Texas RV Travel blog

Cave Kisses are Cold

CyberCelt — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:51:54 +0000

There are thousands of caves in Texas and more are discovered each year. My days of crawling on my belly with a head lamp to emerge into a quano-filled space are behind me, but I do enjoy a good show cave. A show cave is open for touring and does not require insurance waiver, hard hat, climbing gear, breathing apparatus and squirming like a worm to view.

While we stayed at Medina Lake, we visited Cascade Caverns in Boerne. These caverns which contain an underground waterfall that cascades almost 100 feet. To reach the cascade room, which is basically the turnaround portion of the tour, you must walk down 180 feet of stairs. Once you catch your breath, start walking for about 1/3 of a mile along slippery walkways, ducking as the ceiling reaches for the floor. Temperature in the caverns is a cool 68 degrees, but the humidity was high on the day we went, so it negated a lot of the coolness. I received quite a few cave kisses, when water drops from a formation to land on a lucky caver, but they were cold!

Cascade Caverns are active, with pure water rushing over dripstone formations and dripping from stalactites onto the cavern floor to form stalagmites or run into underground pools. Cascade Caverns have fascinated generations of visitors since its opening in 1932. Cascade Caverns gained historical designation in 1964.

Cascade Caverns lie at the lowest point in the county, so when it floods, these caverns are full. You will notice flood debris on some of the formations. Some formations are broken by the force of the water. If you look at the ceiling, you will solution holes. This is how high the water rises when it floods. Rocks and debris carve those holes out of solid limestone.

Over 100 million years ago Texas was covered by a vast inland sea and the caverns were an ocean bed, so look closely and you will see shells and fossils of marine life in the rock. Artifacts found inside and around the entrance to the caverns show that they were home to man and beast for thousands of years before modern man.

The tour is 45 minutes in length. The caverns are located 14 miles NW of San Antonio. From San Antonio take IH-10 west toward Boerne, exit 543 on Cascade Caverns Road. Cascade Caverns are open daily, but call for more information (830-755-8080).

To be honest, this was not the best cave tour for the money. The young guide was in a hurry and did not know much about the formations. There was little time allocated to just “looking.” If you call to book a reservation, just tell them that you want a true guide who will accommodate questions and folks who like to look. LOL

Here is a slideshow of my photographs. They are not the best, but perhaps they will give you an idea of the caverns.

Tags: Cascade Caverns, cave kiss, show cave, active cave system, historical site, fossils and artifacts, Boerne

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Juneteenth Started in Galveston, Texas

CyberCelt — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:42:20 +0000

The first Juneteenth celebration happened spontaneously in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, when Union Major General Gordon Granger read General Order #3 to the assembled people in Galveston, Texas.

The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free . . .

The celebration was poignant because it had taken 1-1/2 years for news of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Texas after it was signed into law.

Tip of the Hat to sneakerboxx.wordpress.com/ for image

Today, this historic event is celebrated around the USA and the world, not only as a slave independence day, but as a celebration of the culture, the history and the countless contributions made by people of color to the world.

Emancipation Proclamation * Juneteenth * Freedom Celebrations * Redemption Songs

June 13-19
Galveston

June 19
Miller Outdoor Center, Houston

June 19-20
Cecile Holman Park and Benny Houston Community Center, Brownwood

June 19-20
San Marcos Plaza by the Cock House, San Marcos

June 20
Fred More Park, Denton

June 19-21
Woodson Park, Odessa

June 27-28
Last Frontier Heritage Celebration & Buffalo Soldier Living History Encampment
Cochran County Park, Morton

Emancipation Proclamation * Juneteenth * Freedom Celebrations * Redemption Songs

This is not a complete listing. Check your local community for activities in your neighborhood. Pick a celebration and join in the fun. Let us never forget that we are all free, regardless of race, creed, belief system or skin color.

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MoJo is new lightweight trailer from Hi-Lo

CyberCelt — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 12:57:21 +0000

Option for the Green Traveler

Below is the MoJo in the Up for Living Configuration

This option gives you more light and space inside.

Rear of Mojo from the inside.

Front of MoJo

Mojo Options

Check MoJo website for details.

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Celebrate Fruit Festivals in Texas

CyberCelt — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:05:10 +0000

Periodically, a dry winter or a cold spring wipes out the fruit crops in the Texas Hill Country. When there is a good year, you will see festivals and celebrations to rival any pagan ritual of years gone by.

Parades, street dances, live music, world class tomatoes, fresh blueberries, peach pie, peach preserves, watermelon eating and seed spitting contests. Some of these festivals have been happening for decades, so the towns know how to do it right.

June 13
Jacksonville
Tomato Fest

June 13
Nacogdoches
Blueberry Festival

June 19-20
Stockdale
Watermelon Jubilee

June 19-20
Stonewall
Peach Jamboree and Rodeo

June 25-28
Luling
Watermelon Thump

July 10-11
Center
What a Melon Festival

July 18
Hempstead
Watermelon Festival

July 24-25
Naples
Watermelon Festival

August 3-8
Deleon
Peach and Melon Festival

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Blanco Lavender Festival

CyberCelt — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:20:52 +0000

5th Annual Texas Lavender Festival

June 13-14, 2009, Blanco, Texas

Lavender Market on the Grounds of the Historic Old Blanco County Courthouse

Speakers’ Pavilion Featuring Lavender Information and Cooking Demonstrations in the Courthouse

Friday

Farm Tour 10am - 4pm

Music on the Square & Lavender Market 3pm - 8pm

Saturday & Sunday

9am - 6pm Market & Farm Tour

Individual Participating Farms

Heron’s Nest Herb Farm

1673 River Bend Dr.
Blanco, Texas 78606
(830) 833-2627

Hill Country Lavender
5424 US Hwy 281 North
Blanco TX 78606
830-833-2294

Miller Creek Lavender
8453 Miller Creek Loop
Johnson City TX 78636
512-934-1616

Texas Lavender Hills
5110 Kendalia Road
Blanco TX 78606
830-833-9183

Wimberley Lavender Farm
11300 FM 2325
Wimberley TX 78606
830-833-1595

Blanco River Lavender Company
4136 Ranch Road 1623
Blanco TX 78606
830-833-4494

Other Lavender growers in the area:

Chantilly Lace Country Inn
625 Nugent Avenue
Johnson City TX 78636
830-868-2767

Hummingbird Farms
9340 US Hwy 290 West
Johnson City TX 78636
830-868-7862

Lavender Hill
1378 River Run
Blanco TX 78606
830-833-9097

The Meadows at Flat Creek
852 Flat Creek Road
Johnson City TX 78636
830-385-5336

Please check the official website Blanco Lavender Festival website for more information, including maps and activities. If you are unable to attend the festival, you may want to bookmark this site so that, if you are in the area, you can visit the farms. Most of the farms welcome visitors, some by appointment only.

Lodging

Cabins and RV Spots on the Blanco River
The Blanco Settlement
1705 Ranch Road 165. Blanco, Texas 78606
Phone 830-833-5115

Blanco State Park
P O Box 493
Blanco TX 78606
830/833-4333

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Roadside Wildflowers

CyberCelt — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:17:18 +0000

When we left Big Creek Scenic Area and returned to FM 2025, there were so many wildflowers, we had to stop. The photographs do not do the flowers justice, but I had to try.

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Big Creek Scenic Area

CyberCelt — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:51:03 +0000

Our last stop was the Big Creek Scenic Area, a rare preserve of over 1400 acres. Driving south on FM 2025 from Double Lake, we went left (east) on FS 221, left on 217 and parked on left. This is a parking lot for the Lone Star Hiking Trail, as well.

Big Creek Scenic area offers four trail loops of various lengths for hikers to enjoy. Of course, the Lone Star Hiking Trail is also in this area.

Big Creek Scenic Area fills a diverse ecological niche. Anywhere a tree had fallen, a small Magnolia was reaching for the sunlight.

Where water was close to the surface, dwarf palmettos, the only palm native to Texas, pierced the gloom with pointed leaves.

After our walk, we drove back on FS 217 until it ended at FM 2666. We went right on FM 2666 to FM 2025 and went right. The first thing we saw was the Lone Star Hiking Trail (LSHT). Part of the Lone Star Hiking Trail has been designated a National Recreational Trail.

We hope to return in the Spring to hike parts of the Lone Star Hiking Trail. However, from what we saw, you have to be a dedicated hiker to manage the last miles of the LSHT.

Here is the description for the last 5.4 miles of the LSHT:

0.0 Trail head at FM 2025
1.3 Very muddy area (see picture above)
1.7 Iron Bridge
2.3 Trail Crosses FM 945
2.5 Base of old Fire tower
3.4 Base of old Fire tower
3.7 Gravel road
4.1 Gravel road and foot bridge
4.6 Bridge on side
4.8 Iron Bridge
4.9 Foot bridge in bad condition
5.0 Power Line
5.1 Two foot bridges within 200 feet
5.4 End of Trail

Well, that ended our trip for the day, but not our back road adventures. We traveled north on FM 2025, and turned left (west) on FM 150. We traveled until we turned left (south) on FM 925. We turned right at the second church onto what I believe was FM 2282, but it was unmarked. The road turned into FM 3081 and we journeyed south until we hit County Line Road, which took us into Willis. From Willis we took the old Highway 75 south to FM 830 and back to our campground.

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