After quite a bit of dilly dallying over the last few weeks, I find myself a little behind in keeping this blog up to date.
I’ve worked out that it takes about a day to catch up a week, so that would mean 4-5 days of sitting in a Starbucks just get back to even.
Probably not going to happen.
So I’ll take one day, here in Natchez, MI, to try and give you all the edited highlights since Roswell and the disappointment of not being abducted by aliens.
Jan 10 – Carlsbad Caverns, NM
A ripping if very tiring day. Carlsbad Caverns is a vast system of caves set in the Chihuahua desert. It is home of one of the largest bat colonies in the US, but unfortunately they’ve flown south for the winter and wont be back until later in the year. I’m told the bat flight sessions are fantastic, and certainly the seating at the entrance to the caves is set up for a thousand of so people to sit and watch so it must get a little traffic.
The caves themselves are fantastic, vast and steep. 1.25 miles from the entrance to the lowest point on a steep path, but much better than the original visitors who were lowered down by rope basket.
Picture don’t do it justice – there are 119 known caves, the largest is bigger than 5 football fields and it takes a good 3 hours to walk down to the bottom and them around the pathways.
There is normally an elevator to bring everyone back up to the surface once you’ve managed to get down and walk around, but there was a catastrophic failure of one of them a month or so ago (no-one in it) which means the entire list system is to be replaced.
Now that means a very hard trudge 1.25 miles up the steep entrance path. Lowest point in the caves is around 1000 ft so I’m breathing pretty hard very early and have to take a few pit stops before I emerge into the sun. I’m not the only one, and I wonder how quite a few of the people who eagerly pass me on the way down will fare on the return journey. Especially some of the less fit looking candidates.
All in all a tiring but brilliant day – highly recommended to anyone that is in the area, and if you are a spelunker a great place to pursue your passtime.
Jan 11 – Balmorhea State Park, TX
24 hr fitness don’t seem to have a presence in New Mexico, so it’s been a few days of wet wipe van showers by this stage.
I’ve heard about the world’s largest spring fed swimming pool just down the road in Texas, so that’s where I head.
To be honest the “State Park” is little move than a posh campsite, but for a smallish entrance fee, not only can I access the pool I get an overnight stay at one of the covered campsites (a luxury against the recent cold)
I’m one of about 4 people at the place, so it’s me on my own in the pool. I take a quick cold shower to wash of most of the grime and head to the pool. Not so cold as to be chilly but certainly bracing, it’s a refreshing swim. It’s afterwards that I discover that there are hot showers, it just takes about 4 mins for the water to warm up, so I indulge myself in the empty facilities for a bit.
An overnight campfire is nice (though the firewood I had to go and buy burns too quickly for my liking) and wards of the chill (again overnight it gets down below zero) – it draws the resident cat who settles down fireside, albeit with one eye open.
There are enough stock images of the place that I don’t need to add photos here. In summer this would be a flock to place, in winter not so much, but as an oasis in the middle of nowhere it’s welcome respite from the road.
Jan 12 – McDonald Observatory, TX
Texas University run an observatory in the hills nearby, and a few days ago I had booked for one of their “Star Parties”
I arrive around dusk, rug up, check in and wait for darkness to fall.
We are taken to an outdoor oval planetarium, where one of the local astronomers gives us an hour long presentation on the stars.
You’d think that might be difficult outdoors, except for the use of extremely powerful lasers that they use to point out individual constellations, stars and planets.
It’s fascinating, the North sky obviously being so different from the one back home, but even here there is a little light pollution and the view is not quite as brilliant as in Death Valley, but it’s a lot of fun.
Afterwards we are allowed to look at varying bits of the sky through the 6 telescopes situated around the site.
Really all you see are many points of light and it’s your brain more than your eyes that transform this into something amazing – there are no show stopper vistas of alien landscapes to amaze.
I’m sure some people are disappointed by that – the comments from some as to what they expected to see v what they do see are a little surprising, but hey, what can you do.
The Star Party is a regular thing, our host (the man in charge of the facility and lead astronomer) has done it close to 4000 times by his calculation so he has it down to a fine art.
I wonder if we do similar things back home – the outdoor setting certainly beats the indoors planetariums I’ve been to even if the visuals are probably better in the latter.
Jan 14-17 – San Antonio, TX
What a fun place!
I didn’t know what to expect from the home of the NBA Suns, but it certainly wasn’t this.
The first thing I find out is that the famous Alamo is situated in the middle of the city, not miles out in the desert as I had always imagined.
I get in a little too late to give it the time it deserves, so instead I head to the nearby Riverwalk that keeps popping up as the number 1 or 2 attraction in the city.
What I find is a delightful river/canal system, running lower than many of the roads, with cafes, hotels, restaurants and bars dotted everywhere
It’s beautiful, tranquil and peaceful when I get there late afternoon – though I can’t speak for Friday and Sat nights. It’s really well designed and set out – the river/canal system extends for a few miles in either direction outside of the central loop.
I’ve not been to Venice, but a few people tells me it reminds them of that.
I meet my fist dog crush of the trip – a Swiss Mountain Puppy about a year old ( breed unknown to me), who’s owners are happy for a chat
The riverwalk done, it’s off to one of San Antonio’s many craft breweries for dinner and drinks – The Alamo beer company, where they are having free bacon and bingo night. How can you not love free bacon!
I even manage to win a pair of blue sunglasses on one of the Bingo game – I’m happy though I might have preferred to win a hoodie or t-shirt (prizes for the other games).
Net morning the owner comes and unlocks the carpark gates – he’s travelled the world a bit, so he is fine with my impromptu parking overnight and had the forethought to let me sleep in for a while before coming to see if I wanted to leave. Very cool place
So today it’s the Alamo.
As I said earlier, I’m surprised at how central to San Antonio it is. The history is beautifully told in film and exhibition, and there is a very strong Texan independence note that comes through. It’s relatively uncrowded when I start but by the time I’m done there are queues to get in. There is a real air of importance here – the daughters of the Alamo preservation society have done a wonderful job preserving and maintaining the memories of that day and event.
The other highlights over the next few days include a couple of places for a refreshing beverage:
Ranger Creek Brewery and Distillery stands out as giving the single best brewery tour I have been on, as well as making great beers and whiskey
and the bars at the redeveloped Pearl, where I meet and make new friends from Austin, about to have a baby (in the next week)! They are a beautiful couple – hi guys!
Another must do is The House – a bar that makes it’s own boozy ice-cream. With flights (just like a brewery) you can sample each of the 5 boozy and 5 non boozy versions they rotate through (of the roughly 50 varieties they make). The ice cream is fantastic – smooth and velvety with none of the crystalisation you associate with boozey ice cream. The owners are in so we have a chat – business is expanding and they might be able to give up their day jobs soon. Thanks for the recommendation Siri!
Finally, I give up on 24hr fitness, cancel my membership and join Anytime Fitness as my shower facility of choice. With over 2000 locations in North America, nappy wipe van showers should be a thing of the past. $1 joining fee makes this an easy decision, and the wonderful guy at the one I go to in McCullough even signs me up on a discount monthly rate, with an extra free month as a Not for profit member. He’d also made a sea change to leave corporate banking some years ago so was happy to help me out!
San Antonio has been a blast – the place has such a relaxed, stress free vibe that it lulls you into taking this easy. Great beers, wonderful friendly folk, historic attractions and even a warm climate make it one of the best places so far.
More of the catch-up in Part 2 soon!
Great read brother V