texascavers Digest 3 Dec 2009 06:05:49 -0000 Issue 901
Topics (messages 12783 through 12790):
Re: 2010 TSA Spring Convention related
12783 by: Don Arburn
12784 by: Diana Tomchick
12785 by: Bill Bentley
Thanksgiving Laguna de Sanchez trip report
12786 by: Jim Kennedy
Re: Nutty Putty Cave attempted rescue
12787 by: wpick.cox.net
Thoughts about the TSA Spring Convention
12788 by: Carl Kunath
A New LED Headlamp-The Mammut Lucido TX1
12789 by: Preston Forsythe
Re: thoughts
12790 by: David
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--- Begin Message ---
I'd be happy to host. I have 350 acres in Bee County. That's between
Corpus Christi and San Antonio. Free, no charge. Large Pavillion and
one windmill. No river, creek or kitchen. Plenty of thorns and cow pies.
Don's iPhone.
On Dec 2, 2009, at 4:02 PM, Preston Forsythe <pns_...@bellsouth.net>
wrote:
Doesn't some caver own a field surrounded by a few trees? How big
does it have to be? Three acres? Five acres would easily do it.
I went to one of the events a few years ago in April, it was west of
San Marcos. Cost more than it should for only 2 or 3 days and I
frankly do not know why? Everyone camped in a field of less than 2
acres. There was "one" ordinary KY style outhouse, certainly nothing
fancy. And, there was a plain small 30 x 40 ft. building for
presentations on Sat. I think all of that, including one meal, cost
at least a thousand, maybe two thou. It fact a hat had to be passed
around to break even. On Sunday the conservation meetings were
conducted outside. What did we pay for except a place to park our
vehicle?
Ediger, Ernie, Don or Raines, and others, I thought had several
acres which could work, and they are centrally located in the state.
I have never understood why one of those events should cost $40-50
for two people for only 2 to 2 1/2 days.
Preston
-----------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: Denise P
To: TexasCavers
Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 3:43 PM
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] 2010 TSA Spring Convention related
True.
I also suggested Flat Creek Ranch to Ellie. Might work.
Cheers,
Denise
Date: Wed, 2 Dec 2009 21:34:49 +0000
From: jran...@gmail.com
To: texascavers@texascavers.com
Subject: Re: Re: [Texascavers] 2010 TSA Spring Convention related
Having helped host far too many of these things my advice for Ellie
was that she needed to do whatever worked best for her. If it meets
her budget, her travel constraints, her whims etc than it is the
right place. No matter what, someone will be unhappy.
By and far the biggest issue for spring convention has been finding
an affordable site that meets all our needs. Colorado Bend typically
would love for us to have functions there but the ceiling in the
conference room is a bit low for presentations and close camping is
problematic. CWAN is in a good location but has no potable water,
dry weather only camping and we would have to work around the tours
in the cave. Most of us loath the thought of going back to Kerrville
after the bout of Irritable Caver Syndrome that hit us this summer.
Sonora was fun but it is way the hell out in, well, Sonora! Cascade
Caverns was pretty good but it required a ton of prep work and you
might get shot. Albert cost us a small fortune. Burnett was fun but
the divided camping and talks upset folks. I could go on and on.
We will have convention where ever Ellie finally finds a spot that
works! If you don't like it run for TSA VP.
Joe
On Dec 2, 2009 3:26pm, Diana Tomchick <diana.tomch...@utsouthwestern.edu
> wrote:
> Stefan,
>
>
>
> Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose...sometimes the people in
West Texas have to drive a long ways, sometimes the people in
Houston have a long drive.
>
>
>
> Those of us in North Texas *always* have a long drive.
>
>
>
> If you're really a dedicated caver and enjoy going to the TSA
Convention, you find a way to get there.
>
>
>
> Diana
>
>
>
> On Dec 2, 2009, at 2:05 PM, Stefan Creaser wrote:
>
>
>
>
> The biggest problem David is that it's over near Houston (I
>
> think that's what you said). That's a *long* way from the
>
> center of Texas, why would the people from West Texas want
>
> to drive all the way to East Texas?
>
>
>
> Also, you have to consider the cooks (I would say that...) we
>
> don't really want to cook under a tarp, some form of kitchen
>
> would be a lot nicer for the food we usually provide).
>
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> Stefan
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> From: David [mailto:dlocklea...@gmail.com]
>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 1:53 PM
>
> To: Cavers Texas
>
> Subject: [Texascavers] 2010 TSA Spring Convention related
>
>
>
> Yesterday, I posted a note about a potential
>
> site to hold the 2010 TSA Spring Convention.
>
>
>
> I would like to make a motion that this camp be on
>
> the list of tentative sites proposed for a spring convention.
>
>
>
> I sent an e-mail to the manager the camp
>
> to see if his e-mail was still good and if he was still in charge.
>
> He immediately replied, and said he would mention
>
> it to the committee that controls this camp.
>
>
>
> I bet this place would be inexpensive compared to
>
> other choices that were mentioned.
>
>
>
> This place does not have any karst or any of the
>
> scenery of the Texas Hill Country. However, it
>
> is out in the sticks.
>
>
>
> Camp Happy Hollow ( CHH ) is more primitive and smaller, than the
>
> John Knox Ranch Camp that the event has been
>
> held at before.
>
>
>
> I think there would be no shortage of places to rig a hammock.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> I am guessing Camp Happy Hollow would cost at least $ 600
>
> for the 3 day weekend.
>
>
>
> The camp committee may say they are not interested. If that
>
> happens, then maybe TSA could offer $ 800 or more, as
>
> I imagine they are too cash-strapped for renovation.
>
>
>
> Portable facilities could be erected if necessary, like the big tarp
>
> with the Oztotl logo.
>
>
>
> I am NOT trying to side step the procedures. I am only trying to
>
> see what interest is out there for holding the event at CHH. If
>
> the motion fails, I am not going to lose any sleep or get
>
> my feelings hurt.
>
>
>
> David Locklear
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>
>
>
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>
> Diana R. Tomchick
>
> Associate Professor
>
> University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
>
> Department of Biochemistry
>
> 5323 Harry Hines Blvd.
>
> Rm. ND10.214B
>
> Dallas, TX 75390-8816, U.S.A.
>
> Email: diana.tomch...@utsouthwestern.edu
>
> 214-645-6383 (phone)
>
> 214-645-6353 (fax)
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>
Get gifts for them and cashback for you. Try Bing now.
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
One of the biggest expenses of a TSA Convention is the absolute
requirement of a large enough building to hold talks and to also have
room for the Photo and Map Salons. The building needs to be covered
from the elements and needs to be dark enough so that people can see a
PowerPoint presentation. It also needs to have sufficient electrical
outlets...and many people clamor for air conditioning (though I think
that in April in Texas that's not absolutely necessary, but others
would disagree).
Recently we've had a group of cavers that enjoy cooking dinner on
Saturday night. So now you also need a building that also has kitchen
facilities.
Add to this the requirement of two nights camping, plus restroom
facilities and parking spots.
Preston, when was the last time you checked on how much it costs to
rent such a facility for two days? It's not cheap, and only about
100-120 people show up at the TSA Convention, so you do not have the
same economies of scale as TCR (typical attendance of 300+).
Diana
On Dec 2, 2009, at 4:02 PM, Preston Forsythe wrote:
Doesn't some caver own a field surrounded by a few trees? How big
does it have to be? Three acres? Five acres would easily do it.
I went to one of the events a few years ago in April, it was west of
San Marcos. Cost more than it should for only 2 or 3 days and I
frankly do not know why? Everyone camped in a field of less than 2
acres. There was "one" ordinary KY style outhouse, certainly nothing
fancy. And, there was a plain small 30 x 40 ft. building for
presentations on Sat. I think all of that, including one meal, cost
at least a thousand, maybe two thou. It fact a hat had to be passed
around to break even. On Sunday the conservation meetings were
conducted outside. What did we pay for except a place to park our
vehicle?
Ediger, Ernie, Don or Raines, and others, I thought had several
acres which could work, and they are centrally located in the state.
I have never understood why one of those events should cost $40-50
for two people for only 2 to 2 1/2 days.
Preston
-----------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: Denise P
To: TexasCavers
Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 3:43 PM
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] 2010 TSA Spring Convention related
True.
I also suggested Flat Creek Ranch to Ellie. Might work.
Cheers,
Denise
Date: Wed, 2 Dec 2009 21:34:49 +0000
From: jran...@gmail.com
To: texascavers@texascavers.com
Subject: Re: Re: [Texascavers] 2010 TSA Spring Convention related
Having helped host far too many of these things my advice for Ellie
was that she needed to do whatever worked best for her. If it meets
her budget, her travel constraints, her whims etc than it is the
right place. No matter what, someone will be unhappy.
By and far the biggest issue for spring convention has been finding
an affordable site that meets all our needs. Colorado Bend typically
would love for us to have functions there but the ceiling in the
conference room is a bit low for presentations and close camping is
problematic. CWAN is in a good location but has no potable water,
dry weather only camping and we would have to work around the tours
in the cave. Most of us loath the thought of going back to Kerrville
after the bout of Irritable Caver Syndrome that hit us this summer.
Sonora was fun but it is way the hell out in, well, Sonora! Cascade
Caverns was pretty good but it required a ton of prep work and you
might get shot. Albert cost us a small fortune. Burnett was fun but
the divided camping and talks upset folks. I could go on and on.
We will have convention where ever Ellie finally finds a spot that
works! If you don't like it run for TSA VP.
Joe
On Dec 2, 2009 3:26pm, Diana Tomchick <diana.tomch...@utsouthwestern.edu
> wrote:
> Stefan,
>
>
>
> Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose...sometimes the people in
West Texas have to drive a long ways, sometimes the people in
Houston have a long drive.
>
>
>
> Those of us in North Texas *always* have a long drive.
>
>
>
> If you're really a dedicated caver and enjoy going to the TSA
Convention, you find a way to get there.
>
>
>
> Diana
>
>
>
> On Dec 2, 2009, at 2:05 PM, Stefan Creaser wrote:
>
>
>
>
> The biggest problem David is that it's over near Houston (I
>
> think that's what you said). That's a *long* way from the
>
> center of Texas, why would the people from West Texas want
>
> to drive all the way to East Texas?
>
>
>
> Also, you have to consider the cooks (I would say that...) we
>
> don't really want to cook under a tarp, some form of kitchen
>
> would be a lot nicer for the food we usually provide).
>
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> Stefan
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> From: David [mailto:dlocklea...@gmail.com]
>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 1:53 PM
>
> To: Cavers Texas
>
> Subject: [Texascavers] 2010 TSA Spring Convention related
>
>
>
> Yesterday, I posted a note about a potential
>
> site to hold the 2010 TSA Spring Convention.
>
>
>
> I would like to make a motion that this camp be on
>
> the list of tentative sites proposed for a spring convention.
>
>
>
> I sent an e-mail to the manager the camp
>
> to see if his e-mail was still good and if he was still in charge.
>
> He immediately replied, and said he would mention
>
> it to the committee that controls this camp.
>
>
>
> I bet this place would be inexpensive compared to
>
> other choices that were mentioned.
>
>
>
> This place does not have any karst or any of the
>
> scenery of the Texas Hill Country. However, it
>
> is out in the sticks.
>
>
>
> Camp Happy Hollow ( CHH ) is more primitive and smaller, than the
>
> John Knox Ranch Camp that the event has been
>
> held at before.
>
>
>
> I think there would be no shortage of places to rig a hammock.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> I am guessing Camp Happy Hollow would cost at least $ 600
>
> for the 3 day weekend.
>
>
>
> The camp committee may say they are not interested. If that
>
> happens, then maybe TSA could offer $ 800 or more, as
>
> I imagine they are too cash-strapped for renovation.
>
>
>
> Portable facilities could be erected if necessary, like the big tarp
>
> with the Oztotl logo.
>
>
>
> I am NOT trying to side step the procedures. I am only trying to
>
> see what interest is out there for holding the event at CHH. If
>
> the motion fails, I am not going to lose any sleep or get
>
> my feelings hurt.
>
>
>
> David Locklear
>
>
>
>
---------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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>
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>
>
>
>
> --
>
> IMPORTANT NOTICE: The contents of this email and any attachments
are confidential and may also be privileged. If you are not the
intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately and do not
disclose the contents to any other person, use it for any purpose,
or store or copy the information in any medium. Thank you.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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> Visit our website: http://texascavers.com
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>
>
>
>
>
>
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>
> Diana R. Tomchick
>
> Associate Professor
>
> University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
>
> Department of Biochemistry
>
> 5323 Harry Hines Blvd.
>
> Rm. ND10.214B
>
> Dallas, TX 75390-8816, U.S.A.
>
> Email: diana.tomch...@utsouthwestern.edu
>
> 214-645-6383 (phone)
>
> 214-645-6353 (fax)
>
>
>
>
>
>
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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>
>
>
Get gifts for them and cashback for you. Try Bing now.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Diana R. Tomchick
Associate Professor
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Department of Biochemistry
5323 Harry Hines Blvd.
Rm. ND10.214B
Dallas, TX 75390-8816, U.S.A.
Email: diana.tomch...@utsouthwestern.edu
214-645-6383 (phone)
214-645-6353 (fax)
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
David,
Gas is not an issue for me, it's the drive time involved...
Have it where you want and I'll consider if I can make it or not...
Bill
----- Original Message -----
From: "David" <dlocklea...@gmail.com>
To: "Cavers Texas" <texascavers@texascavers.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 2:25 PM
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] 2010 TSA Spring Convention related
In response to Stefan's post, the camp is less than one hour due east of
the town of Giddings.
Meaning,
The camp is 4 1/2 hours from Dallas.
Ft. Worth, would be a different route, but still at 4 1/2 hours.
San Antonio would be 3 hours.
LAG cavers would have to drive 10 1/2 hours. Ouch !
PBSS would have a 9 hour road-trip.
El Paso would be the farthest at 11 1/2 hours.
Sea Aggies would only have a 2 hour 15 minute trip.
College Station Aggies would only have 1 hour 15 minute.
Maybe a fund could be set up to help the West Texas cavers pay
for gas, with the money saved from the low rent cost of the
camp. ( that is still a big assumption ).
Again, I would like to emphasize that I am only trying to see if anyone
is interested in considering this camp.
David Locklear
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--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
For eight days, 21-21 November 2009, 25 cavers descended upon the remote
La Camotera plateau near the village of Laguna de Sanchez for
exploration, survey, and documentation of the caves and karst there.
And also for some quality socializing, feasting, and enjoying the
fantastic scenery and the whole experience that is Mexico. Others will
be telling the tale in different ways in their own trip reports, but as
trip coordinator, I wanted to post a brief summary of our activities.
Three vehicles left Austin and San Antonio bright and early on Saturday
the 21st. Drivers were Jim Kennedy (with Tone Garot from Sanderson, TX;
Jane Slater from Cincinnati, OH; and Ramona Josefczyk from Knoxville,
TN), Matt Turner (with Carol and Joe Zokaites from Blacksburg, VA and
Steve Yochum from Colorado Springs, CO), and Don Arburn (with Texans Ann
Scott, Kathleen O'Connor, and Roger Moore (Houston)). Along the way, we
picked up Jennifer Foote (NM), who flew into the Monterrey airport and
was picked up by Erick Gonzalez, a Monterrey caver who would be joining
us later in the week. Despite our best efforts, the early nightfall
found us getting into camp well after dark.
Sunday was beautiful, and after setting up camp, mainly the unpacking
the kitchen and cutting firewood, everyone split up to ridgewalk, start
tagging caves, and begin mapping leads. That night was the first of
many great (and huge) meals.
Monday saw us back in the field until about mid-afternoon, when it
started raining, which soon turned to hail. We retreated to camp, ate
another great meal, and then went out to rescue Ron Rutherford and his
family, Barb, Ashland, Drew, and Kevin. They drove in to meet us, but
the newly muddy roads threatened to send their truck into a nearby cave
entrance. Don and I drove out to rescue them, along with the help of
several other brave souls. Safely back in camp, we continued the
night's festivities.
Tuesday was more rain, and a lot of good work. More entrances were
tagged, new caves were found, old (and new) caves were mapped.
Wednesday was more of the same, with the addition of the San Marcos
Grotto, Ben and Carrie Hutchins, Ben Tobin, Goni Iskali, and translator
Dale Barnard. Their 2WD vehicle wasn't able to overcome the muddy
roads, so they hired a local to shuttle them to camp in his 4WD pickup.
Crisis averted! After setting up their tents, they took off to map a
cave saved from the Dec. 2007 expedition. It turned out to be very
pretty.
On Thursday the weather began clearing, giving us encouragement for the
trip home. Erick showed up from Monterrey, bring a much-needed infusion
of beer. He also brought some excellent soups. I knocked off the field
work early to start preparing the Thanksgiving banquet. It was an
excellent feast, featuring a deep-fried turkey, baked honey-glazed ham,
mushroom stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, and asparagus in butter
sauce. The family of the local farmer, Geraldo, joined us, so we fed
about 34 people, and still had lots of food left over.
Friday saw even nicer weather, and lots more surveys. More pretty
(although not large) caves were mapped. Then we began the process of
starting to tear down camp, packing up the non-essentials and sorting
personal gear. We finished up Saturday morning, and were out of camp by
9:30. We dropped the San Marcos group off at their vehicle, made
several important photo stops at some jaw-dropping scenery, and gathered
one last time for lunch at an all-you-can-eat buffet in Los Cavazos,
costing just 40 pesos per person. The group began fragmenting then,
with individual vehicles working their way northward at differing
speeds. Matt's vehicle and mine made a stop in Mty. To check out
Erick's bar, the Lov Pub. It was very cool, and is a good place for
visiting cavers to stop by. Despite some minor problems, like Matt
getting held up by a corrupt cop in Mty, and Don and Ron getting
extorted at the bridge before the border, we all got home safely and
were unpacked and in bed by about 3am or so.
As far as I can tell by looking through the wad of survey books taken on
the trip, we mapped 16 caves, including about 8 new ones found on this
trip. We put tags on over 70 entrances and potential entrances, and
still have a lot to go on the next trip. We got great GPS locations for
a bunch of sites, and good tracklogs which we will soon be uploading to
the Project website for use by future participants. The website has
already had some updates and improvements, and soon this trip report
(and others') will also be there. We plan to put up a ton of photos,
and will also do a UT Grotto program in a near future meeting. If you
haven't checked out the website yet, go to www.garot.com/LdeS and see
what you missed.
-- Jim "Crash" Kennedy
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Hello Texicans
Why forever close the cave? Just wait 12-18 months and nature will make the
recovery easier!
Walter
---- Mixon Bill <bmixon...@austin.rr.com> wrote:
> It seems to me that some things about the attempted rescue and
> abandoned recovery at Nutty Putty have not appeared in the press
> reports. Presumably the victim was solidly attached by slings of some
> sort to a rope, as they report he was lifted from the entrapping
> crevice but then fell back when an anchor failed, after which he died.
> Seems like replacing the anchor with a better one or several would
> have allowed the body to be extracted without too much more trouble.
> It is possible that there are additional serious obstacles between the
> victim and the entrance, though.
> --Mixon
> ----------------------------------------
> Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them more.
> ----------------------------------------
> You may "reply" to the address this message
> came from, but for long-term use, save:
> Personal: bmi...@alumni.uchicago.edu
> AMCS: edi...@amcs-pubs.org or sa...@amcs-pubs.org
>
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--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Some of the recent comments about the TSA spring convention are
thought-provoking and a bit amusing.
First, let's establish exactly where we stand geographically. Look at this map
http://pages.suddenlink.net/carl-kunath/100-250_miles_from_Burnet.jpg
to find the point most central to all known Texas caving groups (we need a
circle with radius = 250 miles). Since Texas is a big place, and since we
don't often have the option of choosing where we want to be and when we want to
be there, some TSA members are going to have longer journeys than others. That
said, it's not too realistic to have the Convention at the extreme edges of the
group territory. In years past, it's been as far west as San Angelo, but
mostly it's been within that inner 100 mile circle centered on Burnet. That's
really handy for Austin, San Antonio, and others on the I-35 corridor but not
so good for Houston, Midland, Wichita Falls, and Lubbock. It's better to
gather at a central location rather than in Wichita Falls, Houston, or Midland
-- places that would inconvenience 95% of the attendees.
David Locklear's emphasis seems poorly placed. He is more interested in the
recreational possibilities in the immediate area than in the Convention itself.
The Convention was not designed to be a recreational weekend except as
opportunity and inclination may allow. Earlier Conventions would usually have
one or more field trips available for Sunday but were set so as not to conflict
with formal Convention activities. It is, after all, a CAVING Convention and
should not be oriented toward bicycling, kayaking, hiking, bird-watching,
swimming, or whatever.
The TSA Convention was conceived as an annual gathering where information could
be shared in a somewhat formal setting with others of like mind. To that end,
there are some requirements.
There must be a meeting room large enough for the expected group.
The room must be made reasonably dark for media presentations.
Climate control is almost a must as the spring weather in Texas is
unpredictable.
The room itself should be somewhat acoustically dead.
There must be appropriate space to display the photo and map salons.
There should be "crowd control."
Lacking crowd control, we find that if camping is just outside the door, people
continuously wander in and out of the room while presentations are taking
place. It's probably better if camping is at least a few miles away so that
people are either at the Convention (isn't that why they are here?) or at the
campground -- at least until more considerate behavior is evidenced. Recently,
some convention attendees have been rude in the extreme and some tended to
gather in the back of the room and carry on as if nothing else was happening.
The last Kerrville convention was the worst I have ever seen in this regard.
Historically, Conventions were held at scholastic locations and the camping was
remote. The evening meal was sourced individually either at a nearby food
place or prepared at the campground. The present-day pattern of cavers cooking
for the crowd may be more hassle than it's worth. Eliminate the need for
kitchen facilities and choice of venues is far simpler.
The Convention that Preston Forsythe referenced where a hat was passed to
offset a financial shortfall was at the Knox Ranch near Wimberley in 2006.
Convention registration was noted as 110 -- about average for recent years. No
explanation was offered as to why the Convention was in the red but that's not
really the point. To pass the hat was rather bizarre. TSA has a plump
treasury that could easily cover the shortfall. So what if it lost a little
money? If the Convention had come out financially ahead do you think those in
attendance would have received a partial refund?
===Carl Kunath (Attending since 1962)
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I do not think David has reviewed this headlamp.
In August I purchased a Mammut Lucido TX1 LED Headlamp for $80.00. The lamp
is helmet mounted with 3 AA in back of the helmet. What makes this headlamp
so good is the incredible spotlight with the great runtime of days and that
is on the brightest setting. The bright light is a hi-flux one watt LED with
a max range of 345 ft. The lamp also has Two Hi-definition floodlight LEDs
with hi and low settings. The run times of these smaller LEDs have a max of
180 hours. I noticed tonight that some vendors now sell the Lucido for as
little as $64.
Another model offered is the "plain" Mammut TX1, not the Lucido which I
have. The TX1 is powered by 3 C-cells carried in a belt pack or in a pocket
where the batteries can be kept warmer. That model using 3 C-cells has a run
time of 450 hours, can you believe that. The lamps are not waterproof, but
they are made for an alpine use in rough and tough, cold and damp
conditions.
Mammut is famous for rope climbing rope.
Preston
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I have only attended about 10 TSA Spring Conventions,
and I was probably only there for 1/2 the program, so I can't
claim any expertise on this event.
I enjoyed going in Steam Cave and Chinaberry Cave in 1985.
That was my 1st introduction to the TSA, and I thought that it was fun.
I enjoyed a convention in Uvalde, when they showed for the 1st time a slideshow
of the Chandelier Room in Lech.
I enjoyed swimming at the Knox ranch.
After that, my memory is pretty fuzzy.
I heard there was once one on the campus in College Station or was that a
Winter BOG meeting ?
Based on yesterday's feedback, the camp I proposed is not acceptable.
But I would like to add something:
There are probably hundreds of people in East Texas that would be interested in
caving if they knew about it. I believe some kind of outdoor event
could be held
someday to attract these people. There are cavers in Nacogdoches,
Galveston, and lots of colleges have the potential to attract young
new cavers, Rice, St. Thomas, Sam Houston, etc. There is probably
potential to attract cavers from Lake Charles. There are over 2
million people in the Houston area, and the population growth is
expected to rise. I strongly feel there is a great job waiting in
this area for an enthusiastic caver to explore the potential of
finding people that love caves and caving here. At the moment, I am
not in any kind of position to do that. I live in a county that is
mostly rural - Ft. Bend County. But we have at least 5 NSS members
here.
I would like to someday plan a caving related event at Camp Happy
Hollow near the town of Burton. I think this event could make a
profit, and the money could be donated to the TCMA or the TCC or some
other caving fund.
As far as my emphasis on non-caving activities, many of the spouses
and kids that might
attend the event are not interested in it all, and want to get away to
do fun stuff. That is
why I mention hiking, bicycling and touring the place where the
Declaration of Independence was signed, and the bluebonnets, and the
BlueBell IceCream Factory, etc. but, also, because there are no caves
within 80 miles to explore on Sunday.
Also, I do have a contact at the Blue Lagoon, but that is farther east
near Huntsville.
http://www.bluelagoonscuba.net/images/lagoon%20021.jpg
Also, I believe Texas is big enough to hold some kind of caving event
in the Panhandle or in Far West, Texas, for example, near Cornudas (
o.k. maybe not Cornudas ).
http://www.texasescapes.com/WestTexasTowns/CornudasTexas/CornudasTxCityLimit0607BG.jpg
Cheers,
David Locklear
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