| s/y Nine of Cups Alibates Flint Quarries - Texas August 2012 |
| Don't forget to check out: National Parks & Monuments? American Odyssey...Part I? (Las Vegas to Denver) American Odyssey...Part II? (Denver to Boston) American Odyssey...Part III? (Boston to Vegas) Birds of North America? Wildflowers of North America? |
| Jimmy Green, a volunteer, is a flint knapper and offered us a demonstration of his hobby. His tools are all handmade and watching him was quite fascinating as he took pieces of flint and fashioned them into arrowheads as men have done for milennia. Flint has been quarried from this area for the past 12,000 years ... since the Ice Age. |
| Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument is definitely out of the way for most folks. It's in the middle of nowhere and we were the only visitors there. They have a small Visitor Center and offer an orientation film and a very, very outgoing, hospitable group of rangers and volunteers greeted us. |
| There were displays of the beautiful Alibates flint, streaked in shades of cream, maroon, brown and gold with specks of blue and green lending contrast. The rangers usually offered tours, but with the temp hovering at 106F, it really wasn't an option. In the garden outside, however, Gigi pointed out several native plants that could naturally weather the hot temps including an ice age plant known as Devil's Claw (aka Unicorn Plant) and chocolate daisies (aka green eyes or lyreleaf). |
| The roof over the entry to the Visitor's Center provided a fine place for a couple of barn swallows to make a nest. We watched as the couple chatted and one seemed to hover as they discussed suitable materials and proper placement of the nest. Everything in Texas grows big including this lubber grasshopper which must have been at least 4" long. |