We have started migrating this week. We are getting into the so called “Big Bend” portion of Texas. We stopped off and visited the Caverns of Sonora and we were quite surprised at how different these caverns are when compared to Oregon Caves and Carlsbad Caverns that we also visited in the last year. You would think that once you have seen a few stalactites and stalagmites you have seen them all. I remember Oregon caves as having lots and lots of flow-stone and Carlsbad had very stately stalactites and stalagmites and many columns that form when the two combine. The Caverns of Sonoma had huge areas of cave coral and popcorn like formations and an interesting “twist” on the stalactites. Something called helictites and fishtails. It seems that helictites don’t obey the laws of gravity. They grow sideways and curl around and even make curly fries. The most fantastic shape resembles a fish’s tail sticking straight out of the wall of the cave.
The weather has been very cold and blustery in this part of Texas. On Friday we were subjected to a strong side wind from the right or north side of the coach as we traveled west along I-10 and it managed to get under the awning and billow it out. We stopped in a precarious spot and got a rope around it, and then we drove a mile or so until we found a deep cut-bank to hide from the wind. We looked like we were setting up camp as we unrolled the awning and rolled it up smoothly again. I have a couple pieces of old docking line from the sailboat around the legs of the thing now and it is all done up with sailor knots. “Bad Arcturus! No more sailing!”
We took a rest from driving today and got a nice bicycle ride in. We are now staying in a Texas State Park called Balmorhea. This park includes an artesian spring that flows about a million gallons an hour of crystal clear water that stays 72 degrees year round. They have a huge swimming pool that encompasses the spring and is about 25 feet deep. It is a popular scuba diving destination. The park also includes a cienega or natural wetlands area. Judy and I spent this evening trying to spot some elusive rail birds, but they eluded us. These are birds like the Virginia Rail that walk on the floating vegetation, and according to the ranger come out just at sunset. We observed a wonderful sunset, watched coots and turtles and all of the rare desert spring pup fish. The most amazing display was put on by the red wing black birds, however. Just at sunset we noticed them all stretched out side by side on the power lines by the highway. Suddenly they all took flight at once and started doing aerial acrobatics over our heads. There were probably 200 in the flock and they would wheel and turn as one. The big flock would suddenly wheel in two directions at the same time and suddenly there would be two swooping bands curving and spiraling independently. At times there would be three or four groups then they would swoop back into one big flock and wheel around to the direction of a single leader again. Now and then the flock would swoop low over the rushes and a fair number of the birds would dive straight down into the rushes and there would be a shush of wings as they all came to perch at the same instant. This happened several times until at last the whole flock was hidden in the rushes.
At the advice of the ranger we returned to the pool area just as it was becoming dark. Soon we heard the hoot-hoot-hoot and spotted the silhouette of the resident Great Horned Owl in an oak tree by the pool. The perfect cap for a busy day.
With this blog we welcome a new couple, Arnie and Mem, to our readership. We always enjoy thinking about all of our friends and relatives as we prattle on about our travels. If any of you have grown tired of these, just drop me a line and I will spare you the agony.
Meanwhile we bid you adieu from Texas. Gary and Judy
