Blue Highways

“Blue Highways” is at the same time a memory of a wonderful book that first appeared in 1982 with this title by a writer named William Least Heat Moon and a metaphor for our retirement adventures. I was attracted to the book when it first came out because Least Heat Moon was a local writer (I was living in Kansas City at the time) and because Least Heat Moon used his moniker from Boy Scout days when he and his father and brother were members of the Tribe of Mic-O-Say. Reading the book was a sheer delight, traveling with Least Heat Moon as he explored the back roads of the nation.

The title came from the practice of cartographers at one time to represent major roads in red and minor roads in blue. Contemporary computer-enhanced maps may use different colors, but the term “blue highways” still suggests the back roads that connect forgotten villages and hamlets that travelers today avoid at any cost—the kinds of towns in which the highway is invariably the main street of town.

Our idea is the see the Hill Country—and that does not mean use of an interstate. We do have an interstate—I-35, that mighty road that runs the length of the country north to south from Duluth, Minnesota to Laredo, Texas. I’ve driven most of the length of this highway and have seen both termini, but I hope never to have to drive all of it in one long trip. Interstate highways are designed to get travelers from one place to another quickly, and they do not lend themselves to sightseeing. I-35 takes us to our Austin son in about 40-50 minutes if we travel north and to our San Antonio son in 35-40 minutes when we travel south, so it is very useful.

When we planned a day trip to Kerrville, southwest of New Braunfels, I did what everyone does today—consulted an online mapping service. Surprise—Google maps took us on 35 south to San Antonio and then on I-10 northwest to Kerrville! I tried seeking directions several ways, but always got the interstate routes. Then I realized that the Google default must be the interstate—Mr. Google assuming that anyone who seeks directions must want the most modern highway system available.

I resorted to an old-fashioned map, and found a “blue” highway system that took us into Kerrville one way and another system that brought us home a different way. Wouldn’t you know, we experienced some of our most spectacular and memorable scenery since we entered the Hill Country several months ago. Least Heat Moon was onto something!

Interactivity on the Blog

Regular readers of my blog (or even the occasional reader) will notice that I do not use my name or family names on the blog. I also do not show pictures of family members. The reason is simple: the blog is open to anyone to read. Unlike other internet sites, you do not have to be my "friend" to read the blog. Because the internet is open, I think it is a good idea to maintain some sense of privacy--at least the privacy of others. Hence, the absence of names and personal photographs.

You may, of course, respond--and it's nice when you do to agree, disagree, or just comment. At the end of each entry there is the word "comment" (in orange, I believe). If you click on "comment," a screen will appear for you to add a comment.

The host of the blog is Google, and Google does require that anyone who comments be registered with Google. It's easy and painless to register, and you only have to do it once. I have not been bombarded by advertisements or come ons from Google, and I do not think that anyone who registers with them has anything to fear.

I welcome your comments!

SOS New Braunfels

This week Michelle Obama and I had something in common: we both distributed food to the needy. I hope Michelle’s example inspires many others; food banks and soup kitchens can use the help.

Food distribution in New Braunfels is coordinated through an ecumenical effort called SOS (Spirit of Sharing). Though the organization has its own governing board and volunteer leadership, the effort was the result of area churches agreeing to work together to address issues of hunger over 20 years ago. Judging from what I saw on Wednesday, not only does SOS meet needs, but it also enjoys a broad base of support.

Each church in town has a date during the month that volunteers from that church run the food bank. On Wednesday there were about 10 of us from St. John’s performing all the various tasks—filling bags, stocking shelves, processing clients, and accepting donations. The latter aspect—accepting donations—is worth a special note. Late in the afternoon the doorbell at the rear of the building rang and we found that it was a truck full of food donations. The source? The New Braunfels Public Library! It seems the library has a policy that patrons can substitute canned goods for fines for overdue library books, and a truck from the library unloaded several hundred pounds of canned goods for distribution to those who needed it.

The clients were young and old, families and singles, Anglos and Hispanics. All were treated with respect, and all that I met expressed gratitude for what they received. SOS also has a shelf of Bibles in the waiting room with a sign “Free—Take One.” Obviously, SOS is committed to feeding both the body and the soul.

Canyon Lake Gorge

One of the reasons that our area is a vacation destination is Canyon Lake, a body of water created from the water of the Guadalupe River by the Corps of Engineers in 1964. We looked at homes along Canyon Lake when we were house hunting but did not find anything that suited our needs. Now we are learning about the area, and one of the most fascinating elements of the lake is what is now called Canyon Lake Gorge. How Canyon Lake Gorge came into being is a story worth telling.

During one week in the summer of 2002, 35 inches of rain fell on the upper watershed of the Guadalupe River (that’s more rain than the area averages in a year). The torrents of rain created a flood of biblical proportions in the area northwest of New Braunfels, sending the water down the Guadalupe into the already-swollen Canyon Lake, which then gushed over its spillway for the first time in the history of the lake. The resulting inundation sliced open the ground beneath the spillway creating a 64 acre gorge exposing ancient rock, crustaceous limestone, fossils, and dinosaur footprints that had not seen the light of day for 110 million years.

People who observed the phenomenon still speak in awe of what they saw—an avalanche of water flowing at the rate of 67,000 cubic feet per second—a total that is estimated at 185 billion gallons, enough to fill the lake 1 ½ times its normal level—obliterating everything in its path. After it all ended, what was once a gentle depression below the lake was now a gorge about 1000 feet wide and 45 feet deep, exposing the Trinity Aquifer, and revealing faults, fractures, and seeps in the limestone.

After the flood, local residents, realizing the treasure that had been created, banded together and formed the Gorge Preservation Society, which today maintains this natural classroom and offers guided tours. As soon as we heard the story of the flood, we decided to see for ourselves and signed up for a tour that lasts three hours and which is akin to a tutorial in geology.

It is fascinating to see fossils, but then we can see a lot of fossils in the limestone of our back yard. For me what was most exciting was to view the footprints of a dinosaur, and to learn that from the prints, archaeologists and paleobiologists can identify the creature as acrocanthosaurus, and even know its prey, the sauropod.

Canyon Lake Gorge was an excellent introduction to our new region.

Texas Independence Day

On the 2nd of March, 1836, a group of people we would today call Freedom Fighters declared that Texas was a free and sovereign nation. The Texas Revolution had begun the preceding fall with the Battle of Gonzales, and the momentum built up to the Constitutional Convention and the declaration of independence. The Republic of Texas lasted from 1836-1845, when, after a national vote, the citizens agreed to become a part of the United States of America. There are many (Texas-sized) myths about the union with the United States, but the historical reality is that Texas has, in fact, been under six flags throughout its history—as a part of Spain, France, Mexico, as a sovereign nation, and as a part of the Confederacy and of the United States. It’s fun to be back in Texas after so many years away!

A Day on Interstate 35

A day to remember on I-35!

My first experience was not so bad--a drive to church (about 15 minutes). Coming home was another story--1 1/2 hours for the return trip. It was clear that there was a major problem up ahead but no clue as to what it was.

Later in the day I headed up to Austin (traveling in the other direction on I-35) for dinner with E and his family. The normal 50 minute door-to-door drive (38 miles) took--you guessed it! An hour and a half!

Finally, tonight on the late news I learned that a tanker full of gasoline turned over at our exit on I-35 and that the road was closed both ways for seven hours.

Today's experience showed me how much we rely on major arteries--and how very vulnerable they are.

Mulch

When we moved to New Braunfels, our realtor told us that the town provides free mulch. Considering how much mulch we used to buy in Connecticut, this news was music to our ears!

She also said we would have to buy a pickup truck like everyone else in town so that we could go help ourselves. This advice was not music to our ears. I don’t want another vehicle, and I do not want to get rid of the Pathfinder to replace it with a truck. So I just put the thought of mulch aside.

A couple of days ago my next door neighbor drove up with his truck full of mulch and volunteered to get a load for me. I made a deal that I would help him with his mulch in return for his getting a load for me. What a great deal.

So we drove our to the mulch center where I saw the largest pile of mulch I have ever seen, and trucks and trailers lined up to be filled with newly-ground mulch. What a great deal indeed.

Now, I wonder, how many times this season can I impose on this good neighbor to make the drive again? For now, however, I have my work cut out for me.