WRITTEN NOW: Hello there, blog-land. I'm back. A close friend of mine told me that if I don't plan on updating people about my life via telephone, than I probably should have the decency to update them through blog. Here goes.
So, I was browsing through my blog and I found this old entry that I read through rather quickly. To my surprise, it was about my trip to Austin, TX before I actually moved down here. It is interesting to me, and hopefully it will be interesting to any of you that still actually read my blog. It sort of explains some of the things that attracted me to this great place.
WRITTEN THEN:
Entry title: "Works well under constant supervision and cornered like a rat in a trap"
It would be quite difficult for me to summarize my trip to Austin in just one post. That might be why I kept revising and changing this post, because I felt like it was never fully representative of the trip, and I felt like it could never be. But, alas, I feel as if I should just post what is here and leave it as it is. Everything else belongs to me and my memory.
So, Austin. Take a deep breath and accept the fact that it is not like the rest of Texas. For one, it is near what they call "the hill country" which I don't think I will ever be able to quit laughing at since "the hills" in Colorado, known fondly as "the foothills" are 10 times bigger than any of the hills in "the hill country." Then what is laughable is I compare the hills here to the MOUNTAINS in Colorado and it is just a joke. But yes, in fact, I loved that city and I think I need to go back there soon! It has everything! Quite simply, I think my trip to Austin was the kind of "find yourself somewhere else" trip I expected. It has spurred many new, crazy, great ideas that I can not even type out on here just yet.
All I can say is that I spent over 75% of the time I was there in the water. Places like Barton Creek (COLD) Springs were my favorite. And one of the three times that I visited this natural wonder located in the middle of the city of Austin, Texas, I was able to hang out and swim and tan with the one and only Claire Nokes! She was in town and we found it necessary to meet up! It felt like a real, ol' fashioned Austinite meeting my Boulder friends by this outdoor wonder of a springs. It was quite amazing to say the least.
My other water adventures in Texas consisted of extensively touring the Guadalupe River in New Brussels, TX. It was quite the experience relaxing and taking in the sun while going down that calm, beautiful river in a hot black inner tube. My favorite part about the whole wet ride was that I got to see at least three different species of turtles including my favorite, the red-eared slider. They were basking on the sides of the river in overwhelming numbers, and their grace and patience always inspires me.
Another outdoor/water trip that I experienced was one on the Texas plains. The great thing about Texas is it truly is very easy to get into the middle of nowhere and enjoy every second of that nomad-ness. The stars at night in the middle of nowhere, in TEXAS, are astonishing. Granted, we're not as close to them as we are in the beautiful city of Boulder, but I was still able to see six to eight meteors from the Perseid Meteor shower. The full moon that night was also beautiful. I love camping.
Additionally, I had the privilege of experiencing the "flagship" store of Whole Foods on 6th Street in Austin. That place made me feel like I was in Boulder again. As did the Central Market grocery store that looked like mix between the Boulder Co-op and Wild Oats.
I ate Tex-Mex and Mexican food more times than I could count. Despite most people's complaints that such food is too unctuous, I found it could be fixed in a very healthy and delicious manner. I now understand Vincent's longing for Tex-Mex more fully. That food is quite delicious. The BBQ in Texas, wow, as expected was fantastic. I know many of you veggies out there might be cringing, and yes, I'm sorry to you but I ate ribs there and loved them. To settle your stomachs though I'd like to mention that I tasted delectable BBQ turkey that might calm the red meat haters tummies a bit.
Since I've returned from Austin, I don't think I have spent a minute alone until right now. And it is good to be busy. But hard.WRITTEN NOW: And that is the end of that Austin post. It is strange to read back on this now that I have moved here. I felt I should just post it for posting's sake, even though it was written so long ago.
So, as you may notice, I spent almost 80% of my time outdoors when I came and visited Austin. I realized that there are different, new, and interesting outdoor things to do in other states besides the best state in the union, Colorado. I found a new sort of charm to the slow-moving rivers, the rolling hills that look so beautiful at golden dusk and dawn, the cool and clear spring water you can swim in, those swimming holes, ooh, I could go on.
Perhaps I will. I know, I know, a dry spell like this last one and then a rush of information suddenly might scare some, but hopefully ya'll enjoy it.
I just got back from backpacking with my new back-pack. (early birthday gift) I went to this place called Enchanted Rock about an hour from Austin. I went camping with three other males, which in my opinion is the only way to camp. I loved every second of our trip together. The huge 1800 foot granite rock is a very interesting geological feature in and of itself, it almost draws you to it as you walk around it. We only backpacked in about 2 miles, but the views of the hills and the view of Enchanted Rock in all of it's beautiful pink and crystal glory was gorgeous. Not only did we climb without gear up this rock, but we also discovered an enormously long granite cave that ran about a mile through the inside of the huge rock that is Enchanted Rock. When we approached the drippy entrance to the cave I was thinking we'd be in and out, done in a flash of a few flashlights that we brought. But, no, ladies and gentlemen, I was with three adventurous males and we traveled through the entire, very tight, mile or so length of the cave. I have been spelunking before, but this was nothing like I'd ever done. I had no idea the cave would be as long as it was. We were down there, navigating in the dark with the poor light of our flashlights, for about 2 hours. It was a fascinating experience going through that cave. There were drops that were sometimes quite challenging...some that required vast flexibility, agility and strength. I was wedged between granite rocks more times than I can count. Some of the openings were so small that I was the only one in the group that had an easy time getting through. It was an experience going through that cave. The highlight of my weekend trip. Coming out of it was like being reborn from the earth, everything on Enchanted Rock looked beautiful, fresh and new as I pulled myself up out of the sparkly granite rock. I looked around slowly, I heard only the wind and the movement of a bright red cardinal that was about 10 feet away from me. I looked down at my body and I found that I had scrapes all up my legs, hands, and knees from the rocky granite. I looked at my shorts and found them soaking wet and caked with a thin layer of mud. Needless to say, it was an exhilarating weekend. Austin rocks.
Much love to all that read this. Hope you enjoy. Love you.
Check out some beautiful pictures of Enchanted Rock at the links below:
Enchanted Rock is rockin'AND
Click here to see some of "The Cave"Current book I'm reading: "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides
