west texas rain

linaka joy, my traveling companion to maui last december and january, and i took another trip together, this time out to west texas. it seems that i just can't get enough of that area, once i finally went out there.

we drove out last wednesday, stopping at the caverns of sonora on the way. if you haven't been, i recommend going. these caverns are 95% living, and they ask you not to touch anything, as oil from human skin changes chemistry of rock formations and can kill them.

wow, wow, wow. i felt like prostrating myself several times in respect for mother earth for creating such a wondrous work as these caverns.

we went down to 150 feet below ground. our tour guide, bill, was an experienced caver who could talk about how the caverns formed--something about two elements combining to make sulphuric acid, which ate away stone and left giant holes.

and the formations! stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws, popcorn, bacon, butterfly wings... pretty amazing.

in some places, the rocks were colored darker. bill said it was humic acid from decaying plants on the surface dripping down. it's interesting to know how what happens on the surface trickles down.

we saw where a butterfly wing formation had been broken off by some very unconscious previous visitor. bill said they knew who had done it--and the guy lied and said he didn't do it--to the texas rangers!--after bragging about it to friends. it'll catch up to him sooner or later in some form or another.

on to balmorhea state park, one of the best spring-fed swimming pools of all time. not as cold as barton springs, with many, many more fish, including big black catfish! some i estimated to weigh 4 pounds. had it all to myself for about 15 minutes that evening.

our cabin was nice--CCC built in the depression, adobe structure, kitchenette. (warning: take your own dishes and cooking utensils--they provide none.) two big queen size beds.

we sat outside and watched a storm off to the north that evening and heard coyotes in the distance, and dogs responding. good sleep.

in the morning, we drove to fort davis and into the davis mountains state park. drove up skyline drive and hiked around a couple of high spots. i spotted a natural rock arch from the first spot and received information that i needed to get a rock from that arch. it seemed inaccessible from on high, so we backtracked and i climbed a cliff to find a triangular white rock under the arch.

then through fort davis to alpine, then marfa and on to presidio. went through shafter, quite beautiful and high. presidio is on the border. it was raining most of this drive. we had to take a two-lane road to get to chinati hot springs. a sign warned of low water crossings. we went through a few until we got to one that gave us pause.

i waded out into the water. it was moving fast, maybe 10 inches deep. we waited and realized it was rising. marking the edge with rocks, we got out and went rock hunting in the now very light rain. after a while, a school bus plowed through the water, followed by a large pickup and then a small pickup. we followed and made it through...

and through several more low water crossings...including one with invisible potholes that we watched the small pickup get stuck in and finally find a good path, which we followed...until we reached one that just seemed scary in a honda civic. that was when we turned back.

linaka joy cracked me up. water beads up on my car's windshield, and she was watching little beads of water try to make it to the top of the windshield without being swiped by a wiper. laughing out loud and cheering when they made it. like she says, she comes with her own entertainment!

back to alpine for dinner at penny's diner. made a reservation at the best western in fort davis. called chinati hot springs to cancel. they had a full labor day weekend booked. i hope everyone was able to make it through.

best western did not have the charm of balmorhea but it sufficed.

friday morning we checked out, ate breakfast in fort davis, walked around the gardens of the hotel limpia, and drove to the chihuahua desert research center and botanical gardens on the road to alpine. lovely place. then we drove the gorgeous 75-mile loop west of fort davis. linaka hadn't seen it before; i'd discovered it on my july trip. stopped to eat at a roadside picnic area, made ourselves salads that were delicious.

the rock formations in the davis mountains have a signature--tall columnar rocks of a brown stone with little or no vegetation on them stand like sentinels. i thought of them as rock people, guardians of the land.

on up to the mcdonald observatory. we watched hummingbirds vie for a place at the feeder on their patio. it was so cold (like 60 degrees), i bought a sweatshirt--in august! it has the winter constellations in the northern hemisphere in glow-in-the-dark ink, and upside down so i can look from my shirt to the sky! will come in handy in maui on haleakala in october.

back to balmorhea for our last night. we were able to upgrade to a kitchenette unit. this was on the inside near a waterfall. made friends of the swallows nesting on our porch. more people there since it was now friday night of labor day weekend. in the morning, watched black catfish swim up to the waterfall and be swept away, only to regroup and try again.

we counted how many animals we encountered: coyotes (only heard), black catfish, small silver fish, soft-shell turtle, water snake, deer, road runner, quail, hummingbirds, spotted ground squirrels, butterflies, lizards, flies, buzzards, kingfisher... and so many rocks, and plants, and fresh cool air, and water! water as rain, mist, cloud, pool, canal, arroyo... and cloudscapes, landscapes... so rejuvenating.

we took a longer way back, through menard and mason and llano, to see part of the hill country less traveled. great trip! hope to do it again before too long.