Alligator Gar – Brazos River- Texas
Yesterday I was reading about the Alligator Gar on Passport to Texas. The Alligator Gar is the largest freshwater fish known to Texas and, according to Passport to Texas, can grow up to ten feet long and 300 pounds. I have never seen one this big but can imagine how scary such an encounter might be. What I find most interesting is the Gar’s tendency to swim close to the surface. Apparently the Gar’s gills are poorly suited for
Second Higest Mountain Range in Texas
A friend and I are making plans to summit Mt. Livermore and Baldy Peak in the Davis Mountain range. Baldy Peak (atop Mt. Livermore) is the highest point in the Davis Mountains. Access to the summit is limited due to the fact that nearly all of the Davis Mountain range sits on private land. The majority of Mt. Livermore is actually owned by The Nature Conservancy, an organization dedicated to preserving nature. The Nature Conservancy is a mighty fine organization.
“MonkeyMan”
Found this video of the "MonkeyMan" who does amazing things while climbing. Monkeyman: Extreme Climber - Funny video clips are a click away
Free USGS Topo Maps
In the 1940’s the U.S. Geological Survey began surveying the entire contiguous U.S to create a series of topographical maps. The USGS topo maps are considered by many to be the most accurate maps available and are used by paddlers, hikers, climbers, and cyclists alike for outdoor recreation. These maps are now available for free in the public domain for download or home printing from the USGS website. Simply go to http://store.usgs.gov and click on the “Download Topo Maps Free”
Virtual Big Bend
Yesterday I joined BigBendChat.com which is a discussion forum dedicated to all things Big Bend (along with other West Texas sites). One of the more interesting things I found was a link to this website: virtualbigbend.com. Virtual Big Bend has more than 30 interactive 360 degree panoramic views of various locations within the park. Each view allows you to look up down left and right or any direction you see fit. You can see the view from Emery peak (highest
Day Packs
I road my bike to work today after about a three week stretch of conflicts that prevented riding. The morning was cool and crisp and it felt good to get back out and ride. Today I became frustrated, however, with my lack of quality equipment. Mainly the Outdoor Products Vortex pack I use to carry a change of clothes, water bladder, keys and other stuff. I picked up this pack at Wal-mart for a lousy $20. At the time it
Dilemma
After writing yesterdays post I started thinking about how I would go about filling a complaint concerning the perceived monopoly run on the Devil’s River by Gerald Bailey. I looked on the TPWD website and found steps for filling a complaint. I am struggling if I should or not. On the one hand I feel that it is an injustice that the land owners on the Devils River should be required to use Gerald any time they want to do
Devil’s River, TX
Recently a friend and I took a paddle trip down the Devil’s River in South West Texas. The Devil’s River is considered by many to be the cleanest river in Texas. The Devil’s maintains this status mostly because of its remote nature. There are only two public water crossings along the rivers entire 47.7 mile stretch between Baker’s Crossing (Hwy 163) and the High Bridge over Lake Amisted (Hwy 90). Surrounding land is all private ranch estates. Land owners have
Midland, TX
Not exactly your top outdoor destination. Flat, arid, limited vegetation, limited wildlife, these are just a few words that describe West Texas. There is little here for any person who likes to be outdoors. But yet this is where I call home. I never intended to come to midland. Having grown up in the heart of the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, I often found myself driving down I-35 into the Texas hill country. Texas may not compare to