Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Texas Radio and the Big Bend

This Blog is a long time coming. I recently rediscovered my pictures from the little point and shoot Canon and saw that plenty of them were post-worthy. We spent about 2 weeks in Texas before heading back north, but the first week or so was mostly spent in cities (Houston and Austin). Luckily we got some time off of the Interstates and into the countryside.
We found out about a Scenic Drive between Austin and Del Rio which takes Farm to Market routes off of the only slightly larger main road. Every few miles there were stream crossings with flood warning signs and water level indicators, but only once did we encounter a flooded road which was just barely wide enough to drive over. We decided to use the skills we learned playing all those hours of Oregon Trail and Ford the River! We made it across safely with all of our Oxen, Supplies and sense of adventure intact.

Fording the River


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Overflow



The road did have some great photo ops. I'd never been able to capture beams of light poking through clouds so well before. I've always found that to be particularly beautiful.


Beams

We stopped for lunch (Subway and Blueberries) at a picnic area along the road. It overlooked the Rio Frio, and further investigation found it overlooked many piles of bones too. This bonesy was nearest to the road and perfectly bleached by the sun.

Skull

The aforementioned Rio Frio. This was one of the nicest days we encountered all winter (~60) so I was ready to jump in.


Rio Frio


We took another scenic drive on a whim when we got sick of the I-10 and took the nearest exit. We were heading towards "Attwater Prarie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge" but went through the back way which was locked. We never did get to see any Prarie Chickens but we did see some great scenery.


Prairie Sunset



Reflection


Part of the reason for this trip was to find a place where we belong and might want to settle down. A big part of that for us was meeting people we connected with. We met a few such people, always by chance and with a little bit of social skill.
These people pulled up next to us in their VW van while we were enjoying a meal from Taco Cabana. We have always admired these models and assumed that the owners must be cool too. So on the pretense of throwing out some trash, I ran into the owners and said "Oh, hey, is this your van? We were admiring it..." Turns out, they WERE cool and we ended up having an hour long conversation about travelling in vans and cool places we must visit in the country. They were very much in love, too and we could relate to them pretty well. I was glad I made the leap to say Hello as I would have missed out on a great experience if I had just kept walking past.


VWers


We also met some Dirty Kids in Austin. While they aren't quite on the same path as us, they are always great to get to know. I had a great conversation with the owner of this jacket and I hope to run into him at the Mystic Garden Party this year! (We missed each other last summer.)



Dali Kid


Eventually we made our way to Big Bend National Park, which I'd heard about from my Aunt Pammy. We only got to stay one night because of family affairs making it necessary to drive back north, but we had a blast and now have a better idea of what to do next time.


Big Bend Sign (Us included)



Big Bend



Outcrop







Big Bend



Big Bend


Big Bend



Big Bend Sky


While we were at the Panther Junction Station to buy a national parks pass and some hiking guides, a sounder of Javelinas crossed the parking lot. I leapt out of the van with the camera and chased them into some brush, where this guy and I shared a moment.


Javelina


We spent one night at a campground at Chisos Basin, and when we woke up in the morning the campground, mountains and roads were dusted with snow. It was a brutal winter all over the country, but we were in the desert on the border with Mexico with 20 degree weather and snow. Quite a sight! 



Foggy Decline



Stairway



Misty Mountan Hop



Big Bend Snow Road



Twin Peaks



Big Bend Snow Cactus



Snow Bunnies



Wintertime


Later that day, things were clear enough for the road to reopen and we found that there was little snow on the ground and temperatures were a pleasant 40.


Big Bend Horizon


Jim shot this picture of me getting the above picture.


Photographing Big Bend


Outside of big bend, there were acres of farmland. Texas has way more species of deer than I ever knew existed.


Home on the Range


This picture was technically taken in Arkansas, but I wanted to stick it in. The sky was incredible that night- the locals were as flabbergasted as us passers-through.


Sunset over Arkansas



Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Discovering the Houston Zoo

It's been a while since I've posted, so here's a few photos I like from our trip to Houston Zoo.

After dealing with many a chilly day, we were treated to a nice mild sunny day. We decided to take advantage of it and go to the zoo.

This is a silly monkey but I forgot to take a look at the plaque. If anyone can identify him, I would appreciate it.

IMG_7921


A Pygmy Marmoset, ruminating over the big questions in life:

Pygmy Marmoset



These guys were just hanging around, so I decided to take a shot:

Bat


The proudest meerkat I could find:

Proud Meerkat

This giraffe has the right idea when it comes to nasal hygiene:

Giraffe


This cheetah had a powerful gaze:

Cheetah


A relaxing Anegada Island Iguana:

Anegada Island Iguana


The captivating Cocodrilo Cubano:

Cuban Crocodile


The deadly King Cobra. He probably just wants to be left alone:

King Cobra


Rhinoceros Iguana. I don't see the resemblance.

Rhinocerous Iguana


Two affectionate Asian Climbing Toads. How sweet:

Asian Climbing Toad

A tragic Mandrill contemplating his freedom:

Mandrill


An adorable orangutan. They can be so expressive:

Orangutan

Finally, a cute bunny rabbit. He actually snuck into the zoo.

Bunny Rabbit

I had a lot of fun taking these but I don't get the same amount of satisfaction as when I find an animal to photograph in the wild. It just seems too easy. Doesn't mean I'm gonna stop so stay tuned for more in the future!

Friday, February 19, 2010

New Orleans Part 3: Mardi Gras: Krewe d'Eris parade

"The Krewe of Eris are not notably hygienic, dear reader; many of them are transient. Not all were dirty, not all were homeless, and not all of them would like to smash the church and state, but a fair number might be said to fit into those overlapping categories."

This is what we had waiting for us when we walked into the Parade starting area of the Krewe d'Eris. I didn't realise that we were going to actually walk in the parade until after we got dressed up in some of our Host's costumes and walked to the parade route. The Krewe d'Eris is, as Atillio calls it, a "Dirty Kid" parade. That just means all the cool and really creative kids in New Orleans put on extravagant costumes and make small bike-powered floats to entertain the town. We had a blast walking the twisting 4-mile route among the cacophonous bands and costumed freaks (I say that endearingly of course!)

Enjoy:
Dressup
Jim's costume

Apples of Discord


Eris 1


Eris 2


Eris 3


Eris 4


Eris 5


Eris Kiss


Masked Heroes


Eris 6


Eris 7


Eris 8


Eris 9


Eris 10


Eris 11


Eris 12

The next day at the Ranch, a chicken gets a ride from a visiting dog...
Free Ride

...and we say goodbye to our gracious hosts as they head off to the Purple Party.
Purple Party

Thus ends our first Mardi Gras and New Orleans adventure. We headed out of town on Lundi Gras, the day before Mardi Gras proper. I feel like we got a good idea of the Mardi Gras spirit. Maybe next year we will stay until Mardi Gras day. We made it to the texas border and began our second leg of our southern tour.