. Angela figures that it's closed (as the bathrooms are locked and the gate is shut), but I notice there's no lock on the gate, so I swing it open and start making my way down the trail, my dad following behind. Soon, we come across the lower deck bat emergence viewing area, which is right next to the wall of the hill leading into the tunnel, from which a haunting noise is emerging.

Ooooooo.....

Oooooooooooo......

It seems a flock of doves or pigeons is inhabiting the cave in the absence of the bats, and all the cooing is eerily appropriate, so soon after Halloween. We creep down the trail and finally see the tunnel from head-on. Shortly after, Angela makes it down, and we pause a bit to take it in, wishing there were time to explore the other mile and a half of trails that make up thie State Park area. But it was not to be, and we reluctantly climbed back up to the car, and continued on our way...

Hm....now there's a guy with way too much time to hunt....as we make our way through the ghost town of Grapetown, we see a ranch entrance with deer skulls hanging from every square inch of that fence. Continuing on, the sun comes out, and we're just chattering away in the car, enjoying the day, following the twisty windy road, when suddenly, a near disaster!

Without warning, we go around a curve and find ourselves facing downhill toward a one-lane bridge, and another car coming the opposite direction zooms onto the bridge without even slowing down. I twist the wheel to the right and press hard on the brakes, bringing the car to a jarring stop......about two feet from driving off the road into the river.

Without even an acknowledging honk or wave that we were even there, the oncoming car cruises past us, and we carefully back up into the lane again and cross the bridge, breathing slowly to give our hearts a chance to restart. Crisis averted, we were soon joking about telling the rest of the family about how I nearly drove us into the river, and enjoying the Hill Country scenery once more.

Next thing we know, we're facing a secondary highway, and I'm trying to figure out how we ended up there, as the book was supposed to take us along back roads all the way to Luckenbach. Strange...it seemed we had missed a turn and wound up on Highway 290, across from a stand where a woodcarver was selling his work. Dad and Angela stopped to browse around while I got my bearings to reorient toward Luckenbach. It didn't take long at all, and soon we were back on the road, turning the correct way, and stopping in Uptown Luckenbach, at the old granite mill, for a Free Postcard! (as advertised by the roadside sign). We browsed around the little gift shop, where I was also given a Fast Armadillo (the proprietor took a drill and a beer bottle and carved an image of an armadillo in it in about 3 seconds...pretty cool stuff). We bought a few trinkets and made our way into Downtown Luckenbach, where there was apparently a biker rally or classic car show or something going on. We poked around in the old post office and listened to the music drifting over the air from the back room before we finally took note of the time and knew that it was time to go.

We take a completely different route back to San Antonio, and along the way, Dad mentions that WurstFest is going on in New Braunfels. Oooh....German food festival....sounds like something worth checking out tomorrow.....