Finally, I'm sitting down and writing a new post. I know you guys have been anticipating this event all week...
Um, yeah.
This Friday finds me singing about hills. Last week I told you about a hilly running course and some of you turned up your noses and accused Texas of NOT having hills.
Well, I'll show YOU. There is a song about the Texas hills:
The stars at night are big and bright
Deep in the hills of Texas
The prairie sky is wide and high
Deep in the hills of Texas....
Uh, ReformingGeek?
Yes?
The lyrics are DEEP IN THE HEART not DEEP IN THE HILLs. Here's the song, you silly geek:
OK. That's a cute video but now I have to start all over on my post.
Seriously, folks, I'd like to introduce you to hilly Guadalupe Mountains National Park out in west Texas. Yes, I said mountains. Hubby and I visited this park as part of a trip to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. It's about an hour's drive from Carlsbad.
We hiked on a trail through one of the canyons. It was a hot day so anything to block the sun was welcome. I thought I had found a photo of the hike but it was a photo from Zion National Park.
Oops.
I can't leave you without some idea of the beauty of the Texas high desert:
El Capitan. See you at the top!
That's OK. I didn't make it either.
Let's just enjoy the view from here.
After the hike, we headed back to Carlsbad. Evil Twin insisted on a side trip to Roswell to check on her alien friends. I was concerned. I wanted to get back before dark because I think she made plans for a moonlight serenade with her favorite Martian.
A few years after our visit, Hubby and I started reading Nevada Barr's mystery novels set in National Parks featuring always-finding-trouble Ranger Anna Pigeon. Sure enough, Ms. Barr has a story that takes place in GUMO (Guadalupe Mountains National Park). The book is Track of the Cat. The "cat" is a mountain lion. Had I known about the mountain lions, I might not have gone on that hike!
If you haven't read her series and you like mysteries, give them a try. She will put you right there in the parks with her and you might not want to put it down until you find out what's happening.
Yes, there are hills....and big hearts in Texas.
Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day!
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26 comments:
Aw heck. And here I thought you were gonna song parody here.
The Texan and the Hill
The Texan and the Hill
High ho the derry-oh
The Texan and the Hill.
And we could definitely plug in CAT to the tune too.
Just sayin'.
*grin*
Texas is so big that I knew that they had a mountain somewhere! LOL
I believe you and the Texas has hills thing. Though I've never been, I will take your word for it. Here, we have the Rockies. Everywhere. No absence of hills. Ha ha.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole hiking thing.
Anything past a slow walk just does not compute.
Add your Texas hills and you can start to hear my brain fizzle.
@Quirky - Another missed opportunity.... Sigh.
@Otin - We do everything big down here.
@Lindzena - I love the Rockies!
@Mrsblogalot - You'll be ok. Have a glass of wine and a soak in the spa. Forget the hills. I'm sorry I upset you. ;-)
Well worth the wait, this post. Yes, there are of course hills AND valleys in deep in the heart of Texas.
Did I just see an Igauna run by?
Wow, hills in Texas! Who knew? I guess you pretty much have everything in Texas these days.
Well, except big earthquakes maybe. But you make up for it with very cool tornadoes. How fun!
Great post. Loved the pics!
I like Nevada Barr. She uses nice simple words.
You need to come to Pennsylvania and run...no, really. We've got us some hills, lady. Okay, they're not the Rocky Mountains, but still they're pretty good.
@Marvin - Thanks. Yes, we had iguana for breakfast. ;-)
@Tgoette - We've had smaller quakes because of the gas drilling! I could do without the cool tornadoes!
@honeypie - Simple words work for me. Although I like to have my vocabulary challenged, I don't enjoy having to have a dictionary handy when I'm reading a novel.
@Unfinished - One of these days, I will come to Pennsylvania. Watch out!
my gawwwd those muppet babies look like some inbreeding gone terribly wrong
Yay! A good new summer read! I think I'll pick up some of those Nevada Barr books to enjoy while swinging in my hammock in the hills of New York!
"The yellow hills of Texas
Are the only hills for me
The yellow hills of Texas
That's where I long to beeeeeeee"
Sorry, I got carried away there for a minute...
I enjoyed your post, Reffie, and yeah, about those mountain lions? Geeze, you could have been eaten alive!
@Jean - Maybe they were from Arkansas!
@CatLady - A hammock in the hills....that sounds like another option for Quirky's song.
@Leeuna - Thanks! Yellow hill? Cow pee? Yeah, I'm more than a little scared of mountain lions.
I lived in flaaaaaaaat Florida for sixteen years, so your Texas hills look ENORMOUS! You are a true champion in my book!
I now live in PA, and my house is actually built on a ginormous hill. Every time I mow the lawn I say to myself, "WHAT were we THINKING?!!!"
those photos are awesome! so is carlsbad!
Happy Belated Mother's Day!
I would LOVE to visit Texas one day!
You and I have so much in common: uhhhhh you run and I hate to walk, and we both love scenery....I just like to look at mine out of the car window.......and you run......
Pretty photos! Amazing the various geological offerings this country has. You should have a photo album/disc of your National Parks travels. They are all so unique!
I believe you. We have little green men in the north east. They break into my house and hide my car keys. Damn LGM!
@Anything - Thanks. We live on a sloped lot and I say the same thing when I'm mowing!
@Georgie - I love Carlsbad!
@meleah - Thanks. Come on down!
@dana - Sometimes it's nice to stop and smell the roses.
@Deb - Most of my older stuff is in real scrapbooks! Remember those?
@Lauren - That must be where Evil Twin goes during the night.
I would love to be able to take beautiful pictures of any mountains but I have a George Foreman Grill instead. ;-)
oh wow I have been there, it is beautiful over there, I agree with you, I used to think also there was no mountains in Texas, until I visit some friends there and they took me to the Guadalupe Mountains, it is a beautiful place.
Thoughts of a Career Woman
@Sue - I'll guess you'll have to find the beauty in George!
@Laura - I would love to go back.
Hey, guess what? I work for the National Park Service and recently did some work about Guadalupe park. How weird is that? And how weird is it that there's a series of mystery novels set in the parks and starring a ranger? Most of the rangers I know don't seem very detective like. They have big hats, though, which would be a convenient place to hide a small handgun in case you find a criminal.
CARLSBAD..............gah........
sorry. My personal feelings have gotten in the way of my comment.
I would run screaming to them thar hills.
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