A friend of mine invited Zahyon and me to go on a trip to Austin along with him and his children and a couple of his friends. The experience was great. The cabin we stayed in was beautiful. Austin is beautiful. It was the first time I'd ever been and really started making me miss California. It is so hilly out there, and certain parts reminded me of the ride out to LA.
The first day we went to the state capital. I thought it was cool, and also a great experience for the children to witness and learn a few things. The following day we went to Barton Springs. It was a natural spring pool, and the bottom of the pool was made out of natural limestone which made it hard to walk because it was so slippery. We actually swam with tadpoles too. The vibe was so cool. People from all walks of life were there just having a good time. I even saw an old man doing yoga. As a matter of fact, Zahyon was pointed him out by saying, "What that old white man know about downward dog?" There was a group of folks praciticing tai chi also. The water was at least 60 degrees or less, but it was so much fun. I had not gotten in a pool or wore a bathing suit since 1999...lol. We stayed in that water for at least 2 hrs and still could not get used to the temperature. The crazy thing is, it was 109 degrees...
The following day, we headed to Enchanted Rock. This place a national state park, and the rock we hiked up is said to be made of all natural granite. This was definitely an experience to remember, as it was challenging, scary, and exhilarating all at the same time. I was so proud of Zahyon and the other children for pushing themselves to hike up the mountain in the grueling heat. The mountain's elevation was 1825ft. Once we got to the top, the view was amazing. The creator's creation is truly a wonder to behold. It was so quiet up there, nothing but the soundtrack of crickets, and other insects living their lives. Our voices didnt even echo at the elevation. It was crazy.
Speaking of crazy, we (three of the four adults and two of the older children) decided to enter a cave that was at the top of the mountain. I was apprehensive about going in at first, but then I thought YOLO..lol. So I went. Man, it was dark, deep, cool, and spaces were tight. At some points we had to belly crawl, other points we had to crab walk. It was nothing like I'd ever experienced before. I had to control my thoughts to prevent from having a panic attack. A cave is definitely not for someone who is claustrophobic. We had to contort our bodies into the most compromising positions in order to move further through the cave. Once we reached what we thought was the exit, we were all relieved and felt accomplished. Turns out, we exited at the wrong point and was lost. Looking down the mountain, it was a straight drop. Looking up the mountain it was a steep slope. Either way, it looked like we were assed out and lossed. We spent a good thirty minutes trying to figure our way back up to where we left the smaller children and the one smart adult that opted not to join us. We found our way back to the cave to see if we could work backwards but to no avail. Thankfully, we saw some people coming up the mountain. They said that they had just come from the bottom of the mountain and were trying to head up to the top of the mountain through the cave. My first question was had they done this before. Thankfully the elder gentleman said he had explored the cave several times over the years. In hindsight, he looked like he belonged on the discovery channel, doing some crazy ish' like that. But I digress, thankfully they were able to lead us to the correct exit and we were reunited with our loved ones. I've thanked the Creator for many things in my life, but when I tell you I was thanking, thanking, and thanking again to see daylight. That situation could have gone in so many directions. I know my imagination so I was trying my best not to start thinking whilst I was deep inside a cave with no immediate escape. Now i'm out in the free world, and all I can say is it was an experience in which I have the bumps and bruises to show, and I would definitely NOT do it again.
But all in all the trip as a whole was a blast. I will be visiting Austin soon again.
