Bats in town ???

Yes! The bats are in town now. Lots and lots of them! They are in downtown Austin, hanging under the Congress Avenue bridge, waiting for the sun to set. As they set flight from their hideout, they amaze people who gather above the bridge, on the banks of the lake, in boats, or those who are simply walking or driving through downtown. In addition to being a tourist attraction, these nocturnal flying mammals help the environment by eating insects and pests, and if left alone, are harmless. With this realization, and with the efforts from bat conservation and other local groups, Austin now has the largest urban colony of bats in North America, sheltering around 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats from March to October.

When we had shifted to Austin a decade ago, we had read about this, and were fascinated. Now that we may be living here for a while, let's settle down first, and wait for next spring to go see these bats. So we thought! Many springs came by and went away. The bats too must have come and gone. It was only this year, when we went for an evening stroll on the boardwalk on Lady Bird Lake, that we actually saw these flying visitors of Austin.

View of Austin skyline from the boardwalk

As we were walking back enjoying the setting sun, which was reflecting beautiful colors on the lake and highlighting the Austin skyline, we noticed a flurry of black objects moving across. "Birds! Birds!", the kids shouted. A lady walking by smiled and said those are bats, not birds.

The black lines in the sky are the bats

Well, we should have known it. These are the bats Austin is famous for! We continued to walk back, watching the black stream, and explaining the yearly migration and daily routine of these tiny mammals, to the kids and my parents, who were visiting us from India.

A week later, the topic of bats came up again. We were visiting our family friends, Jay/Shanthi, long-time residents of Austin. They mentioned how they had taken their out-of-town visitors to the Congress Avenue bridge, earlier that week, to see the bats. As with any topic, they gave us ample information along with motivation to head out to finally witness the amazing bat flight. If one cannot get on a boat and be on the lake, the center of the bridge seemed to be the best and easiest place for this. It was the end of August and it seems in August/September, there would be more bats. The babies born earlier in the season learn to fly and head out, adding to the numbers, making it close to two million bats.

After a cup of refreshing masala chai (spiced Indian tea), and spending some time in their beautiful yard, it was the perfect time to head out to the bridge. 

Feeding fish - an interesting activity for the kids

Open your eyes, be alert! It's the busy Congress Avenue Bridge

We parked behind the Austin American Statesman building, and walked by the lake, past the Statesman Bat Observation Center, which was already packed with people. We climbed the steps leading to the street and saw people lined up on the east side of the bridge. We were able to squeeze into some spots at the center. It was a cool evening and as the wind blew, we could smell bat guano or bat poop, which is supposed to be a very good fertilizer. In a short while, we saw cruise boats and paddlers heading towards the bridge, indicating it was almost time for the bats to head out.


Once the bats started flying out, it felt just like how our friends described - a giant bubble machine spitting out black objects instead of the usual white bubbles. It was as if the machine was non-stop. The bats quickly got into lines and started flying up and away. In the low light, these looked like black smoke rising out of buildings. Coincidentally, it was full moon that day, making it a lovelier sight.

Bats flying out - again the picture is not very clear and only shows black lines

View of full moon from the trail

Bats in a busy pathway

Like our friend said, we could have seen these tiny creatures better, if  the flight happened a little earlier, when there was more daylight. Surprisingly, a couple of weeks later, when we visited White Sands National Monument, we got a close-up view of bats, on the roof of a pathway in the visitor center. They were comfortably resting in spite of the heavy foot traffic beneath them.



Writing about the bats in Austin, I am reminded of the bats in my hometown, a small town named Cherthala in the state of Kerala in India. We used to watch bats hanging upside down on a tree across a canal. I am guessing these were fruit bats as we used to collect the seeds of a fruit which were apparently eaten by them. These seeds had a hard shell and we took great efforts to crack them open with stones to get the white nut that looked and tasted like an almond. I believe these nuts, called "bibbayi" in local language, are actually Indian or Sea almonds. Thinking of it now, I am not sure if it was safe to handle things left by a bat. There are numerous warnings about not touching or handling a bat, as they are potential carriers of many dangerous diseases including rabies.

Just be aware of the warnings and precautions but do not miss this if you are in Austin or if you plan to visit during months of March to October. This bat flight at night is an amazing sight, sure to delight.

Ski lessons in summer? Visit Ski Cloudcroft!

Ever thought of taking a ski lesson in summer? Well, these days, with indoor ski resorts such as Ski Dubai, one can ski pretty much any time of the year. That aside, we never thought the kids could try skiing when we went on a summer road trip to White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. I would have never thought there would be a natural winter ski destination so close to the Chihuahuan desert. Nestled in the little town of Cloudcroft within Lincoln National Forest, Ski Cloudcroft is the southern most ski resort in the United States. In summer, they offer indoor ski lessons on an endless slope ski simulator.

When we started the road trip, we didn't know any of these details other than the fact that Ski Cloudcroft offered great pizzas during summer. After a hot morning, walking and sledding among the sparkling white sand dunes, we drove along the pine covered tree slopes, breathing in the crisp cool air of the mountains, in anticipation of good food.

Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico

From one of the view points near a tunnel, we could see a white patch as if someone had dropped truck loads of white sand onto the desert floor, thus creating the beautiful landscape of White Sands National Monument.

View of White Sands National Monument

A picture taken within White Sands

Further along the scenic road, we stopped to view the restored Mexican railroad trestle, an old wooden structure, which could be viewed up close by hiking down.

Restored Mexican railroad trestle

As we did not have time for any hiking, we stretched our legs and relaxed on the benches made out of old railroad ties, watching hikers down below close to the trestle.

Relaxing on a bench made from old railroad ties

Passing a busy area filled with restaurants and motels, we thought we would return to this place that looked like the town center, if we did not find the pizza restaurant. Finally, there it was - a signboard for Ski Cloudcroft! It diverted us to a narrow unpaved road heading up to a small building on a hill side with blue ski lifts.

Slopes with blue ski lifts

Just like the reviews said, the cozy restaurant served really good wood-fired pizzas. Unlike the pizza chains, this place did not use any canned ingredients - the red peppers, onions, pineapples and jalapenos were all fresh. And the cheese tasted so good.

Restaurant at Ski Cloudcroft

With our six year old who had a loose tooth, I had to cut up the pizza into small pieces using a plastic fork and knife, something I find tough. But it was worth the effort! The little guy skipped the dessert pizza opting to eat the one with veggies. "I'm choosing the healthy pizza", he kept telling us, when in fact he liked its taste and wanted to continue eating it. No one had any complaints as the rest of us were ready to grab his share of the yummy dessert pizza dusted with cinnamon sugar and topped with toasty pecans !

Though the restaurant had a sign board asking to check out the endless slope ski lesson, we were too hungry and tired to notice it. Seeing a person in ski boots, my husband jokingly asked him if he was going to ski. He turned out to be the director of the ski school, Rick, who demonstrated the endless slope saying the kids could try it if they were interested. Our eight year old was ready for it.

Ready to ski wearing shorts!

At first, it was difficult for her to balance and we could see she was really tensed. As Rick started to encourage her, telling her that the machine would run well only if she smiled, she started enjoying it. He was very patient and considerate giving her time to take a break, mentioning she can retry, if she wanted to.

Getting good instructions

While she rested, my husband gave it a try.

A fun pose with skis

It seems a practice on the endless slope prepared a novice for the skiing experience without having to worry about falling down in the cold snow. As for experts, they used variants of the simulator to improve their skills.

After a brief break, our daughter was eager to retry and was so happy when she got the hang of it.

Smiling to make the endless slope work :)

A big thanks to Rick for this interesting and wonderful activity. Hope we can visit again and try the real slopes in these beautiful mountains.

Follow these links for more details of Ski Cloudcroft:
Website: http://www.skicloudcroft.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ski-Cloudcroft-117907148296071/

Big Bend: An Adventure for the Perceptions

An information board in a visitor center described the journey through Big Bend National park as "an adventure for the perceptions". The phrase sounded quite elusive, and I could not fathom this until a recent visit. Looking back, it was indeed an adventure for the perceptions! Here is my attempt to capture this in a poem.

I stare into the distance and feel the emptiness,
I think this desert is barren due to its harshness,
Then, I see plants growing out of rocks and animals appear,
And I sense,
The amazing adaptations that withstand conditions so severe.

Barren desert

Desert flora and fauna

I see the mountains stand tall against the sky,
I think they are quite close by,
Then, I travel for miles across the openness,
And I sense,
The great visibility that feigns nearness.

Mountains not so far away

Great visibility in the land of distances

 
I feel the hot air of the desert against my face,
I think I'll be consumed by the heat in this place,
Then, I head up the mountains that form a basin,
And I sense,
The refreshing coolness offered by the elevation.

Feeling the heat on the desert floor

The cool Chisos Basin

I spot a line in the huge wall ahead,
I think it is a tiny crack instead,
Then, I cross the sprawling desert to arrive at this wall,
And I sense,
The perpetual forces that carved a canyon over the long haul.

Seems like a thin line even from across the creek

At base of Santa Elena Canyon

I wade across the creek by the gentle muddy river,
I think it is meek and has no power,
Then, I hear the gritting sound of water with dirt,
And I sense,
The hidden potential that continues to transform the inert.

Walking along the gentle, muddy river filled with grit

Wading back after hiking to base of Santa Elena Canyon

I reach a mountain base hiking a tough trail,
I think I am powerful and will prevail,
Then, I look up and see the towering mass so strong,
And I sense,
The adventure for the perceptions that I have been taken along.

Boquillas Canyon trail

Can you spot me ?

An old western bus tour

In case the title made you think about old western movies, let me quickly say that this post has nothing to do with the wild west. It is about a bus tour of the beautiful American West coast.

Rewinding a dozen years, my mind drifts back to the time when we were living in Bay Area, California. My in-laws were visiting and so were the parents of one of our friends. This friend suggested a bus tour for the seniors that covers quite a few places - Yosemite National Park, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon National Park. At that time, I had only visited the first place whereas my husband had already visited all places in the list. Including travel and accommodation, this four day bus tour cost less than $100 per head. Sounds like a cool deal? I jumped in to be included with the seniors.

The trip was set. Rather, I should say almost set. With folks who have diet restrictions, based on health and personal preferences, food becomes the major issue in such trips. Being a bus tour, the stops would be at places where it may be hard to find vegetarian or other food suiting the Indian palate. We had to stock adequately and planning was in full swing. Well, it turned out to be a brilliant plan, executed so well that food became a delightful experience in this trip. One could not have expected anything less when traveling with the future author of cooking blogs like Prabha's Kitchen - An introduction to Konkani Cuisine and Prabha's Food Court.

The tour started with Yosemite National Park. As it was the tail end of summer, there was not much flow in the waterfalls in the park. However, the majestic granite cliffs and the uniquely shaped half dome were enough to make it an interesting stop before heading to fabulous Las Vegas the next day. The bus tour included sight-seeing tours of Vegas. We opted out of it and decided to roam around  by ourselves as Vegas had free public bus transportation and monorails between numerous casinos. This had also kept me engaged, reading up and planning the mini sight-seeing sojourn, while the seniors were working on the food planning.

At Yosemite National Park

On the first day in Vegas, we took a taxi from the hotel, located in downtown area, and headed to Las Vegas Boulevard, better known as the strip. Many casinos and luxury hotels lined the strip with their dazzling array of lights. Though centered around gambling, which is legal in Nevada, the casinos were built with a theme that usually ties in with a world famous city. That day, we covered the casinos on the southern side. From the Egyptian decor of Luxor, the medieval castles of Excalibur, the skyline of New York and the lion exhibit in MGM Grand, we were amazed by the city that is rightly referred to as the entertainment capital of the world.

Around Las Vegas

Next morning, we had an early start for the four hour drive to Grand Canyon National park. With a brief stop at Hoover Dam and then at Grand Canyon IMAX theater to watch a splendid documentary on this natural wonder, it was late afternoon when we reached.

Hoover Dam

Though we spent only a few hours, the sheer depth of the canyon and the reddish color that was brightened by the evening sun was indeed an amazing sight.

Grand Canyon National Park

The bus headed back, without any stops, through the vast empty land. As it approached Vegas in the darkness, the bright lights shining in the distance made me think that the entire electricity generated at Hoover Dam could be consumed by this city that never sleeps!

Las Vegas Strip

We got off the bus at the strip and headed to visit the newer casinos in the center. Many of these had sky-high blue ceilings with white clouds that mimicked daylight. We climbed to the top of the Eiffel tower at Paris Paris, watched the beautiful fountain shows of Bellagio right across the strip, walked along the canals inside Venetian, and got a glimpse of Roman architecture inside Caesar's palace. Without major issues, we wound through these casinos and also tried a hand at the slot machines, to see if lady luck favored us with a jackpot.


All along the trip, we were laughing and eating! I cannot remember what made us laugh so much but we were having a lot of fun, relishing the food, and enjoying the numerous curries and chutneys that were prepared, considering non-refrigerated shelf life. To tide over the last couple of days, we had also taken a rice cooker. We used it to boil water to make instant upma using the home-made mix from my mother-in-law. This easy upma recipe, which can be catered to personal taste, has now become a staple on our trips.

The tour bus

The bus tour, operated by Chinese folks, was mainly intended for people visiting from China. Luckily, for us, the guide was a local college student who spoke good English. He had learned Chinese and spoke that language beautifully as well. A few years later, when my parents took the same tour, they had a guide who did not speak good English and was mostly speaking in Chinese. It seems he would speak ten to fifteen sentences in Chinese and the translation would be a single sentence in English!

I guess we were luckier to have a great tour guide. Along with great food and good company, it gave way for great moments, making this old western bus tour with seniors memorable and fun.