CA to NY 7

Day 28 8/4/17

INNER SPACE CAVERN. Chuck's diligent research of activities in the area of Georgetown and our campground came up with this little gem. Caverns. Holes in the ground created thousands of years ago. Cozy little chambers with no lights that give new meaning to the word claustrophobia. After my phobia of heights (like standing on an 8' ladder) being enclosed underground ranks right up there. Fortunately, there are three tours. The Adventure Tour where you just follow the guide along a PAVED, LIT trail. Bingo! That's for me. For The Hidden Passage Tour, they give you a flashlight and optional helmet for a "rugged, intimate view of the cave." Yeah, right. And finally, for those others among us, the spelunkers (I think that's Greek for "nut jobs") there's The Wild Cave Tour. Here they give you knee pads and experienced guides 'assist' in crawling, climbing and squeezing through the most remote portions of the cavern. "Squeezing through." You know where I stand on that one. Ask certain members of my family how I did getting into a wet suit just to kayak in Monterey Bay. Another brilliant adventure thought up by my son.

So, off we go. Here are some tempting photos to get you to want to see more.

Lots of rules before you enter. 1. Go to the bathroom cause the tour is
an hour and a half and you can't come back alone.
 2. Don't touch anything. 3. Short people's revenge, so watch
where you're going and stick close.

Inner Space cavern was discovered by a Texas Highway Department core drilling team in the Spring of 1963. Six inch core samples were taken to determine if the ground was stable enough to support a large highway overpass. As they were drilling one of the test holes, the bit suddenly dropped 26 ft. and the highway crew knew there was something down there besides rock.

They have mapped over 5 miles of cavern and our tour
will cover just a mile (round trip)

As you can guess, I went crazy with the camera. Take a peek at the 70 shots I took; pretty spectacular if I do say so myself. More astounding is the length of time it takes for these magnificent structures to form. We had a very engaging tour guide whose been doing it for three years. To see more, click HERE

After the tour, Chuck went to work at FB in Austin and Pat and Marty picked me up and we went for lunch at Mesquite Creek Outfitters.

Outdoor clothing and accessories and have a bite to eat while you're at it.

15 Craft beers mainly from Central Texas. I know you see 16. One must
not be Craft.

After lunch, a tour around the town with a stop at the
courthouse. This plaque most poignant.

We visited Grape Creek Winery where Pat and Marty became members and will now enjoy the benefits. We sampled in their "members only" wine room.

My terrific tour guides of Georgetown, TX.  Thank you both for the attention given me, the tours of Georgetown and the honor of being the first non-family visitor to see your new environment you eagerly wait to call home.

I tasted the 2014 Bellisimo: Grape Creek’s “beautiful” Super Tuscan style red wine, is a captivating blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon that exudes cherries, spice, toasted oak and hints of vanilla.

Later that evening, Chuck and I met Pat and Marty at 600 Degrees Pizzeria for dinner. The place was packed...Friday night...and we waited about 20 minutes for a seat. It was noisy enough not to hear our own conversation. Little by little the crowd began to disperse and was replaced with a quieter crowd now in for some delicious pizza. Check out the place in the link above. Enjoyed their pizza. By the time we finished it was too late to enjoy the different music venues that you can find almost anywhere in town.

 

One such place was Ken'z Guitar Shop.  Instead...

...they forced me to have some ice cream

Butter Pecan, of course.