Pedernales Falls State Park, Johnson City, Texas.

Pedernales Falls State Park, Johnson City, Texas

Me, a few friends, my daughter Lexi and a large group of her friends went camping this past weekend in the hill country. My buddy Ovi and I visited the striking Pedernales Falls. Check out the album for images of the entire trip.

Lots of other albums there too, be sure to click 'slideshow' in the upper left of the monitor for the best possible view.

Alan

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Topiary Garden, Houston, Texas

Last year we visited a pretty impressive free topiary garden on Buffalo Speedway in Huston, Texas. Here's a picture of my nephew Brecken enjoying the neat site which lies only a block or so north of Hwy. 59 South. Visit my photo collection for the complete album.

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West Texas Wind Farms Under The Big Sky Near Amarillo

Windmills As Far As The Eye Can See
As we drove further north we spotted some giant windmills in the distance and detoured to see them up close. I didn't want to miss this sight. I hear they stand 2-- feet tall. Every day in Houston I would see large trucks hauling the vanes, one per truck, out of the city. They are so long the trucks need special escort.After a ten mile one way detour for a few pix I realized we were perilously close to being low on fuel, maybe a quarter tank.The ironic thing is that we squeaked into Sweetwater, Texas and fueled up but the 15 miles to Sweetwater and the 30 miles after were nothing but a panarama of windmills. No need to detour!They sell this energy through 'green' providers for those who like even higher electric bills!Hope to see you on the road!

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Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, Texas

In West Texas, They Grow Caddies At Cadillac Ranch!

Today, under the incredibly big sky of West Texas, we visited the world famous
'Cadillac Ranch', the art project sponsered by Stanley Marsh 3.Along Interstate 40 just west of Amarillo you will find 10 old Cadillacs buried head first in a row. For whatever reasons these objects have become a famous art display and has been featured in a jazillion movies, music videos, magazines, etc.

The cars are supposed to be buried at the same angle as the sides of the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt. When I asked about the location of the cars a local good ol' boy said "We got us an eccentric billionaire oilman out here"! I already knew Marsh had a rep for eccentricity, even going by Marsh 3 rather than III, as in the third. He claims that is pretentious.

Lexi climbed atop one of the cars for a cool shot. Yes, it is allowed, and you can add your own spray painting tags. Best of all, it is free! The most amazing thing I saw and missed getting on film was a young man, either extremely talented as a gymnast or insane, who stood atop the car and suddenly did an amazing 360 degree flip off the side, landing perfectly on his feet! I was actually astounded by that.

Deanna, Lexi and Alan atop the Cadillac Ranch!Hopefully I can find tgime to post more images of the amazing things we did today as it is late and time is short. We also rode a twisting, narrow road to the top of Capulin Volcano, a dormant volcano in New Mexico. As we entered the park a powerful thunderstorm blew in, lightning, wind, rain. This made the drive even more scary. The ranger warned about lightning at the peak but failed to mention the tight lanes and hairpin curves with absolutely no railing between you and a thousand foot drop. Insane.

Of course we tagged the cars in an appropriate fashion.At the end of this long day we find ourselves in Pueblo, Colorado. We intended to stop much sooner but had to go to over 20 hotels to find an overpriced room on the fly. A NICE room, except for the teens running up and down the hall until midnight.Tomorrow we shall ride the top of the Rocky Mountains and try to make it to the Rocky Mountain National Park, perhaps the Sand Dunes National Monument.

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San Antonio Tourist Stuff

We Drop In On Ripley's And Wax Museum


Having driven by it a dozen times we finally made the time to go through the Alamo. You know how so many things look
smaller once you really get to them or in them? The Alamo actually seemed quite a bit roomier than I thought it would be from seeing the inside. Packed with tourists!


Just across the street from the venerated Texas monument is of course a collection of tourist attractions. We took in the Ripley's Believe It Or Not 'Odditorium'!


One of my favorite things was this deer head. Notice anything strange or different about it? It is in the 'Odditorium', after all!


The deer head is made totally of nails.


I'm almost 6' 4". This Robert Wadlow fellow was 8' 11". Makes me feel tiny!


Deanna gets creeped out by eyes so she did not want to buddy up to the bug-eyed man.


But Lexi seemed to develop quite a liking for the man qho could swallow his nose...


At the wax museum next door Lexi was interviewed by Oprah about all of her exciting plans.


Supposedly Jay Leno posed with Deanna but this Jay looks a little crazy to me!


Just like watching his show, talking to Dr. Phil drove me to tears.
More from the road coming soon.

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Road Trip! Houston, TX to San Antonio, TX!

Road Trip Around The USA - Day One

Lexi, Deanna, and Alan roll out of Houston headed west.The Scion is packed to the gills with clothes, tent, food, bazookas, space suits, etc.

We did get a Garmin GPS and from the first day it has been a super cool addition to any trip, calmly and cooly giving directions without once saying I won't ask because I am a man.My new girlfriend, she will be coming on the bike with me too.

Bye-bye Katy, TX. This is a bedroom community on the west side, out of H-Town.The road quickly thins out into miles of caws, woods, and speeding tractor trailer trucks.

Interesting display of 'Tiny Texas Houses;, though my pic says 'Texas Uses'. WWell, some Texans do I am sure. These little houses were in a magazine I saw, some as small as 96 square feet! One guy even tows his to friends backyards and then moves every few months.

Downtown San Antonio. We arrived late in the day and were immediately impressed by the architecture, small town charm, the Riverwalk with it's ambience and restaurants. We were not so impressed by the apathetic waitress and error filled menu at Rainforest Cafe' or the termite like bugs on the wall of the Motel 6! (Yes, we are splurging!)I shall soon post a better and larger shot of this image on the photographs page.
Deanna and Lexi on the Riverwalk, San Antonio, TX.We had a great night anyway, bad waitress and bugs and all, and looking forward to the coming weeks.Honestly this happend on Wednesday and I am sitting in a motel typing this on Thursday evening, actually Friday morn at 2 AM!!! Plenty of pix and stuff from today I will have to post in the morn when I awaken. We went to two attractions in S.A. and through some incredible scenery and torrential rain. Safe and sound, see you soon.

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Atascocita, TX, to New Waverly, TX

Zipping Along On Day One. Kind Of Boring, Actually.


I got an early start at 6:30 AM, beating the heat, leaving
Atascocita, TX. I streamed through the neighborhoods, east on FM 1960 across the Lake Houston Bridge and over to 2100 North.


2100 strings North through piney woods. Lucky for me the morning was overcast. When the sun came out it was defeated by a continuous line of trees to my right.


On Plum Grove Road to Cleveland I was chased by these two vicious critters. Later some of their more enthusiastic and larger cousins would cause me to let the adrenaline kick up my pedaling a notch. No problem though... unless a chain were to break!


Plum Grove City Hall.
No marble statues here.


Classic Texas.


Cleveland, thirty easy and cool miles. In Cleveland I refilled water bottles and asked the gas station clerk where a good restaurant was. There happened to be a breakfast buffet next door. Outside a man had overheard me asking and insisted I take ten dollars for eating. I tried to explain that I had money but he insisted so I had an awesome free breakfast and the waitress got a nice tip.


One of many drink water and stretch the legs and feet breaks.


A new county!


Through the Sam Houston National Forest. I thought it would be a beautiful drive through unspoiled wilderness. Instead it was 30 miles of pine trees, hills, tons of houses and no stores or facilities. Who knew the National Forest was full of houses?


Richard had met me at the restaurant and suggested I take a vitamin pack with potassium for cramps. He had a brand new pack of them and actually went home for them, meeting me on 1725 in the woods to give them to me. Second very nice person to help me out.


One of the coolest rest spots I found. Trouble is when you take off your shoes and lie in the grass people tend to stop and ask if you are OK. It happened a couple of times with concerned motorists and I realized that you have to rest sitting up, lol!


"Think This Is Hot"
Actually, I do, hellishly so.
Soon after this I needed to refill my water. I knocked on the door of the only home without three dogs and a No Tresspassing sign. Mr. John Lewis filled my bottles with water AND ice! Nice man.
(BTW, a No Tresspassing sign salesman could make a fortune in these parts! And they take it seriously here. A few weeks ago some lunatic man and woman shot two people on thier land, and Texas law favors the landowner. Not in your house mind you, or stealing or threatening, they shot them just for trespassing in the woods!)


East Texas farms love fanciful mailboxes.


Another funny mailbox.

All that said, the first day went smooth and not so hard, but It left me wondering if this is really the way I want to see the world.
I had read 'The Long Ride' by Lloyd Sumner ( a great read) and it seemed fun and incredible. I took the MS 150 mile ride to Austin for charity before and had the time of my life. (With 10,000 other bicycle riders of course!)
But after 65 miles I am thinking that the overwhelming feeling I had on the road on a bike was not of accomplishment (I know I can ride, I have done it in the past), or of adventure, the main emotion was boredom.
I want to see things and stuff, and after 65 miles of pine trees, pine trees, pine trees, farm house, more pine trees, I am considering if maybe I should find a faster conveyance to the stuff that is cool?
After 8 hours on a bike I can be camping in the woods somewhere. After 8 hours on something motorized I can be in a museum or natural attraction.
What do you think?
If I change the ride please bear with me and continue along. I am still going to go around the world, and possibly the blog will be better with more interesting things because of the decision.
Input?

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When Ordering An Expensive Bicycle, Hire A Professional Photographer To Document The Moment

Never Trust Others To Take Your Pictures For You
Hooray! The day has finally come. Monday morning I officially ordered my new bicycle for the Around The World adventure. I wanted to post a quick update about that and the reason I have been a little out of touch lately.
I ordered my bike from West End Bicycles in Houston, Texas. The staff there took the time to listen to my wants and needs and have not tried to just sell me on product. Being quite an event for me I wanted my daughter Lexi to document the measure and such so she took the camera. When I returned home I realized she had gone all out with a grand total of two pictures.


One image of the shop cat. No I didn't get
the cat's name as we barely spoke.. Get it, 'spoke', as in bike spoke.


One additional image of a grubby me (that's what an unemployed, homeless biker looks like) and the coffee loving cat. That crazy cat's eyes followed my coffee cup everywhere the cup moved, and when allowed would lick the sides of the cup of tea Lexi had.
Anyways, expect a slew of posts in the coming days about all of the equipment coming in and my experience shopping for it. I am NOT a shopper at all, so it has been an mix of pleasure and dread for me to assemble the stuff... bike, tent, sleeping bag, stove, and a hundred little odds and ends. Much more to come, I promise.
Please sign up for Feedburner e-mail updates and stay in touch.

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Terra Cotta Soldiers From China Visit Houston, Texas

Alan Around The World readers will remember that recently I visited an incredible miniature replica of the Chinese Terra Cotta Soldiers in Katy, Texas. Forbidden Gardens is the name of the attraction and I was highly pleased with the exhibit.Strangely coincidental, the Houston Museum of Natural Science is hosting an exhibit of 20 of the actual soldiers so my friend Sari and I decided to check it out.

Let me state up front that once you reach the main hall of the exhibit it is stunning and well worth any hassle or inconvenience. The statuary is over 2,000 years old, full-size soldiers rendered in amazing detail, all formed from terra cotta. The faces of the soldiers are each unique with varied beards and clothing. A terra cotta horse with delicate flowing hair on his mane and detailed saddle work will take your breath away. To look into the eyes of these men and realize that they each actually lived, were real men with wives and children and the brutal, sometimes short, lives of soldiers, it was just amazing.

Unfortunately the museum allows NO photography. I am sure if you asked they would say something about flash photos damaging the exhibit but I believe it more likely would damage the sale of books and postcards and calenders and such. So for your enjoyment I offer the above cheesy Andy Warhol rip-off print from the lobby and the extremely well done replicas in these two photos. Not good enough but it's the best I could do.Keep in mind, like all of the Natural Science Museum's exhibits it is outrageously priced at $28 per person. The show is extremely oversold, the hallways crowded, like being at a concert in the front row. As usual one wonders if the air conditioners are on and the museum smells of body odor. (Houston is one of the fattest cities in America, so be prepared to get cozy with obese, sweaty wannabe cowboys and such.)

Still, though the Science Museum falls far short of our excellent Fine Arts Museum in style and professionalism, I have to say to go see the exhibit. Unless like me you happen to have plans to see all 6,000 of the real soldiers in China!Hopefully next year I will have a better story to tell about these amazing artworks. Hopefully the Chinese allow me to take photographs.

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Kayaking the Buffalo Bayou. Houston, Texas.

Why You Should Practice Getting In Your Kayak While In Shallow Water!

It took me more than a little convincing to get my friend Ovidiu to commit to taking the kayaks down a slightly unorthodox waterway. Rather than drive a few hours to the crystal clear waters of the Comal or Guadalupe Rivers in the hill country, I convinced him it would be fun to course down the twists and turns of the murky Buffalo Bayou as it winds it's way under major interstates and past huge skyscrapers in Houston, Texas. Here's Ovidiu before we put the boats in the water beneath the Waugh Street bridge on Allen Parkway.

It was difficult making our way down a steep, grassy incline to the concrete beneath the bridge. At 8:30 AM the heat was already creeping upward. July heat in Texas was the main reason Ovidiu was not on board 100%, and he was correct. It was stifling. Still, we managed to get down to the water and scout a suitable launch site.

It required two trips to make the very short portage as the hill was steep enough to require teamwork carrying the boats. At the base of the hill we made sure the water bottles, vehicle keys, and camera were all safely in plastic bags and well secured in the hatch. Entering the kayak took a bit of skill and a lot of nerve and balance. In the image it appears that the water rides up to the concrete but in reality it was a drop of a foot or more, so we stood on wobbly concrete blocks just past this bridge support to enter the boats.As one of us held our kayak steady and moved out over the boat the boat slipped away from the docking area and that certain person basically did a one-way trip into the drink. (And drink this water you DO NOT want to do!) Scrambling on the rocky surface below the water, spewing the brown liquid out of his mouth, this person had the unfortunate task of climbing the slick stones and finding the strength to pull a water filled kayak from the bayou for a second attempt! Darn.Now I don't want to tell if it were Alan or Ovidiu that took a dip but I will confess that the clumsy oaf's name begins with a vowel!
The Rest Of The Story

It actually is rather worse than you have so far imagined as I must also confess that we decided to enter the bayou beneath the Waugh Street Bridge. Readers of the blog should remember that this bridge harbors 250,000 bats beneath the structure, all crammed into the expansion cracks... living, loving, pooping.Look back at the above photos and notice the brown coating on the concrete below the bridge. Bat poo. Guano. Great fertilizer. Not so great when it coats the very rocks you are trying to scramble upon to get out of the tea-colored water that has been infused with the crap of a quarter-million bats!
This little fellow had a worse spill than me. Nearby signs warned 'Do Not Handle Grounded Bats'. I like that, grounded bats. Like I had to be told. They had no sign warning that swimmming in a bat crap soup would be a bad idea so I suppose I am OK.The worst part of the ordeal is that the camera, though sealed in a plastic bag and seemingly totally dry, would not function. Somehow the tiniest drop of moisture killed it. So while the views were stunning I have nothing to share.
How To Cool Off After Swimming In Warm Guano Soup
Worst of all we have no pictures of the even more outlandish happening later in the day. After several hours of kayaking the temperature had soared to perhaps 100 degrees, the sun beat down on our skulls, and the water bottles ran dry. So we docked at Sesquicentinnial Park in downtown Houston, built in 1986 to celebrate 150 years as a state. Getting the kayaks up the hill was hot and difficult, especially after I... I mean one of us, had fallen in the bayou.Lugging the kayaks up a ramp to street level I told Ovidiu "I hear a fountain". This area of Houston is incredibly lovely. Across the bayou the Aquarium Restaurant with it's waterall and ferris wheel can be seen. Skyscrapers tower above the streets a block away. Bayou Place and fancy theaters surround the park, which also features an amazing series of waterfalls from street level to the bayou walkways. Cold, clear, running water. "I'm getting in there", I warned Ovidiu. For a moment he looked at me dubiously but before my tennis shoe had touched the bottom of the pool he was in too. We found a spot where the water fell several feet, cool and pounding on our hot necks and heads, and we lay back and relaxed. The only nearby person, a homeless man, looked at us, smiled, and strangely he took out, of all things, a cell phone. He snapped our picture and called a friend to tell them of the crazy men in the fountain, all the while lending support for the idea with a thumbs up and a cheer.So picture us, two grown men, lounging in a fountain as a hundred feet away traffic speeds by on Bagby Street, fancy women in expensive dresses enter restaurants, theater managers sit in their office scheduling upcoming ballets and symphony performances.I don't really mind the dirty dip, but the day was tinged with regret over the camera debacle. Like all good pain in the butts, as soon as I arrived home can yuu guess what the camera did?It stuck it's tongue out at me, said "Nana nana boo boo", and whirled to life.I hate you Kodak!

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Forbidden Gardens of Katy, Texas. Terra Cotta Replica Chinese Soldiers. June 20, 2009

Forbidden Gardens of Katy, Texas is an amazing replica of the famous site in China where Emperor Qin buried over 8,000 terra cotta statues replicating his army for the afterlife.

Here I sit (in the Texas sun) in front of the main pit. There are several thousand 1/3 scale fiberglass raplicas here and it is quite amazing to see.

A little seen view from behind the Emperor as he surveys his army. Since nobody was around I figured it was OK to scamper around the hillsides a bit for some different views.

The detail was amazingly individualistic and precise on each of the men.

Also on the site is a huge miniature Forbidden City, thankfully fully covered and in the shade!For many more larger images and a lot more detail see the photos page.

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