[Texascavers] Just reminscing - part 2 of 3

[David via Texascavers]

I left out the part that I was renting a room in Wild Bill Rupley's
townhome in west Houston.  I am sure he regrets that.  Wild Bill was still
working in his grandfather's fur-coat business ( yes, In Houston if you can
fathom that )  That is his story to tell.   It is my theory, that he helped
fuel the campfire rumors then that maybe some of my marbles were slightly
loose.

Anyways,

Rolf Adams and his girlfriend Anne agreed to meet me at Terry Raines' ranch
around mid-December ( I think ).   I just recall a fuzzy memory of a
dome-shaped wooden structure with a grand piano and some old clutter.   I
think that might have been my first real formal introduction to Terry
Raines, although I had met him and read dozens of his adventures.  It was
dark when I got there, and I think that I had spent an hour just trying to
find his house.

I recall a female caver maybe renting a bungalow there that was maybe a
Jazzercize instructor ??
She was good-looking.  I forgot her name 25 years ago.

I arrived there from Houston in "The Speleo-Stationwagon."  A 1972 Ford
Country Squire with a 1976 400 cu in ( actually 6.6 liters ) V8 that I had
proudly installed by myself.  The money and time that I spent on that car
over a two-year period was way way beyond super-retarded.  But in those
days, I could not afford an Isuzu Trooper or other fancy SUVs that cavers
were purchasing.  I had purchased it for $ 200 from my grandpa in 1987 and
it was my first car.   So I had some really weird sentimental attachment to
it, partly because he and I had years of memories in it prior to that.  It
once had an 8-track player mounted to the floor, and a CB-radio.


Upon arriving at Terry's ranch house, things were quite chaotic.Terry
was very intensely preoccupied with the finishing touches of his newest
book - one that he was hoping to present two weeks later at the First
Mexpeleo in Ciudad Valles, entitled - "The Caves of Mexico."

Terry quickly showed me the rough draft, and I can't tell you here what my
first impression was.   But it was or would have been today the equivalent
of 100 Wikipedia articles on the major caves of Mexico - had he had some
assistance and more time ro work on it.

The 2 Aussies were no where near ready to leave and suggested waiting
another day - maybe something to do with their newly acquired beater jalopy
- a Datsun pickup ( $ 400 ?? ) [ ~ 1977 ]

So I drove into San Marcos to get more supplies.   There, suddenly my
drive-shaft fell off after the rear U-Joint shattered.I spent most of
the night by myself in a parking lot of AutoZone in San Marcos fixing
that.  ( no internet or cell-phone )

I drove exhausted back to Terry's ranch only to break the front U-joint
about a half-mile from his ranch.

Someone claimed you need to replace both U-Joints.   I have no memory of
how I fixed that or even if I did.

It must have been morning time by the time I made contact with the Aussies
that I had a unexpected setback.  I was so wiped out.

The rest of that day and the next gets very fuzzy, but wherever I abandoned
The Speleo-Stationwagon . was across the street from Nancy Weaver's
house.

Maybe she has a better memory of that than I do.   She was not a happy
camper, as I think it was abandoned there 3 weeks ( or maybe 3 months ??
).  Plus it was in a fairly ugly state of modification at that point.
 Meaning, it belonged in a junk-yard crusher.

I guess the 2 Aussies and I and the Datsun pickup left Terry's ranch
uneventfully.  I rode in the back of the camper in a fetal position in a
space not any bigger than a large suitcase while breathing toxic fumes.

I am guessing that was my 2nd of four times to cross the border by car at
Matamoros.

We drove 18 painful hours non-stop to a beach just outside a very tiny town
called Nautla in the northern part of the state of Veracuz.

We camped alone on a very secluded remote beach with no worries whatsoever
of being beheaded by a cartel member.   We never saw anybody there.
Unfortunately, we slept the whole 5 hours that we were there and never saw
the pretty beach in the daylight, except we probably left just after
sunrise.  I doubt I pitched a tent, but they did.

https://goo.gl/maps/AvaNxXw5TCH2

That area sure looks very tourist-friendly on the Google map link above
after just 28 years.

Our next stop was a quick lunch at a taqueria in Orizaba where we quickly
did our final shopping.At that point, I recall wasting money, that I
would need later.  Had I just had about $ 40 more, I would have managed the
trip without any bad memories.

We eventually arrived in the capital of the state of Puebla, and traffic
was insane - much worse than other small cities I had visited.  Volkswagen
beetle bug-taxis by the hundreds.  All white ??

Then we continued south towards the rural base-camp area that I can only
assume was an "ejido."

I think we set up camp in the dark, however we had very little in the form
of camping gear.

I seem to recall waking up in a giant hilly pasture 

Re: [Texascavers] Just reminiscing - part 1 of 3

[Michael Harris via Texascavers]

It must have been a very fuzzy memory because 1989 was 28 years ago.

Mike Harris

On Dec 24, 2017 5:26 PM, "Mark Minton via Texascavers" <
texascavers@texascavers.com> wrote:

> Rolf Adams was a fantastic caver and all around really nice guy. I had the
> pleasure of caving with him several times, including at Cueva Cheve in
> 1989. There is a photo of Rolf, Noel Sloan and me on the cover of the NSS
> history book "Caving in America". We were supposed to represent "modern"
> cavers, as compared to the other photo on the cover showing cavers from
> 1940. Ironically, at that time none of the three of us were NSS members.
> Rolf was Australian and not a member; I had not yet joined, and Noel's
> membership had lapsed. (The book is no longer available from the NSS, but
> it is on eBay:  of-the-National-Spelelogical-Society-1991-/151917519053>.)
>
>
> Mark Minton
>
> mmin...@caver.net
>
> On Sun, 24 Dec, 2017 at 5:11 PM, David via Texascavers <
> texascavers@texascavers.com> wrote:
>
> To: CaveTex
> Cc: dlocklea...@gmail.com
> A personal story from David Locklear from December of 1989.
> ( a very fuzzy memory from 18 years ago)
>
> I have ever told this whole story - at least not in detail - just in parts.
>
> Background:   Australian caver Rolf Adams ( who would later drown in
> Florida scuba training for a caving expedition ) was hanging out in Austin
> semi-permanently caving full-time..  He had finished his math studies at a
> university in Australia and had climbed El Capitan and sone lots of
> caving.He was the most technical caver that I had ever met, and I
> assumed he could lead or climb as good as Alejandro Villagomez.   He and I
> had caved previously once over Thanksgiving in The El Cielo, mostly
> ridgewalking camping, swimming and taking in the Huastecan culture.
>
> [ Sidenote:   I actually sincerely believed his name was Wallaby Adams
> until reading his obituary in the NSS News two years later. ]
>
> In November of 89, I was laid-off from a civil engineering company where I
> worked drafting on mylar with ink pens. and Leroy set roads ( new suburban
> boulevards ).   I had never been laid off.   In those days, unlike today, I
> was a total moron, and I had no earthly idea what it meant to be laid off.
>  In my case, I had an extreme stroke of luck ( for once ) in that when I
> arrived at The Texas Unemployment Office, my bosse's boss was in line right
> next to me.
>
> So I left Houston and went to the UT Grotto meeting.   ( In those days,
> still being an A.S.S. caver, I referred to it as the "t.u. Grotto." )
>
> Rolf was there with his girlfriend from Australia.  He introduced her as
> Dr. Anne Gray.She was a cute blonde with long frizzy hair about 25
> years old.   [I think this might be her on Facebook
>
> https://www.facebook.com/anne.gray.144 ]
>
> Rolf announced he was heading on a ridgewalking adventure near Tehuacan,
> Puebla in search of the highest cave entrance in the western hemisphere.
>
> I think our remote spot is now a tourist site:
>
> San Bernardino Lagunas
> Vicente Guerrero, Puebla, Mexico
>
> https://goo.gl/maps/Zer3ueTFVt32
>
> Some Austin cavers found a tiny yellow beat-up Datsun pickup with
> camper-shell on the back.
>
> Rolf was content to have me tag along, but unknown to me, his girlfriend
> had possibly been wanting a simple quite trip with just the two of them.
>  She did not know me at all, like Rolf did.  And she and I never hit it
> off.   In hindsight, I should have bailed on them, at some point before
> reaching Puebla.
> But they had no business travelling alone like that where they were going.
>
> Maybe to be continued
>
> Feel free to correct me, or add to Part One, if you knew Rolf or Anne.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ___
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> texascavers@texascavers.com/
> http://lists.texascavers.com/listinfo/texascavers
>
>
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Re: [Texascavers] Just reminiscing - part 1 of 3

[Mark Minton via Texascavers]

Rolf Adams was a fantastic caver and all around really nice guy. I had the 
pleasure of caving with him several times, including at Cueva Cheve in 1989. 
There is a photo of Rolf, Noel Sloan and me on the cover of the NSS history 
book "Caving in America". We were supposed to represent "modern" cavers, as 
compared to the other photo on the cover showing cavers from 1940. Ironically, 
at that time none of the three of us were NSS members. Rolf was Australian and 
not a member; I had not yet joined, and Noel's membership had lapsed. (The book 
is no longer available from the NSS, but it is on eBay: 
.)



Mark Minton
mmin...@caver.net


On Sun, 24 Dec, 2017 at 5:11 PM, David via Texascavers 
 wrote:
 

To: CaveTex
Cc: dlocklea...@gmail.com
A personal story from David Locklear from December of 1989.
( a very fuzzy memory from 18 years ago)



I have ever told this whole story - at least not in detail - just in parts.


Background:   Australian caver Rolf Adams ( who would later drown in Florida 
scuba training for a caving expedition ) was hanging out in Austin 
semi-permanently caving full-time..  He had finished his math studies at a 
university in Australia and had climbed El Capitan and sone lots of caving.    
He was the most technical caver that I had ever met, and I assumed he could 
lead or climb as good as Alejandro Villagomez.   He and I had caved previously 
once over Thanksgiving in The El Cielo, mostly ridgewalking camping, swimming 
and taking in the Huastecan culture.   


[ Sidenote:   I actually sincerely believed his name was Wallaby Adams until 
reading his obituary in the NSS News two years later. ]


In November of 89, I was laid-off from a civil engineering company where I 
worked drafting on mylar with ink pens. and Leroy set roads ( new suburban 
boulevards ).   I had never been laid off.   In those days, unlike today, I was 
a total moron, and I had no earthly idea what it meant to be laid off.   In my 
case, I had an extreme stroke of luck ( for once ) in that when I arrived at 
The Texas Unemployment Office, my bosse's boss was in line right next to me.


So I left Houston and went to the UT Grotto meeting.   ( In those days, still 
being an A.S.S. caver, I referred to it as the "t.u. Grotto." )


Rolf was there with his girlfriend from Australia.  He introduced her as Dr. 
Anne Gray.    She was a cute blonde with long frizzy hair about 25 years old.   
[I think this might be her on Facebook 


https://www.facebook.com/anne.gray.144 ]


Rolf announced he was heading on a ridgewalking adventure near Tehuacan, Puebla 
in search of the highest cave entrance in the western hemisphere.


I think our remote spot is now a tourist site:



San Bernardino Lagunas
Vicente Guerrero, Puebla, Mexico


https://goo.gl/maps/Zer3ueTFVt32


Some Austin cavers found a tiny yellow beat-up Datsun pickup with camper-shell 
on the back.


Rolf was content to have me tag along, but unknown to me, his girlfriend had 
possibly been wanting a simple quite trip with just the two of them.   She did 
not know me at all, like Rolf did.  And she and I never hit it off.   In 
hindsight, I should have bailed on them, at some point before reaching Puebla.
But they had no business travelling alone like that where they were going.


Maybe to be continued


Feel free to correct me, or add to Part One, if you knew Rolf or Anne.









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[Texascavers] Just reminiscing - part 1 of 3

[David via Texascavers]

A personal story from David Locklear from December of 1989.
( a very fuzzy memory from 18 years ago)


I have ever told this whole story - at least not in detail - just in parts.

Background:   Australian caver Rolf Adams ( who would later drown in
Florida scuba training for a caving expedition ) was hanging out in Austin
semi-permanently caving full-time.  He had finished his math studies at a
university in Australia and had climbed El Capitan and sone lots of
caving.He was the most technical caver that I had ever met, and I
assumed he could lead or climb as good as Alejandro Villagomez.   He and I
had caved previously once over Thanksgiving in The El Cielo, mostly
ridgewalking camping, swimming and taking in the Huastecan culture.

[ Sidenote:   I actually sincerely believed his name was Wallaby Adams
until reading his obituary in the NSS News two years later. ]

In November of 89, I was laid-off from a civil engineering company where I
worked drafting on mylar with ink pens. and Leroy set roads ( new suburban
boulevards ).   I had never been laid off.   In those days, unlike today, I
was a total moron, and I had no earthly idea what it meant to be laid off.
 In my case, I had an extreme stroke of luck ( for once ) in that when I
arrived at The Texas Unemployment Office, my bosse's boss was in line right
next to me.

So I left Houston and went to the UT Grotto meeting.   ( In those days,
still being an A.S.S. caver, I referred to it as the "t.u. Grotto." )

Rolf was there with his girlfriend from Australia.  He introduced her as
Dr. Anne Gray.She was a cute blonde with long frizzy hair about 25
years old.   [I think this might be her on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/anne.gray.144 ]

Rolf announced he was heading on a ridgewalking adventure near Tehuacan,
Puebla in search of the highest cave entrance in the western hemisphere.

I think our remote spot is now a tourist site:

San Bernardino Lagunas
Vicente Guerrero, Puebla, Mexico


https://goo.gl/maps/Zer3ueTFVt32

Some Austin cavers found a tiny yellow beat-up Datsun pickup with
camper-shell on the back.

Rolf was content to have me tag along, but unknown to me, his girlfriend
had possibly been wanting a simple quite trip with just the two of them.
 She did not know me at all, like Rolf did.  And she and I never hit it
off.   In hindsight, I should have bailed on them, at some point before
reaching Puebla.
But they had no business travelling alone like that where they were going.

Maybe to be continued

Feel free to correct me, or add to Part One, if you knew Rolf or Anne.
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Re: [Texascavers] Texascavers Digest, Vol 42, Issue 19

[Steve Keselik via Texascavers]

My vote for an water proof case is the Pelican box, fortunately Harbor
Freight has the Apache brand for about 1/3rd the cost. The small one
starting at $15. They seem to be well constructed and made of a good grade
plastic, a good rubber seal and a vent valve. They even have the pluck foam
insert. Steve

On Sat, Dec 23, 2017 at 11:00 AM, 
wrote:

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> Today's Topics:
>
>1. NSS Party ? (David)
>2. Ammo can - Part 2 (David)
>3. Re: Ammo can - Part 2 (Mark Minton)
>4. Re: Ammo can - Part 2 (Charles Loving)
>5. Re: Lascaux Museum (Jerry)
>
>
> --
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2017 15:47:35 -0600
> From: David 
> To: CaveTex 
> Subject: [Texascavers] NSS Party ?
> Message-ID:
>