We then decided that we had better get some cleanup done to Sherman, so Ruth worked on the interior while I cleaned the bugs and grime off the front exterior. They were so plastered on that I had to use Greased Lightning spray cleaner to get them off. That, and some elbow grease.
Sherman looks much better, but we still need to spend more time today.
After lunch, we rode our bikes over to the other side of the park, and tackled the Crystal Cave Trail.
Yep. We had just walked UP the hill with our bikes!
Nice view of the park.
The old entrance road, built in the 1930's.
The original park gate. Yes, we have a permit!
We parked the bikes and locked them up. Not that we would really mind if somebody stole them. We need to buy new bikes! Mine is now about 15 years old, although it was a good quality one at the time. But it's starting to get pretty rusty, and it's getting tired. Ruth's bike was a cheap Walmart type that we bought used for $40 a few years ago. It was junk when it was brand new!
We use these bikes quite a lot, and enjoy biking. And if we had better quality ones we think we would enjoy them even more. I'm always worried about getting better quality ones, and then they become more attractive to thieves. I guess we would just have to buy better locks too.
An ideal situation would be to buy two good quality used bikes. Maybe when we're up around Amarillo we'll check the classifieds.
Anyhow, we headed out on Crystal Cave Trail. Again, it's not a long trail, but there's a lot of uphill and got the hearts beating.
Us, on the trail!
Ruth, heading uphill.
The trail.
Oh... there's the cave!
Let's go inside...
It doesn't show up very well, but Crystal Cave has lots of crystal in it!
Interesting lizard.
Cactus in bloom.
View from the Rim Trail.
The hill on the right is the one we hiked yesterday... Old Baldy.
Another little cave on the way down. Ruth is checking the trail map for the best route.
Made it back down, and walked to the store to buy another $3 gallon jug of drinking water. Yikes, we've gone through one a day here because the potable water tastes terrible. Bad planning on our part.
But, we're headed out today. Not sure exactly where yet. Ruth wants to check out Lost Maples, so we'll probably stop in there but won't stay the night. Then we'll head up towards Junction where there's a city park with free overnight camping.
We've got a one day cold front going through. Overcast and only 50F (10C) right now, and it's only going up to 63F (17C) this afternoon. Back to normal tomorrow, so this is a good travel day.
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Nice price drop on the 10 pack of Camco Leveling Blocks...
And in Canada...
Used bikes are a good idea. Believe me, garages in this country are full of good quality bikes with cobwebs on them, and a good lightweight bike is so much more enjoyable than a clunker.
ReplyDeleteWe notice a lot of bikes on the backs of RV's that are seldom used as well, not just in garages! ;-)
DeleteHopefully we will have some luck finding some half decent used bikes.
I don't know why thieves bother stealing bikes, the resale on them isn't that great (which will work in your favor when you go to buy one). That is a pretty park, nice to see the cactus in bloom
ReplyDeleteI don't know why either unless they are "good" bikes because I am pretty sure they are still worth a decent amount of money even used.
DeleteThe cactus really are coming out in bloom, can't wait to see some more of them.
Had my 1400 dollar bike stolen in TX NOT Mexico
ReplyDeleteOuch, that must have been frustrating! :-(
DeleteI keep hoping someone will steal our bikes, but they are junk and don't use them much anyway.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't use them then maybe you should just donate them to somebody that will fix them up and then gives them to kids. I have seen places that do that.
DeleteGreat hiking and biking area. Enjoy your travel day! Stay safe.
ReplyDeleteIt is a great park for both activities. I am glad that we made good use of the park over our two day stay there.
DeleteThe cactus is beautiful! I can now understand why it was in close competition for the Texas state flower.
ReplyDeleteIf you can find two mountain bikes at a garage sale or flea market, you will have hit the jackpot. Mountain bikes are such sturdy bikes compared to the standard bike. However, trying to find one to fit Kevin's tall body frame will be hell (notwithstanding, he is a good looking fella! LOL!).
Yep, we can understand why too. Didn't see any bluebonnets blooming in the park though although we did see some on our drive yesterday, hopefully we will see more of them before we leave Texas.
DeleteThat is what we are looking for, our fingers are crossed that we will be able to find two decent ones. Yes, it will be harder to find one that will fit Kevin properly.
Checkout: Doulton W9121709 10-Inch Super Sterasyl Ceramic Gravity Filter Candle. With two food safe five gallon buckets and a spigot it will always give you clean pure water.
ReplyDeleteWe use our set up all the time at campgrounds. We never drink public or plastic bottled water ever. Been out and about for 12 years and we are both 72 and going strong. Maybe it's the water. Thank you for your posts been following for about a year.
Paul & Sharon
We will look into it that might be a possibility, thank you for the suggestion. Normally we just go to one of these refill places and refill the big 5 gallon (20 litre) jug that we have. We rarely ever actually buy the water in plastic bottles.
DeleteI highly recommend Lum's Barbecue on Main Street in Junction. Texas BBQ at its best. (Looks like a convenience store or a gas station, because it is. But don't be fooled.)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion Creigh, we may look into it but I doubt it. We did a ton of eating out in Mexico and we just looking forward to getting back to our own cooking plus it is sometimes difficult to find items that are gluten free on the menu.
DeleteSchreiner City Park doesn't look permanently closed as shown on Google maps.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't closed at all!
DeleteHope you can find some decent used bikes -- Craigslist can be a good source. Walmart bikes are pretty much junk, although I just picked up a used Huffy cruiser bike for $30 at our RV park yard sale. I just wanted it for cruising around the (flat) RV park, as I have nicer bikes (two road and one MTB) I don't want to bother with for just a tenth or half a mile. Sometimes it's fun just to hop on a cruiser bike and go! But I won't have any qualms about donating it when we leave. That's one advantage of cheapie bikes!
ReplyDeleteI hope that we can too, it is always a little harder when you are already traveling rather than staying put somewhere for any length of time. Yes, we will try Craig's List. We are going to be in Amarillo for a couple of days so maybe we will have a bit of luck there.
Delete