[SWR] NSS (New) Headquarters Update
-- Forwarded message -- From: Cheryl Jones List-Post: texascavers@texascavers.com Date: Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 8:50 PM Subject: NSS (New) Headquarters Update To: siv...@listserv.vt.edu [Forwarded] NSS Headquarters Update - It's Ours! The new headquarters is ours! We are looking forward to having the room to accomplish great things. Over the last year many members dedicated uncountable hours to achieve this. First, our Board took the bold step to move forward with a vision for expansion. OVP Luckins and S-T Young then negotiated a deal with the Shriners that resulted in a win-win for both organizations. Once the contract was signed and a financial institution selected from several offers, the piles of paperwork began. The National Speleological Foundation has provided immeasurable guidance to the Society. I tip my helmet to both NSS and Foundation member Bert Ashbrook and NSS legal counselors Joel Stevenson and Jay Clark for helping us maneuver through the complex legal documents involved. The Foundation has always been there for us, and we are very proud of our association with them. On December 15th we started signing as the clock struck 12. An hour later, the keys were in our hands. Headquarters Commission Chairman Dave Haun arrived on site that morning with tape measure in hand and started sorting through plans. The Shriners are as proud of their history as we are they retained everything, including the original blueprints and colored pencil drawings. Dave has spent days measuring and meeting with potential contractors for various phases of our renovations as we tailor the facility to our specific vision. Fundraising Chairman Bill Putnam has been working on several programs so that every member can be part of this exciting step. Look for a new form to appear on the NSS website on January 1st. You’ll be amazed at how little it takes to do great things. As President of the Society, I thank you for the opportunity to be at the helm during this historic time. I’ll do my best to ensure our Society’s goals are achieved as we move forward. The lamp is lit and new passages lay before us… Wm Shrewsbury, President National Speleological Society (Permission is granted to use this announcement in other caving related electronic communications) ___ SWR mailing list s...@caver.net http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/swr_caver.net
[SWR] NSS (New) Headquarters Update
-- Forwarded message -- From: Cheryl Jones Date: Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 8:50 PM Subject: NSS (New) Headquarters Update To: siv...@listserv.vt.edu [Forwarded] NSS Headquarters Update - It's Ours! The new headquarters is ours! We are looking forward to having the room to accomplish great things. Over the last year many members dedicated uncountable hours to achieve this. First, our Board took the bold step to move forward with a vision for expansion. OVP Luckins and S-T Young then negotiated a deal with the Shriners that resulted in a win-win for both organizations. Once the contract was signed and a financial institution selected from several offers, the piles of paperwork began. The National Speleological Foundation has provided immeasurable guidance to the Society. I tip my helmet to both NSS and Foundation member Bert Ashbrook and NSS legal counselors Joel Stevenson and Jay Clark for helping us maneuver through the complex legal documents involved. The Foundation has always been there for us, and we are very proud of our association with them. On December 15th we started signing as the clock struck 12. An hour later, the keys were in our hands. Headquarters Commission Chairman Dave Haun arrived on site that morning with tape measure in hand and started sorting through plans. The Shriners are as proud of their history as we are they retained everything, including the original blueprints and colored pencil drawings. Dave has spent days measuring and meeting with potential contractors for various phases of our renovations as we tailor the facility to our specific vision. Fundraising Chairman Bill Putnam has been working on several programs so that every member can be part of this exciting step. Look for a new form to appear on the NSS website on January 1st. You’ll be amazed at how little it takes to do great things. As President of the Society, I thank you for the opportunity to be at the helm during this historic time. I’ll do my best to ensure our Society’s goals are achieved as we move forward. The lamp is lit and new passages lay before us… Wm Shrewsbury, President National Speleological Society (Permission is granted to use this announcement in other caving related electronic communications) ___ SWR mailing list s...@caver.net http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/swr_caver.net
[SWR] NSS (New) Headquarters Update
-- Forwarded message -- From: Cheryl Jones List-Post: texascavers@texascavers.com Date: Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 8:50 PM Subject: NSS (New) Headquarters Update To: siv...@listserv.vt.edu [Forwarded] NSS Headquarters Update - It's Ours! The new headquarters is ours! We are looking forward to having the room to accomplish great things. Over the last year many members dedicated uncountable hours to achieve this. First, our Board took the bold step to move forward with a vision for expansion. OVP Luckins and S-T Young then negotiated a deal with the Shriners that resulted in a win-win for both organizations. Once the contract was signed and a financial institution selected from several offers, the piles of paperwork began. The National Speleological Foundation has provided immeasurable guidance to the Society. I tip my helmet to both NSS and Foundation member Bert Ashbrook and NSS legal counselors Joel Stevenson and Jay Clark for helping us maneuver through the complex legal documents involved. The Foundation has always been there for us, and we are very proud of our association with them. On December 15th we started signing as the clock struck 12. An hour later, the keys were in our hands. Headquarters Commission Chairman Dave Haun arrived on site that morning with tape measure in hand and started sorting through plans. The Shriners are as proud of their history as we are they retained everything, including the original blueprints and colored pencil drawings. Dave has spent days measuring and meeting with potential contractors for various phases of our renovations as we tailor the facility to our specific vision. Fundraising Chairman Bill Putnam has been working on several programs so that every member can be part of this exciting step. Look for a new form to appear on the NSS website on January 1st. You’ll be amazed at how little it takes to do great things. As President of the Society, I thank you for the opportunity to be at the helm during this historic time. I’ll do my best to ensure our Society’s goals are achieved as we move forward. The lamp is lit and new passages lay before us… Wm Shrewsbury, President National Speleological Society (Permission is granted to use this announcement in other caving related electronic communications) ___ SWR mailing list s...@caver.net http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/swr_caver.net
[PBSS] NSS (New) Headquarters Update
-- Forwarded message -- From: Cheryl Jones List-Post: texascavers@texascavers.com Date: Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 8:50 PM Subject: NSS (New) Headquarters Update To: siv...@listserv.vt.edu [Forwarded] NSS Headquarters Update - It's Ours! The new headquarters is ours! We are looking forward to having the room to accomplish great things. Over the last year many members dedicated uncountable hours to achieve this. First, our Board took the bold step to move forward with a vision for expansion. OVP Luckins and S-T Young then negotiated a deal with the Shriners that resulted in a win-win for both organizations. Once the contract was signed and a financial institution selected from several offers, the piles of paperwork began. The National Speleological Foundation has provided immeasurable guidance to the Society. I tip my helmet to both NSS and Foundation member Bert Ashbrook and NSS legal counselors Joel Stevenson and Jay Clark for helping us maneuver through the complex legal documents involved. The Foundation has always been there for us, and we are very proud of our association with them. On December 15th we started signing as the clock struck 12. An hour later, the keys were in our hands. Headquarters Commission Chairman Dave Haun arrived on site that morning with tape measure in hand and started sorting through plans. The Shriners are as proud of their history as we are they retained everything, including the original blueprints and colored pencil drawings. Dave has spent days measuring and meeting with potential contractors for various phases of our renovations as we tailor the facility to our specific vision. Fundraising Chairman Bill Putnam has been working on several programs so that every member can be part of this exciting step. Look for a new form to appear on the NSS website on January 1st. You’ll be amazed at how little it takes to do great things. As President of the Society, I thank you for the opportunity to be at the helm during this historic time. I’ll do my best to ensure our Society’s goals are achieved as we move forward. The lamp is lit and new passages lay before us… Wm Shrewsbury, President National Speleological Society (Permission is granted to use this announcement in other caving related electronic communications) ___ PBSS mailing list p...@caver.net http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/pbss_caver.net
[PBSS] NSS (New) Headquarters Update
-- Forwarded message -- From: Cheryl Jones Date: Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 8:50 PM Subject: NSS (New) Headquarters Update To: siv...@listserv.vt.edu [Forwarded] NSS Headquarters Update - It's Ours! The new headquarters is ours! We are looking forward to having the room to accomplish great things. Over the last year many members dedicated uncountable hours to achieve this. First, our Board took the bold step to move forward with a vision for expansion. OVP Luckins and S-T Young then negotiated a deal with the Shriners that resulted in a win-win for both organizations. Once the contract was signed and a financial institution selected from several offers, the piles of paperwork began. The National Speleological Foundation has provided immeasurable guidance to the Society. I tip my helmet to both NSS and Foundation member Bert Ashbrook and NSS legal counselors Joel Stevenson and Jay Clark for helping us maneuver through the complex legal documents involved. The Foundation has always been there for us, and we are very proud of our association with them. On December 15th we started signing as the clock struck 12. An hour later, the keys were in our hands. Headquarters Commission Chairman Dave Haun arrived on site that morning with tape measure in hand and started sorting through plans. The Shriners are as proud of their history as we are they retained everything, including the original blueprints and colored pencil drawings. Dave has spent days measuring and meeting with potential contractors for various phases of our renovations as we tailor the facility to our specific vision. Fundraising Chairman Bill Putnam has been working on several programs so that every member can be part of this exciting step. Look for a new form to appear on the NSS website on January 1st. You’ll be amazed at how little it takes to do great things. As President of the Society, I thank you for the opportunity to be at the helm during this historic time. I’ll do my best to ensure our Society’s goals are achieved as we move forward. The lamp is lit and new passages lay before us… Wm Shrewsbury, President National Speleological Society (Permission is granted to use this announcement in other caving related electronic communications) ___ PBSS mailing list p...@caver.net http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/pbss_caver.net
[PBSS] NSS (New) Headquarters Update
-- Forwarded message -- From: Cheryl Jones List-Post: texascavers@texascavers.com Date: Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 8:50 PM Subject: NSS (New) Headquarters Update To: siv...@listserv.vt.edu [Forwarded] NSS Headquarters Update - It's Ours! The new headquarters is ours! We are looking forward to having the room to accomplish great things. Over the last year many members dedicated uncountable hours to achieve this. First, our Board took the bold step to move forward with a vision for expansion. OVP Luckins and S-T Young then negotiated a deal with the Shriners that resulted in a win-win for both organizations. Once the contract was signed and a financial institution selected from several offers, the piles of paperwork began. The National Speleological Foundation has provided immeasurable guidance to the Society. I tip my helmet to both NSS and Foundation member Bert Ashbrook and NSS legal counselors Joel Stevenson and Jay Clark for helping us maneuver through the complex legal documents involved. The Foundation has always been there for us, and we are very proud of our association with them. On December 15th we started signing as the clock struck 12. An hour later, the keys were in our hands. Headquarters Commission Chairman Dave Haun arrived on site that morning with tape measure in hand and started sorting through plans. The Shriners are as proud of their history as we are they retained everything, including the original blueprints and colored pencil drawings. Dave has spent days measuring and meeting with potential contractors for various phases of our renovations as we tailor the facility to our specific vision. Fundraising Chairman Bill Putnam has been working on several programs so that every member can be part of this exciting step. Look for a new form to appear on the NSS website on January 1st. You’ll be amazed at how little it takes to do great things. As President of the Society, I thank you for the opportunity to be at the helm during this historic time. I’ll do my best to ensure our Society’s goals are achieved as we move forward. The lamp is lit and new passages lay before us… Wm Shrewsbury, President National Speleological Society (Permission is granted to use this announcement in other caving related electronic communications) ___ PBSS mailing list p...@caver.net http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/pbss_caver.net
[Texascavers] Fwd: NSS (New) Headquarters Update
-- Forwarded message -- From: Cheryl Jones List-Post: texascavers@texascavers.com Date: Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 8:50 PM Subject: NSS (New) Headquarters Update To: siv...@listserv.vt.edu [Forwarded] NSS Headquarters Update - It's Ours! The new headquarters is ours! We are looking forward to having the room to accomplish great things. Over the last year many members dedicated uncountable hours to achieve this. First, our Board took the bold step to move forward with a vision for expansion. OVP Luckins and S-T Young then negotiated a deal with the Shriners that resulted in a win-win for both organizations. Once the contract was signed and a financial institution selected from several offers, the piles of paperwork began. The National Speleological Foundation has provided immeasurable guidance to the Society. I tip my helmet to both NSS and Foundation member Bert Ashbrook and NSS legal counselors Joel Stevenson and Jay Clark for helping us maneuver through the complex legal documents involved. The Foundation has always been there for us, and we are very proud of our association with them. On December 15th we started signing as the clock struck 12. An hour later, the keys were in our hands. Headquarters Commission Chairman Dave Haun arrived on site that morning with tape measure in hand and started sorting through plans. The Shriners are as proud of their history as we are they retained everything, including the original blueprints and colored pencil drawings. Dave has spent days measuring and meeting with potential contractors for various phases of our renovations as we tailor the facility to our specific vision. Fundraising Chairman Bill Putnam has been working on several programs so that every member can be part of this exciting step. Look for a new form to appear on the NSS website on January 1st. You’ll be amazed at how little it takes to do great things. As President of the Society, I thank you for the opportunity to be at the helm during this historic time. I’ll do my best to ensure our Society’s goals are achieved as we move forward. The lamp is lit and new passages lay before us… Wm Shrewsbury, President National Speleological Society (Permission is granted to use this announcement in other caving related electronic communications)
[Texascavers] Fwd: NSS (New) Headquarters Update
-- Forwarded message -- From: Cheryl Jones Date: Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 8:50 PM Subject: NSS (New) Headquarters Update To: siv...@listserv.vt.edu [Forwarded] NSS Headquarters Update - It's Ours! The new headquarters is ours! We are looking forward to having the room to accomplish great things. Over the last year many members dedicated uncountable hours to achieve this. First, our Board took the bold step to move forward with a vision for expansion. OVP Luckins and S-T Young then negotiated a deal with the Shriners that resulted in a win-win for both organizations. Once the contract was signed and a financial institution selected from several offers, the piles of paperwork began. The National Speleological Foundation has provided immeasurable guidance to the Society. I tip my helmet to both NSS and Foundation member Bert Ashbrook and NSS legal counselors Joel Stevenson and Jay Clark for helping us maneuver through the complex legal documents involved. The Foundation has always been there for us, and we are very proud of our association with them. On December 15th we started signing as the clock struck 12. An hour later, the keys were in our hands. Headquarters Commission Chairman Dave Haun arrived on site that morning with tape measure in hand and started sorting through plans. The Shriners are as proud of their history as we are they retained everything, including the original blueprints and colored pencil drawings. Dave has spent days measuring and meeting with potential contractors for various phases of our renovations as we tailor the facility to our specific vision. Fundraising Chairman Bill Putnam has been working on several programs so that every member can be part of this exciting step. Look for a new form to appear on the NSS website on January 1st. You’ll be amazed at how little it takes to do great things. As President of the Society, I thank you for the opportunity to be at the helm during this historic time. I’ll do my best to ensure our Society’s goals are achieved as we move forward. The lamp is lit and new passages lay before us… Wm Shrewsbury, President National Speleological Society (Permission is granted to use this announcement in other caving related electronic communications)
[Texascavers] Fwd: NSS (New) Headquarters Update
-- Forwarded message -- From: Cheryl Jones List-Post: texascavers@texascavers.com Date: Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 8:50 PM Subject: NSS (New) Headquarters Update To: siv...@listserv.vt.edu [Forwarded] NSS Headquarters Update - It's Ours! The new headquarters is ours! We are looking forward to having the room to accomplish great things. Over the last year many members dedicated uncountable hours to achieve this. First, our Board took the bold step to move forward with a vision for expansion. OVP Luckins and S-T Young then negotiated a deal with the Shriners that resulted in a win-win for both organizations. Once the contract was signed and a financial institution selected from several offers, the piles of paperwork began. The National Speleological Foundation has provided immeasurable guidance to the Society. I tip my helmet to both NSS and Foundation member Bert Ashbrook and NSS legal counselors Joel Stevenson and Jay Clark for helping us maneuver through the complex legal documents involved. The Foundation has always been there for us, and we are very proud of our association with them. On December 15th we started signing as the clock struck 12. An hour later, the keys were in our hands. Headquarters Commission Chairman Dave Haun arrived on site that morning with tape measure in hand and started sorting through plans. The Shriners are as proud of their history as we are they retained everything, including the original blueprints and colored pencil drawings. Dave has spent days measuring and meeting with potential contractors for various phases of our renovations as we tailor the facility to our specific vision. Fundraising Chairman Bill Putnam has been working on several programs so that every member can be part of this exciting step. Look for a new form to appear on the NSS website on January 1st. You’ll be amazed at how little it takes to do great things. As President of the Society, I thank you for the opportunity to be at the helm during this historic time. I’ll do my best to ensure our Society’s goals are achieved as we move forward. The lamp is lit and new passages lay before us… Wm Shrewsbury, President National Speleological Society (Permission is granted to use this announcement in other caving related electronic communications)
[Texascavers] Punkin Cave
Punkin Cave is now the 369th longest cave in the United States! Longer than Cemetary Pit in Georgia. Longer than Kartchner Caverns in Arizona. Longer than Hubbards Cave in Tennessee. Longer than Trout Cave in West Virginia. And it will be even longer after the February expedition! -- Crash
[Texascavers] Punkin Cave
Punkin Cave is now the 369th longest cave in the United States! Longer than Cemetary Pit in Georgia. Longer than Kartchner Caverns in Arizona. Longer than Hubbards Cave in Tennessee. Longer than Trout Cave in West Virginia. And it will be even longer after the February expedition! -- Crash
[Texascavers] Punkin Cave
Punkin Cave is now the 369th longest cave in the United States! Longer than Cemetary Pit in Georgia. Longer than Kartchner Caverns in Arizona. Longer than Hubbards Cave in Tennessee. Longer than Trout Cave in West Virginia. And it will be even longer after the February expedition! -- Crash
[ot_caving] FW: A TRUE king-sized bed
Most appropriate. F To: ; Subject: A TRUE king-sized bed [cid:image002.jpg@01CCBE49.54FB7F00]
[ot_caving] FW: A TRUE king-sized bed
Most appropriate. F To: ; Subject: A TRUE king-sized bed [cid:image002.jpg@01CCBE49.54FB7F00]
[ot_caving] FW: A TRUE king-sized bed
Most appropriate. F To: ; Subject: A TRUE king-sized bed [cid:image002.jpg@01CCBE49.54FB7F00]
[Texascavers] Lost Oasis clean up
Cavers, I would like to thank the 11 volunteers who came out yesterday to help clear brush and pick-up trash at the Texas Cave Management Association Lost Oasis cave preserve in South Austin. Your efforts removed a great deal of the thick brush, briers and small trees inside the chain link compound. You also mostly completed the 25-foot firebreak on the south side against the neighbor's wooden fence. A special thanks to Galen, Jim, Vico and Gill whose chain saws shredded much of the vegetation. The crew also mowed the grass flanking the front sidewalk and removed a lot of the encroaching vegetation overgrowing the sidewalk. And two body bag sized trash containers were filled with paper, plastic and other gifts of the neighboring community. We will do this again in the spring to finish clearing the compound and selectively clearing and removing lower branches on surrounding trees, so stand by for another call for volunteers. And I hope those who went caving enjoyed the TCMA preserve. Ron Ralph Lost Oasis preserve manager Thanks to Robert Albach, Benjamin Nocholas Yasui, Denise Prendergast, Logan McNatt. Galen Falgout. Vico Jones, Jim Kennedy, Ryan Monjaros, Devra Heyer, Gill Ediger, and Bob Marshall.
[Texascavers] Lost Oasis clean up
Cavers, I would like to thank the 11 volunteers who came out yesterday to help clear brush and pick-up trash at the Texas Cave Management Association Lost Oasis cave preserve in South Austin. Your efforts removed a great deal of the thick brush, briers and small trees inside the chain link compound. You also mostly completed the 25-foot firebreak on the south side against the neighbor's wooden fence. A special thanks to Galen, Jim, Vico and Gill whose chain saws shredded much of the vegetation. The crew also mowed the grass flanking the front sidewalk and removed a lot of the encroaching vegetation overgrowing the sidewalk. And two body bag sized trash containers were filled with paper, plastic and other gifts of the neighboring community. We will do this again in the spring to finish clearing the compound and selectively clearing and removing lower branches on surrounding trees, so stand by for another call for volunteers. And I hope those who went caving enjoyed the TCMA preserve. Ron Ralph Lost Oasis preserve manager Thanks to Robert Albach, Benjamin Nocholas Yasui, Denise Prendergast, Logan McNatt. Galen Falgout. Vico Jones, Jim Kennedy, Ryan Monjaros, Devra Heyer, Gill Ediger, and Bob Marshall.
[Texascavers] Lost Oasis clean up
Cavers, I would like to thank the 11 volunteers who came out yesterday to help clear brush and pick-up trash at the Texas Cave Management Association Lost Oasis cave preserve in South Austin. Your efforts removed a great deal of the thick brush, briers and small trees inside the chain link compound. You also mostly completed the 25-foot firebreak on the south side against the neighbor's wooden fence. A special thanks to Galen, Jim, Vico and Gill whose chain saws shredded much of the vegetation. The crew also mowed the grass flanking the front sidewalk and removed a lot of the encroaching vegetation overgrowing the sidewalk. And two body bag sized trash containers were filled with paper, plastic and other gifts of the neighboring community. We will do this again in the spring to finish clearing the compound and selectively clearing and removing lower branches on surrounding trees, so stand by for another call for volunteers. And I hope those who went caving enjoyed the TCMA preserve. Ron Ralph Lost Oasis preserve manager Thanks to Robert Albach, Benjamin Nocholas Yasui, Denise Prendergast, Logan McNatt. Galen Falgout. Vico Jones, Jim Kennedy, Ryan Monjaros, Devra Heyer, Gill Ediger, and Bob Marshall.
RE: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw
We'll do, Bill. Have a safe trip and take a lot of pictures (which I know you will!). Mark From: speleoste...@aol.com [mailto:speleoste...@aol.com] Sent: Monday, December 19, 2011 8:24 AM To: Alman, Mark @ SSG - WSG - EOS Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw Hi Mark, Our China expedition is on! We are sorting gear now to take in Er Wang Dong tomorrow for a five day underground camp, coming out on Christmas cave. Five Americans (two live and work in China) and two Chinese are going in to camp, explore, and survey. Feel free to repost this on Texascavers.com. Bill . Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T From: mark.al...@l-3com.com List-Post: texascavers@texascavers.com Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2011 07:38:09 -0600 To: ; Subject: RE: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw Great report, Sleaze! Good luck on your endeavors and keep the reports coming. Now, if only we could get some reports from Bill Steele and Diana Tomchick, who currently are caving in China. Thanks! (Dejected and stuck here at work) Mark From: bmorgan...@aol.com [mailto:bmorgan...@aol.com] Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2011 11:36 PM To: texascavers@texascavers.com Subject: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw Directly in front of me is a stupendous cliff over a thousand feet tall and the Nam Ou is at my feet. Meanwhile I'm enjoying a cup of expresso and a baguette on the terrace of an elegant bamboo guest house while pondering which of the many karst related options to pursue but I think it will be mountain biking to the east. Every morning is cold and cloudy followed by beautiful sunny weather in the afternoons with a high of about 75 to 80. The karst is unbelievble, gigntic cliffs pocked with caves everywhere you look with the beautiful Nam Ou cutting cutting a canyon over a thousand feet deep! Ann Harman and I are living like barbaric royalty for about $25/day and having a totally great time. Beer Lao is the world's best at $1 per quart and is my major expense. Delicious food costs about $3 and is served while you recline on comfortable beds like Roman gluttons. The CIA maps I am using don't even show a village where the tiny town of Nong Khiaw is today. Yesterday We walked a couple of miles along the river to a supposed "Pathet Lao" cave and paid the requisite 10,000 kip ($1.20) Despite the rusted assault rifles in the mud the whole thing was a fake, but what a bunch of fun! Caving is a major business here in Laos and the caves range from the ridiculous to the sublime. The guides are invariably cute 10 year old kids, often girls, and there is nothing you can do to escape them. Sometimes giggling hordes will follow you no matter how hard you try to drive them off. All well and good but if you try to step off the beaten path without a registered guide then the cops get involved and it could be costly, especially if they find that bag of weed. I have located a major cave on my topos for which there is no reference on the web or on the French Lao caves project, so I reluctantly contacted a registered tour company. They explained that the cave and environs thereabout are unknown so they cannot legally take me there, but they did suggest that I directly contact a man named Souk who works for the Commie government and whose job it is to scout out possible caves, treks and visitable villages to make sure they are safe as in no unexploded ordinance and no rebellious Hmong. Souk turned out to be a fine fellow who will happily take me anywhere I want to go for about $20 per day so the trip is a go. He knows about the cave and related a legend that five locals went in and only one came out. Apparently no falang (foreigners) have ever been there. The watershed that the cave drains is quite large and because of a complete lack of access the valley appears to be pristine on google earth. I don't give a damn about going far into a big nasty river cave. My goal is to find a way over the mountain to the upstream entrance and the pristine valley beyond. Tomorrow's trip is just to scout it out. A one hour boat ride in a little motorized canoe then a two or three hour walk through ruined jungle to the downstream entrance, all doable in one day. If the locals know a way to get over the mountain then Ann and I will return with Souk to mount a multi day expedition into the pristine valley. Wish us luck! Sleaze
RE: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw
We'll do, Bill. Have a safe trip and take a lot of pictures (which I know you will!). Mark From: speleoste...@aol.com [mailto:speleoste...@aol.com] Sent: Monday, December 19, 2011 8:24 AM To: Alman, Mark @ SSG - WSG - EOS Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw Hi Mark, Our China expedition is on! We are sorting gear now to take in Er Wang Dong tomorrow for a five day underground camp, coming out on Christmas cave. Five Americans (two live and work in China) and two Chinese are going in to camp, explore, and survey. Feel free to repost this on Texascavers.com. Bill . Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T From: mark.al...@l-3com.com Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2011 07:38:09 -0600 To: ; Subject: RE: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw Great report, Sleaze! Good luck on your endeavors and keep the reports coming. Now, if only we could get some reports from Bill Steele and Diana Tomchick, who currently are caving in China. Thanks! (Dejected and stuck here at work) Mark From: bmorgan...@aol.com [mailto:bmorgan...@aol.com] Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2011 11:36 PM To: texascavers@texascavers.com Subject: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw Directly in front of me is a stupendous cliff over a thousand feet tall and the Nam Ou is at my feet. Meanwhile I'm enjoying a cup of expresso and a baguette on the terrace of an elegant bamboo guest house while pondering which of the many karst related options to pursue but I think it will be mountain biking to the east. Every morning is cold and cloudy followed by beautiful sunny weather in the afternoons with a high of about 75 to 80. The karst is unbelievble, gigntic cliffs pocked with caves everywhere you look with the beautiful Nam Ou cutting cutting a canyon over a thousand feet deep! Ann Harman and I are living like barbaric royalty for about $25/day and having a totally great time. Beer Lao is the world's best at $1 per quart and is my major expense. Delicious food costs about $3 and is served while you recline on comfortable beds like Roman gluttons. The CIA maps I am using don't even show a village where the tiny town of Nong Khiaw is today. Yesterday We walked a couple of miles along the river to a supposed "Pathet Lao" cave and paid the requisite 10,000 kip ($1.20) Despite the rusted assault rifles in the mud the whole thing was a fake, but what a bunch of fun! Caving is a major business here in Laos and the caves range from the ridiculous to the sublime. The guides are invariably cute 10 year old kids, often girls, and there is nothing you can do to escape them. Sometimes giggling hordes will follow you no matter how hard you try to drive them off. All well and good but if you try to step off the beaten path without a registered guide then the cops get involved and it could be costly, especially if they find that bag of weed. I have located a major cave on my topos for which there is no reference on the web or on the French Lao caves project, so I reluctantly contacted a registered tour company. They explained that the cave and environs thereabout are unknown so they cannot legally take me there, but they did suggest that I directly contact a man named Souk who works for the Commie government and whose job it is to scout out possible caves, treks and visitable villages to make sure they are safe as in no unexploded ordinance and no rebellious Hmong. Souk turned out to be a fine fellow who will happily take me anywhere I want to go for about $20 per day so the trip is a go. He knows about the cave and related a legend that five locals went in and only one came out. Apparently no falang (foreigners) have ever been there. The watershed that the cave drains is quite large and because of a complete lack of access the valley appears to be pristine on google earth. I don't give a damn about going far into a big nasty river cave. My goal is to find a way over the mountain to the upstream entrance and the pristine valley beyond. Tomorrow's trip is just to scout it out. A one hour boat ride in a little motorized canoe then a two or three hour walk through ruined jungle to the downstream entrance, all doable in one day. If the locals know a way to get over the mountain then Ann and I will return with Souk to mount a multi day expedition into the pristine valley. Wish us luck! Sleaze
RE: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw
We'll do, Bill. Have a safe trip and take a lot of pictures (which I know you will!). Mark From: speleoste...@aol.com [mailto:speleoste...@aol.com] Sent: Monday, December 19, 2011 8:24 AM To: Alman, Mark @ SSG - WSG - EOS Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw Hi Mark, Our China expedition is on! We are sorting gear now to take in Er Wang Dong tomorrow for a five day underground camp, coming out on Christmas cave. Five Americans (two live and work in China) and two Chinese are going in to camp, explore, and survey. Feel free to repost this on Texascavers.com. Bill . Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T From: mark.al...@l-3com.com List-Post: texascavers@texascavers.com Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2011 07:38:09 -0600 To: ; Subject: RE: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw Great report, Sleaze! Good luck on your endeavors and keep the reports coming. Now, if only we could get some reports from Bill Steele and Diana Tomchick, who currently are caving in China. Thanks! (Dejected and stuck here at work) Mark From: bmorgan...@aol.com [mailto:bmorgan...@aol.com] Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2011 11:36 PM To: texascavers@texascavers.com Subject: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw Directly in front of me is a stupendous cliff over a thousand feet tall and the Nam Ou is at my feet. Meanwhile I'm enjoying a cup of expresso and a baguette on the terrace of an elegant bamboo guest house while pondering which of the many karst related options to pursue but I think it will be mountain biking to the east. Every morning is cold and cloudy followed by beautiful sunny weather in the afternoons with a high of about 75 to 80. The karst is unbelievble, gigntic cliffs pocked with caves everywhere you look with the beautiful Nam Ou cutting cutting a canyon over a thousand feet deep! Ann Harman and I are living like barbaric royalty for about $25/day and having a totally great time. Beer Lao is the world's best at $1 per quart and is my major expense. Delicious food costs about $3 and is served while you recline on comfortable beds like Roman gluttons. The CIA maps I am using don't even show a village where the tiny town of Nong Khiaw is today. Yesterday We walked a couple of miles along the river to a supposed "Pathet Lao" cave and paid the requisite 10,000 kip ($1.20) Despite the rusted assault rifles in the mud the whole thing was a fake, but what a bunch of fun! Caving is a major business here in Laos and the caves range from the ridiculous to the sublime. The guides are invariably cute 10 year old kids, often girls, and there is nothing you can do to escape them. Sometimes giggling hordes will follow you no matter how hard you try to drive them off. All well and good but if you try to step off the beaten path without a registered guide then the cops get involved and it could be costly, especially if they find that bag of weed. I have located a major cave on my topos for which there is no reference on the web or on the French Lao caves project, so I reluctantly contacted a registered tour company. They explained that the cave and environs thereabout are unknown so they cannot legally take me there, but they did suggest that I directly contact a man named Souk who works for the Commie government and whose job it is to scout out possible caves, treks and visitable villages to make sure they are safe as in no unexploded ordinance and no rebellious Hmong. Souk turned out to be a fine fellow who will happily take me anywhere I want to go for about $20 per day so the trip is a go. He knows about the cave and related a legend that five locals went in and only one came out. Apparently no falang (foreigners) have ever been there. The watershed that the cave drains is quite large and because of a complete lack of access the valley appears to be pristine on google earth. I don't give a damn about going far into a big nasty river cave. My goal is to find a way over the mountain to the upstream entrance and the pristine valley beyond. Tomorrow's trip is just to scout it out. A one hour boat ride in a little motorized canoe then a two or three hour walk through ruined jungle to the downstream entrance, all doable in one day. If the locals know a way to get over the mountain then Ann and I will return with Souk to mount a multi day expedition into the pristine valley. Wish us luck! Sleaze
RE: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw
Great report, Sleaze! Good luck on your endeavors and keep the reports coming. Now, if only we could get some reports from Bill Steele and Diana Tomchick, who currently are caving in China. Thanks! (Dejected and stuck here at work) Mark From: bmorgan...@aol.com [mailto:bmorgan...@aol.com] Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2011 11:36 PM To: texascavers@texascavers.com Subject: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw Directly in front of me is a stupendous cliff over a thousand feet tall and the Nam Ou is at my feet. Meanwhile I'm enjoying a cup of expresso and a baguette on the terrace of an elegant bamboo guest house while pondering which of the many karst related options to pursue but I think it will be mountain biking to the east. Every morning is cold and cloudy followed by beautiful sunny weather in the afternoons with a high of about 75 to 80. The karst is unbelievble, gigntic cliffs pocked with caves everywhere you look with the beautiful Nam Ou cutting cutting a canyon over a thousand feet deep! Ann Harman and I are living like barbaric royalty for about $25/day and having a totally great time. Beer Lao is the world's best at $1 per quart and is my major expense. Delicious food costs about $3 and is served while you recline on comfortable beds like Roman gluttons. The CIA maps I am using don't even show a village where the tiny town of Nong Khiaw is today. Yesterday We walked a couple of miles along the river to a supposed "Pathet Lao" cave and paid the requisite 10,000 kip ($1.20) Despite the rusted assault rifles in the mud the whole thing was a fake, but what a bunch of fun! Caving is a major business here in Laos and the caves range from the ridiculous to the sublime. The guides are invariably cute 10 year old kids, often girls, and there is nothing you can do to escape them. Sometimes giggling hordes will follow you no matter how hard you try to drive them off. All well and good but if you try to step off the beaten path without a registered guide then the cops get involved and it could be costly, especially if they find that bag of weed. I have located a major cave on my topos for which there is no reference on the web or on the French Lao caves project, so I reluctantly contacted a registered tour company. They explained that the cave and environs thereabout are unknown so they cannot legally take me there, but they did suggest that I directly contact a man named Souk who works for the Commie government and whose job it is to scout out possible caves, treks and visitable villages to make sure they are safe as in no unexploded ordinance and no rebellious Hmong. Souk turned out to be a fine fellow who will happily take me anywhere I want to go for about $20 per day so the trip is a go. He knows about the cave and related a legend that five locals went in and only one came out. Apparently no falang (foreigners) have ever been there. The watershed that the cave drains is quite large and because of a complete lack of access the valley appears to be pristine on google earth. I don't give a damn about going far into a big nasty river cave. My goal is to find a way over the mountain to the upstream entrance and the pristine valley beyond. Tomorrow's trip is just to scout it out. A one hour boat ride in a little motorized canoe then a two or three hour walk through ruined jungle to the downstream entrance, all doable in one day. If the locals know a way to get over the mountain then Ann and I will return with Souk to mount a multi day expedition into the pristine valley. Wish us luck! Sleaze
RE: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw
Great report, Sleaze! Good luck on your endeavors and keep the reports coming. Now, if only we could get some reports from Bill Steele and Diana Tomchick, who currently are caving in China. Thanks! (Dejected and stuck here at work) Mark From: bmorgan...@aol.com [mailto:bmorgan...@aol.com] Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2011 11:36 PM To: texascavers@texascavers.com Subject: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw Directly in front of me is a stupendous cliff over a thousand feet tall and the Nam Ou is at my feet. Meanwhile I'm enjoying a cup of expresso and a baguette on the terrace of an elegant bamboo guest house while pondering which of the many karst related options to pursue but I think it will be mountain biking to the east. Every morning is cold and cloudy followed by beautiful sunny weather in the afternoons with a high of about 75 to 80. The karst is unbelievble, gigntic cliffs pocked with caves everywhere you look with the beautiful Nam Ou cutting cutting a canyon over a thousand feet deep! Ann Harman and I are living like barbaric royalty for about $25/day and having a totally great time. Beer Lao is the world's best at $1 per quart and is my major expense. Delicious food costs about $3 and is served while you recline on comfortable beds like Roman gluttons. The CIA maps I am using don't even show a village where the tiny town of Nong Khiaw is today. Yesterday We walked a couple of miles along the river to a supposed "Pathet Lao" cave and paid the requisite 10,000 kip ($1.20) Despite the rusted assault rifles in the mud the whole thing was a fake, but what a bunch of fun! Caving is a major business here in Laos and the caves range from the ridiculous to the sublime. The guides are invariably cute 10 year old kids, often girls, and there is nothing you can do to escape them. Sometimes giggling hordes will follow you no matter how hard you try to drive them off. All well and good but if you try to step off the beaten path without a registered guide then the cops get involved and it could be costly, especially if they find that bag of weed. I have located a major cave on my topos for which there is no reference on the web or on the French Lao caves project, so I reluctantly contacted a registered tour company. They explained that the cave and environs thereabout are unknown so they cannot legally take me there, but they did suggest that I directly contact a man named Souk who works for the Commie government and whose job it is to scout out possible caves, treks and visitable villages to make sure they are safe as in no unexploded ordinance and no rebellious Hmong. Souk turned out to be a fine fellow who will happily take me anywhere I want to go for about $20 per day so the trip is a go. He knows about the cave and related a legend that five locals went in and only one came out. Apparently no falang (foreigners) have ever been there. The watershed that the cave drains is quite large and because of a complete lack of access the valley appears to be pristine on google earth. I don't give a damn about going far into a big nasty river cave. My goal is to find a way over the mountain to the upstream entrance and the pristine valley beyond. Tomorrow's trip is just to scout it out. A one hour boat ride in a little motorized canoe then a two or three hour walk through ruined jungle to the downstream entrance, all doable in one day. If the locals know a way to get over the mountain then Ann and I will return with Souk to mount a multi day expedition into the pristine valley. Wish us luck! Sleaze
RE: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw
Great report, Sleaze! Good luck on your endeavors and keep the reports coming. Now, if only we could get some reports from Bill Steele and Diana Tomchick, who currently are caving in China. Thanks! (Dejected and stuck here at work) Mark From: bmorgan...@aol.com [mailto:bmorgan...@aol.com] Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2011 11:36 PM To: texascavers@texascavers.com Subject: [Texascavers] Nong Khiaw Directly in front of me is a stupendous cliff over a thousand feet tall and the Nam Ou is at my feet. Meanwhile I'm enjoying a cup of expresso and a baguette on the terrace of an elegant bamboo guest house while pondering which of the many karst related options to pursue but I think it will be mountain biking to the east. Every morning is cold and cloudy followed by beautiful sunny weather in the afternoons with a high of about 75 to 80. The karst is unbelievble, gigntic cliffs pocked with caves everywhere you look with the beautiful Nam Ou cutting cutting a canyon over a thousand feet deep! Ann Harman and I are living like barbaric royalty for about $25/day and having a totally great time. Beer Lao is the world's best at $1 per quart and is my major expense. Delicious food costs about $3 and is served while you recline on comfortable beds like Roman gluttons. The CIA maps I am using don't even show a village where the tiny town of Nong Khiaw is today. Yesterday We walked a couple of miles along the river to a supposed "Pathet Lao" cave and paid the requisite 10,000 kip ($1.20) Despite the rusted assault rifles in the mud the whole thing was a fake, but what a bunch of fun! Caving is a major business here in Laos and the caves range from the ridiculous to the sublime. The guides are invariably cute 10 year old kids, often girls, and there is nothing you can do to escape them. Sometimes giggling hordes will follow you no matter how hard you try to drive them off. All well and good but if you try to step off the beaten path without a registered guide then the cops get involved and it could be costly, especially if they find that bag of weed. I have located a major cave on my topos for which there is no reference on the web or on the French Lao caves project, so I reluctantly contacted a registered tour company. They explained that the cave and environs thereabout are unknown so they cannot legally take me there, but they did suggest that I directly contact a man named Souk who works for the Commie government and whose job it is to scout out possible caves, treks and visitable villages to make sure they are safe as in no unexploded ordinance and no rebellious Hmong. Souk turned out to be a fine fellow who will happily take me anywhere I want to go for about $20 per day so the trip is a go. He knows about the cave and related a legend that five locals went in and only one came out. Apparently no falang (foreigners) have ever been there. The watershed that the cave drains is quite large and because of a complete lack of access the valley appears to be pristine on google earth. I don't give a damn about going far into a big nasty river cave. My goal is to find a way over the mountain to the upstream entrance and the pristine valley beyond. Tomorrow's trip is just to scout it out. A one hour boat ride in a little motorized canoe then a two or three hour walk through ruined jungle to the downstream entrance, all doable in one day. If the locals know a way to get over the mountain then Ann and I will return with Souk to mount a multi day expedition into the pristine valley. Wish us luck! Sleaze
