Jimmy, I agree, the knowledgeable studies and writings of DirtDoc, while in large part were over my head, I found to be most interesting even if the time line for the geographical changes to the earth's surface were incomprehensible. For we laymen, history of our part of the world began with Amerigo Vespucci or maybe Cabeza Devaca. Sorry, I'm not looking up the spelling but you get the idea. Having the knowledge that these canyons and others throughout our earth were formed by moving water lets us know that it occurred over what seems like an impossible period of time. My unscientific opinion is that the canyons of the Rio Grande are some of the most awe inspiring sights that I have ever seen from the air but especially from the river while traveling through.
I will continue to forward posts that I feel you will relate to or have an interest in seeing. I hope that you don't mind me sharing some of our correspondence with our caving community as you are a pioneer in the early days of Texas caving, much like the Chrisman Brothers and many others that I can't recall but whose names would be familiar. Fritz _____ From: Jimmy Walker [mailto:jim...@gvtc.com] Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 3:41 PM To: Fritz Holt Subject: Rio Grande Hello Fritz, The information you sent concerning your experiences along the Rio Grande was well-received. The learned description of the geological origin of the area was beautiful. Somehow, my admiration of the history is clouded more than a little because of the vast time periods involved. It's hard enough for me to understand recorded history going back a few hundred years. But, when the subject involves eons of geological time, this is beyond what I can absorb. I followed the expectation roughly and found it fascinating. Yet, I would be hard pressed to explain it to someone. In summary, I can accept that The Rio Grande is not all we imagine it to be. The storied river has its origin from surprising sources. But it remains the river we have always known as The Rio Grande and I doubt if that will change. As a writer, my job was frequently described as making the complex seem simple. In this case, it would be a real challenge to reduce the explanation to a paragraph or two. Yet, this is what writers do. Thanks for letting me see explanation. I loved it. Jimmy
