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Wolf Mountain Trail at Pedernales Falls State Park

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To most people, yesterday was Black Friday, a consumerist holiday that it seems like nearly every American store in existence participates in. Even pet stores have Black Friday sales. I remember all of our efforts at Petsmart while I worked there, getting hyped up about how great our sales would be. We would spend hours merchandising and getting things ready only to be sorely disappointed by sales by the end of the day. My attitude toward this tradition and toward consumerism in general has changed a lot since then. I had been quite happy to see so many nationwide retail outlets not open on Thanksgiving. I was even more appreciative when other retailers announced that they would be closed on the day after. One of our favorites, REI, was one such store. Last year, Chris and I spent our day after Thanksgiving hiking in Bastrop . This year, REI encouraged their employees and members to do the same thing with a campaign called #OptOutside. We were already planning on visiting a state pa...
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Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge

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Chris and I had a wonderful time today hiking a loop of trails at the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge . The area we ventured to is called Doeskin Ranch. While the refuge has a number of trails that are smaller in size, we opted to take portions of each trail and essentially travel a large loop around the area. Doeskin Ranch Trailhead Approximately 45 minutes from Austin, it is easy to get to. We didn't even use the GPS, just maps. Signs direct you to where you need to go. Very user friendly. Though the parking lot is a little small! Be sure to pick up a Doeskin Ranch Creek Trail self-guided tour brochure. There are nine numbered spots along the trail that you can view with corresponding educational information. Stop #1: Who's Home? We began at the Creek Trail, heading left and then south along the creek. The video at the start of this post features footage from that trail. Pictured above, this was once the home of settlers. Nature has sin...
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Hiking the Violet Crown Trail

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Austin recently opened a new portion of the Violet Crown, a trail which winds along through the Austin Greenbelt. A couple of weeks ago, Chris and I visited for the first time.  Visitors should note that the new trailhead does not have its own parking lot. You're advised to park at a nearby shopping plaza. Get directions to 4970 W Hwy 290 and park in the Spec's lot close to the frontage road. The trailhead is just slightly east from there on foot. This is what the entrance looks like. You can just barely see it from the frontage road. You're welcomed by a switchback just past the entrance. The trail is well shaded and quite woodsy. Near the 4.5 mile marker you'll find an intriguing cave to look at. The terrain is on the rocky side but the beautiful bluffs give you something to look at as you slowly make your way over the sometimes jagged rocks. Even though the trail winds through an area of the city that is q...
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White Sands National Monument

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Chris walked in the footsteps of an earlier traveler until we reached quite the scenic view! We're quickly coming up on our first wedding anniversary! October 12th! Eek! When I first started this blog I had a feeling I wouldn't be updating it as much as I'd like. I never expected, however, for it to take a year to finally finish writing about our honeymoon. I should have known better, but it is what it is. While Chris and I are adventurous types we are also the kind of folks who depend on steady jobs in order to pay our bills. Traveling isn't something we can afford to do as often as the two of us would actually prefer. Especially considering the heat of Texas summers. But we're coming to the end of the 100 degree months soon enough. Labor Day weekend will be our first excursion since the spring. Actually, we just returned from REI where we purchased a couple of self-inflating mats to use under our sleeping bags. They're on the heavy side compared to h...
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The Very Large Array (Or Visiting the VLA)

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Even though many months have passed since our final day in New Mexico, I still recall the events of our visit to the Very Large Array. When we last left you , Chris and I had spent the evening staring into space (literally) at an Earthship rental in Taos, New Mexico. When we awoke the next morning we packed the car and headed south. Our schedule did not permit us to see any sights while in Taos (very unfortunate) but we drove through the town on the way out of dodge. It seems like a neat place. Maybe on our next visit we'll squeeze in some sightseeing there. We left mid to late morning in order to stop in Albuquerque to have lunch at the Loving Vegan restaurant. Traveling throughout the Land of Enchantment ended up being a little challenging for we two vegans but the Loving Vegan was simply amazing. I had never had such excellent Asian food even prior to going vegan. I'll be sharing a more depth analysis in another post, however, devoted to food and not to the VLA. As soon...
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Location: Very Large Array, Socorro, NM 87825, USA
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Our Night In An Earthship

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When Chris and I first started planning our wedding one of the first things we did regarding the honeymoon was book one night in an Earthship in Taos, New Mexico. Chris's coworker mentioned it to her. We took a look at the Earthship Biotecture website and made our reservation about two months into planning our trip. Yes, we were THAT excited about it. I have been a huge nerd for Earthships since I was a teenager. Truth be told, I spent my summer vacation at age 16 researching eco-friendly things at the library (we did not have access to the internet at home that year). I learned all about electric cars, sustainable building methods, and conservation practices that you can use in day-to-day life. I fell in love with Earthships at a young age and you bet your sweet bippy I was going to spend the night in one if I could. The Earthship village we stayed in Getting to Taos from Puye had been difficult. Our GPS and phones gave us two completely different sets of instructions. We...
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Puye Cliff Dwellings

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While Bandelier National Monument was relaxing and inviting, Chris and I were most definitely interested in additional exploration when it came to cliff dwellings and New Mexico's historic sites. Our schedule permitted us one destination on Tuesday. We could choose to visit the Taos Pueblo or Puye Cliff Dwellings . Although the Pueblo is supposed to be pretty spectacular, Chris and I are wary of crowds. The Taos Pueblo is a very popular place. Although it's filled with authentic Native American artisans and craftspeople, she and I felt more like we wanted a one on one experience doing something a little more exciting than shopping. Puye is beautiful . A Pueblo guide provides an intimate tour throughout the site. What I enjoyed most about it is that her experiences were firsthand. She is a direct descendant of the individuals who used to inhabit the cliff dwellings and her knowledge about the area was not only complete but also genuine. In fact, the people who used to...
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