Ride Texas in January

[Bill]

Lewis TR, Brian, Bill and Mike did a short 1130 mile ride in Texas, any way that was my Clock. We missed Willie by a day or two, still had a good ride.
http://www.e-foerster.com/ride.htm

[Deans BMW]

Great pics Bill.

I do miss Texas.

[Bones]

Bill,
It is 9 degrees here today and no end in sight. Thanks for a respite. Enjoyed your ride, vicariously. Nice pics. More, please.

Jeff

[DJ Down Under]

Great pics........and was that big domed dirt or rock hill (pic 4) anything special....is it like a mini Ayers Rock.....and what's an Armadildo

DJ

[Deans BMW]

DJ, that is a solid granite dome near Llano, Texas

[Bill]

Look at the pictures again, I put his picture in the mix, also a link to the big ROCK.

[Dallara]

Though not nearly as big as Ayers Rock in Aussie Land, it is still one of the largest single-rock formations in the United States. Here's a bit more info on it from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department for you, DJ:



Enchanted Rock State Natural Area consists of 1643.5 acres on Big Sandy Creek, north of Fredericksburg, on the border between Gillespie and Llano Counties. It was acquired by warranty deed in 1978 by the Nature Conservancy of Texas, Inc., from the Moss family. The state acquired it in 1984, added facilities, and reopened the park in March 1984, but humans have visited here for over 11,000 years. Enchanted Rock was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1970 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The Rock is a huge, pink granite exfoliation dome, that rises 425 feet above ground, 1825 feet above sea level, and covers 640 acres. It is one of the largest batholiths (underground rock formation uncovered by erosion) in the United States.

Tonkawa Indians believed ghost fires flickered at the top, and they heard weird creaking and groaning, which geologists now say resulted from the rock's heating by day and contracting in the cool night. A conquistador captured by the Tonkawa described how he escaped by losing himself in the rock area, giving rise to an Indian legend of a "pale man swallowed by a rock and reborn as one of their own." The Indians believed he wove enchantments on the area, but he explained that the rock wove the spells. "When I was swallowed by the rock, I joined the many spirits who enchant this place." The first well-documented explorations of this area did not begin until 1723 when the Spanish intensified their efforts to colonize Texas. During the mid-1700s, the Spaniards made several trips to the north and northwest of San Antonio, establishing a mission and presidio on the San Saba River and carrying out limited mining on Honey Creek near the Llano River.


And here's a link to a fairly complete history of Enchanted Rock:

http://www.texfiles.com/erockhistory/


Hope this helps!

Allan (Dallara)

[DJ Down Under]

[The Rock is a huge, pink granite exfoliation dome, that rises 425 feet above ground, 1825 feet above sea level, and covers 640 acres. It is one of the largest batholiths (underground rock formation uncovered by erosion) in the United States.

Thanks guys...I'd love to check out that big rock next time I'm in Texas...first I need to check out our big rock..:rolleyes:

We don't have Armadllos......it looks like a prehistoric rat.

DJ

[Dallara]

G'day, DJ...

Ah,yes... the mysterious armadillo. NO, DJ, it's not a prehistoric rat, but one of the most interesting and intriguing MAMMALS on the planet. I emphasize mammals because so many people are not sure exactly what they are... But they are mammals just like you and me, and they are NOT a rodent or a marsupial as is widely believed. No, they are more closely related to sloths and anteaters.

Another misconception about them is that their shells are made of a leathery substance, but that's not true either. Their shells are true BONE. This renders them far less than flexible, and not exactly quick, but their speed of digging serves as an adequate defense alllowing to only expose their tough, bony backs to attackers while they burrow out of danger. Built much like a mammalian tank, they also can push through thick underbrush and thorny groundcover that discourages predators in pursuit.

One of the most interesting things about the nine-banded armadillos we have in Texas is that they are the world's only mammals that give birth to true CLONES... That's right, folks - CLONES. They always give birth to four IDENTICAL young (although very rarely or two or three, or as many as six, young have been in a single litter), and this is one of the reasons the female has only four mammae (that's "BOOBS" for BobNTM... ;) ). All four of the yound develop from the SAME egg, and even share the same placenta. And they are very much identical as they can be to each other, with every one in the litter always being the same sex and with identical features and biological distinction - literally they are clones of each other.

The nine-banded armadillo has been in Texas for more than one million years, and the United States is one of the few places on Earth (most armadillo species live in South and Central America) where their population is actually expanding, instead of being forced to near extinction by human encroachment and hunting.

They really are fascinating and unique creatures, and one we are proud to call a Texas native... In Texas literature they have been depicted as tough, tenacious, resourceful creatures with an impervious exterior and an ability to survive - just like Texans themselves! :)

If you want to know more about armadillos and some of their other unique traits check out:

http://www.msu.edu/~nixonjos/armadillo/

http://www.everwonder.com/david/armadillo/

Hope this helps!

Allan (Dallara)

[Lewis' RT]

Bill,


Lewis RT, Brian, Bill and Mike did a short 1130 mile ride in Texas, any way that was my Clock. We missed Willie by a day or two, still had a good ride.
http://www.e-foerster.com/ride.htm

Are you going to share those pics with the guys of the six naked girls sunbathing along the Guadalupe River north of Gruene ? Mike said you took about 50 pics :confused:

[Bill]

Lewis, I can’t do this as I don’t want to be BANED, why not your video!

[DJ Down Under]

Thanks Dallara for the dilldo info...:D....I'd never heard of a 'Pink Fairy Armadillo'.. http://www.folkloredelnorte.com.ar/biologia/pichi.jpg ..it just get weirder..:eek:

DJ

[Brakecheck]

DJ,
Of more interest to you may be that Armadillos are the most common form of roadkill in these parts :cry: . I believe the opossum (North America's only marsupial mammal) to be the second most common. Of course, this is just a non-scientific estimate based on my own observations . The reason for this has never been explained to me but it can probably be attributed to their nocturnal habits. Some also say that both of these animals lack a "passing gear" which makes crossing roadways hazardous for them. One more thing, the possum really does look like a big rat :) .

[JCsman]

Yep, I'd say the possums and armadillo are fthe most requent road kill fodder here in Alabama too. But the danged deer are catching up fast.

FWIW - Armadillo's are sometimes called Possum-on-the-half-shell here.

[Brakecheck]

Bill,
I've never heard the term before but Possum-on-the-half-shell is a good description. Myself, I always thought they looked like big, torn in half shrimps on the side of the road. Your description is better. They do make rather spectacular road kill regardless of the description :omg: I just hate the little bastards because they tear up my yard and garden.

Educational note for DJ: Armadillos spend most of their time digging for grubs and such to eat. Their favorite place to do this (it seems) is in my garden.