texascavers Digest 3 Jan 2014 22:27:10 -0000 Issue 1907
texascavers Digest 3 Jan 2014 22:27:10 - Issue 1907 Topics (messages 23205 through 23209): Re: NSS luminary talks 23205 by: PRESTON FORSYTHE Longhorn Caverns SP Project Rides Off Into The Sunset 23206 by: Mark Alman 23207 by: Lyndon Tiu 23208 by: Jon Cradit 23209 by: Natasha Glasgow Administrivia: To subscribe to the digest, e-mail: texascavers-digest-subscr...@texascavers.com To unsubscribe from the digest, e-mail: texascavers-digest-unsubscr...@texascavers.com To post to the list, e-mail: texascavers@texascavers.com -- ---BeginMessage--- These talks have become a convention highlite for us and are not to be missed. But, if you did the downloads will be entertaining and educational. Thank you Geary. Preston From: Mixon Bill bmixon...@austin.rr.com To: Cavers Texas texascavers@texascavers.com Sent: Monday, December 30, 2013 12:45 PM Subject: [Texascavers] NSS luminary talks I've finally gotten around to watching downloads of the three hour-long luminary talks given at the NSS convention last summer. This is a series of lectures organized for the first time in 2012 by Geary Schindel. I recommend all six of them. Instead of spending a lot of time binging on The Walking Dead or some such, download them from https://secure.caves.org/luminaries/index.shtml In theory they are in the members only secure area on the NSS web site that you have to log in to from the home page at caves.org, but it seems that the URL above works for anybody. It only takes a couple of minutes each to download the MP4 files, except for Dwight Deal's, which takes longer. The web site claims it's ~100 MB like the rest, but the file is actually 487 MB. Don't try to run more than one download simultaneously; the NSS server does not deal well with that. From a strictly entertainment point of view, those by Roger Brucker and Texan Dwight Deal are probably best, but all have a lot of interesting history of caving and the NSS. -- Mixon Bigamy is having one wife too many. So is monogamy. You may reply to the address this message came from, but for long-term use, save: Personal: bmi...@alumni.uchicago.edu AMCS: a...@amcs-pubs.org or sa...@amcs-pubs.org - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com---End Message--- ---BeginMessage--- Merry Christmas and Happy 2014, y'all! I have had a few inquiries as to the status of the Longhorn Caverns SP Project. At this point, I have decided to put it in the Completed or, at least, On Hiatus state of things. The TPWD folks, the concessionaire at the park, and the project folks had a to do list at the park and, to the best of my knowledge, all have been completed. This past spring, the TPWD crews did a superb job on repairing the dangerous trail areas in the cave, replacing and, in some cases, installing new handrails, repainting other handrails, and an excellent job of cleaning up after themselves. This, after switching all of the lighting in the cave from incandescent to LED the winter and spring before. The Project had a very long laundry list and it has been completed, as well, except for additional mapping in the back areas of the cave, near the Crownover entrance. This entrance still remains inaccessible, due to a new landowner and permissions to access the cave via this passageway have yet to be resolved. Hopefully, someday, the additional survey points and data collected by the various surveys will be added to the Longhorn Caverns map and we will have a completed and thorough idea of the total length and lay of the cave! I would love to be able to present this completed map to the park, someday! Highlights of the Project leader list include improvements and restoration of the Lovers Lane area, and removal of dead fall, cedar, and other unsightly underbush in the sinkhole near the Visitors Center, and pushing leads in the Lumbago Alley section. Numerous other smaller projects were completed and I'd rather not list them all or bore you with them here. Some of the folks I would like to thank, in no particular order, are: Lyndon Tiu, Gerry Geletzke, Natasha Glasgow, Daniel Ramirez, Bill Larson, Edwin Lehr, George-Paul Richman, Mallory Mayeux, Andrew Alman, Allison Alman, Chris Franke, Leslie Bell, Jim Sheets, and a cast of hundreds of others who have come out to help and my feeble memory can't recall! Some of the groups I'd like to offer a HUGE thank you are the Aggie Speleological Association and the Greater Houston Grotto. The Aggies, especially, were the hardest working, most enthusiastic,
Re: [Texascavers] Longhorn Caverns SP Project Rides Off Into The Sunset
Salute to you too Mark for being our fearless leader. For starting the project back in 2008, for negotiating cave and camping access and for organizing project work that got many cavers old and new into caving those many fun weekend work trips. I would like to mention that part of the work at Longhorn involved digging at the Crownover entrance to allow groups from the ICS 2009 to go on a one-way trip through the cave. The multi-weekend digs were a huge success and we brought many groups through the cave during ICS 2009. Many of those who went through had one common thing to say after the trip: We have never been this muddy before! Of course they were happy to say that. I have many good memories of the project. Till next time. On Fri, Jan 3, 2014 at 3:54 PM, Mark Alman texascav...@yahoo.com wrote: Merry Christmas and Happy 2014, y'all! I have had a few inquiries as to the status of the Longhorn Caverns SP Project. At this point, I have decided to put it in the Completed or, at least, On Hiatus state of things. The TPWD folks, the concessionaire at the park, and the project folks had a to do list at the park and, to the best of my knowledge, all have been completed. This past spring, the TPWD crews did a superb job on repairing the dangerous trail areas in the cave, replacing and, in some cases, installing new handrails, repainting other handrails, and an excellent job of cleaning up after themselves. This, after switching all of the lighting in the cave from incandescent to LED the winter and spring before. The Project had a very long laundry list and it has been completed, as well, except for additional mapping in the back areas of the cave, near the Crownover entrance. This entrance still remains inaccessible, due to a new landowner and permissions to access the cave via this passageway have yet to be resolved. Hopefully, someday, the additional survey points and data collected by the various surveys will be added to the Longhorn Caverns map and we will have a completed and thorough idea of the total length and lay of the cave! I would love to be able to present this completed map to the park, someday! Highlights of the Project leader list include improvements and restoration of the Lovers Lane area, and removal of dead fall, cedar, and other unsightly underbush in the sinkhole near the Visitors Center, and pushing leads in the Lumbago Alley section. Numerous other smaller projects were completed and I'd rather not list them all or bore you with them here. Some of the folks I would like to thank, in no particular order, are: Lyndon Tiu, Gerry Geletzke, Natasha Glasgow, Daniel Ramirez, Bill Larson, Edwin Lehr, George-Paul Richman, Mallory Mayeux, Andrew Alman, Allison Alman, Chris Franke, Leslie Bell, Jim Sheets, and a cast of hundreds of others who have come out to help and my feeble memory can't recall! Some of the groups I'd like to offer a HUGE thank you are the Aggie Speleological Association and the Greater Houston Grotto. The Aggies, especially, were the hardest working, most enthusiastic, and hardest partying bunch I have ever been associated with and the success of this project, Pre and Post ICS, would not have been possible without their participation! Finally, I would like to thank ALL of the Boy Scout Troops that have come out to volunteer and to camp. They performed a huge service to the park,plus, a BUNCH of new youth received their first taste of caving and many have gone off to become more involved. (Why more cavers prefer to NOT work with Scout and other youth groups is beyond me! They are a great resource of labor and deep pool of potential new cavers. Refusal to work with them has puzzled me for 18 years and y'all know who you are!) In closing, to all of you who have come out to help on the project since 2008, either for just one weekend or for several weekends, I salute and thank you! I will always remember the fun times, hard work, evening meals (at the Park or at The Bluebonnet Cafe in Marble Falls), and the stargazing and camaraderie up in the Observation Tower on Saturday nights! To those of you who never made it out, y'all missed a VERY special project! If it gets resurrected or a special task at the park comes along, I'll be sure to let y'all know! Thanks and hats off! Mark Alman -- Lyndon Tiu
RE: [Texascavers] Longhorn Caverns SP Project Rides Off Into The Sunset
Mark, I would like to thank you for all you have done for the last several years. Being the coordinator between the TPWD, the concessionaire, and the cavers and scout groups. You have done a bang-up job. Let me raise a Blind Salamander beer in toast to you. Jon Cradit From: Mark Alman [mailto:texascav...@yahoo.com] Sent: Friday, January 03, 2014 3:54 PM To: texascavers@texascavers.com Subject: [Texascavers] Longhorn Caverns SP Project Rides Off Into The Sunset Merry Christmas and Happy 2014, y'all! I have had a few inquiries as to the status of the Longhorn Caverns SP Project. At this point, I have decided to put it in the Completed or, at least, On Hiatus state of things. The TPWD folks, the concessionaire at the park, and the project folks had a to do list at the park and, to the best of my knowledge, all have been completed. This past spring, the TPWD crews did a superb job on repairing the dangerous trail areas in the cave, replacing and, in some cases, installing new handrails, repainting other handrails, and an excellent job of cleaning up after themselves. This, after switching all of the lighting in the cave from incandescent to LED the winter and spring before. The Project had a very long laundry list and it has been completed, as well, except for additional mapping in the back areas of the cave, near the Crownover entrance. This entrance still remains inaccessible, due to a new landowner and permissions to access the cave via this passageway have yet to be resolved. Hopefully, someday, the additional survey points and data collected by the various surveys will be added to the Longhorn Caverns map and we will have a completed and thorough idea of the total length and lay of the cave! I would love to be able to present this completed map to the park, someday! Highlights of the Project leader list include improvements and restoration of the Lovers Lane area, and removal of dead fall, cedar, and other unsightly underbush in the sinkhole near the Visitors Center, and pushing leads in the Lumbago Alley section. Numerous other smaller projects were completed and I'd rather not list them all or bore you with them here. Some of the folks I would like to thank, in no particular order, are: Lyndon Tiu, Gerry Geletzke, Natasha Glasgow, Daniel Ramirez, Bill Larson, Edwin Lehr, George-Paul Richman, Mallory Mayeux, Andrew Alman, Allison Alman, Chris Franke, Leslie Bell, Jim Sheets, and a cast of hundreds of others who have come out to help and my feeble memory can't recall! Some of the groups I'd like to offer a HUGE thank you are the Aggie Speleological Association and the Greater Houston Grotto. The Aggies, especially, were the hardest working, most enthusiastic, and hardest partying bunch I have ever been associated with and the success of this project, Pre and Post ICS, would not have been possible without their participation! Finally, I would like to thank ALL of the Boy Scout Troops that have come out to volunteer and to camp. They performed a huge service to the park,plus, a BUNCH of new youth received their first taste of caving and many have gone off to become more involved. (Why more cavers prefer to NOT work with Scout and other youth groups is beyond me! They are a great resource of labor and deep pool of potential new cavers. Refusal to work with them has puzzled me for 18 years and y'all know who you are!) In closing, to all of you who have come out to help on the project since 2008, either for just one weekend or for several weekends, I salute and thank you! I will always remember the fun times, hard work, evening meals (at the Park or at The Bluebonnet Cafe in Marble Falls), and the stargazing and camaraderie up in the Observation Tower on Saturday nights! To those of you who never made it out, y'all missed a VERY special project! If it gets resurrected or a special task at the park comes along, I'll be sure to let y'all know! Thanks and hats off! Mark Alman
Re: [Texascavers] Longhorn Caverns SP Project Rides Off Into The Sunset
Man! My heart just broke. This is my favorite cave. Alex and I were just talking about making a trip soon! Sent from my iPhone On Jan 3, 2014, at 3:54 PM, Mark Alman texascav...@yahoo.com wrote: Merry Christmas and Happy 2014, y'all! I have had a few inquiries as to the status of the Longhorn Caverns SP Project. At this point, I have decided to put it in the Completed or, at least, On Hiatus state of things. The TPWD folks, the concessionaire at the park, and the project folks had a to do list at the park and, to the best of my knowledge, all have been completed. This past spring, the TPWD crews did a superb job on repairing the dangerous trail areas in the cave, replacing and, in some cases, installing new handrails, repainting other handrails, and an excellent job of cleaning up after themselves. This, after switching all of the lighting in the cave from incandescent to LED the winter and spring before. The Project had a very long laundry list and it has been completed, as well, except for additional mapping in the back areas of the cave, near the Crownover entrance. This entrance still remains inaccessible, due to a new landowner and permissions to access the cave via this passageway have yet to be resolved. Hopefully, someday, the additional survey points and data collected by the various surveys will be added to the Longhorn Caverns map and we will have a completed and thorough idea of the total length and lay of the cave! I would love to be able to present this completed map to the park, someday! Highlights of the Project leader list include improvements and restoration of the Lovers Lane area, and removal of dead fall, cedar, and other unsightly underbush in the sinkhole near the Visitors Center, and pushing leads in the Lumbago Alley section. Numerous other smaller projects were completed and I'd rather not list them all or bore you with them here. Some of the folks I would like to thank, in no particular order, are: Lyndon Tiu, Gerry Geletzke, Natasha Glasgow, Daniel Ramirez, Bill Larson, Edwin Lehr, George-Paul Richman, Mallory Mayeux, Andrew Alman, Allison Alman, Chris Franke, Leslie Bell, Jim Sheets, and a cast of hundreds of others who have come out to help and my feeble memory can't recall! Some of the groups I'd like to offer a HUGE thank you are the Aggie Speleological Association and the Greater Houston Grotto. The Aggies, especially, were the hardest working, most enthusiastic, and hardest partying bunch I have ever been associated with and the success of this project, Pre and Post ICS, would not have been possible without their participation! Finally, I would like to thank ALL of the Boy Scout Troops that have come out to volunteer and to camp. They performed a huge service to the park,plus, a BUNCH of new youth received their first taste of caving and many have gone off to become more involved. (Why more cavers prefer to NOT work with Scout and other youth groups is beyond me! They are a great resource of labor and deep pool of potential new cavers. Refusal to work with them has puzzled me for 18 years and y'all know who you are!) In closing, to all of you who have come out to help on the project since 2008, either for just one weekend or for several weekends, I salute and thank you! I will always remember the fun times, hard work, evening meals (at the Park or at The Bluebonnet Cafe in Marble Falls), and the stargazing and camaraderie up in the Observation Tower on Saturday nights! To those of you who never made it out, y'all missed a VERY special project! If it gets resurrected or a special task at the park comes along, I'll be sure to let y'all know! Thanks and hats off! Mark Alman
Re: [Texascavers] Longhorn Caverns SP Project Rides Off Into The Sunset
Thanks, Lyndon! You were a huge part of its success. Mark, by sheer dumb luck, somehow managed to send this from his Virgin Mobile Android-Powered Device - Reply message - From: Lyndon Tiu l...@alumni.sfu.ca To: Cavers Texas texascavers@texascavers.com, GHG greater_houston_gro...@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Texascavers] Longhorn Caverns SP Project Rides Off Into The Sunset Date: Fri, Jan 3, 2014 4:15 PM Salute to you too Mark for being our fearless leader. For starting the project back in 2008, for negotiating cave and camping access and for organizing project work that got many cavers old and new into caving those many fun weekend work trips. I would like to mention that part of the work at Longhorn involved digging at the Crownover entrance to allow groups from the ICS 2009 to go on a one-way trip through the cave. The multi-weekend digs were a huge success and we brought many groups through the cave during ICS 2009. Many of those who went through had one common thing to say after the trip: We have never been this muddy before! Of course they were happy to say that. I have many good memories of the project. Till next time. On Fri, Jan 3, 2014 at 3:54 PM, Mark Alman texascav...@yahoo.com wrote: Merry Christmas and Happy 2014, y'all! I have had a few inquiries as to the status of the Longhorn Caverns SP Project. At this point, I have decided to put it in the Completed or, at least, On Hiatus state of things. The TPWD folks, the concessionaire at the park, and the project folks had a to do list at the park and, to the best of my knowledge, all have been completed. This past spring, the TPWD crews did a superb job on repairing the dangerous trail areas in the cave, replacing and, in some cases, installing new handrails, repainting other handrails, and an excellent job of cleaning up after themselves. This, after switching all of the lighting in the cave from incandescent to LED the winter and spring before. The Project had a very long laundry list and it has been completed, as well, except for additional mapping in the back areas of the cave, near the Crownover entrance. This entrance still remains inaccessible, due to a new landowner and permissions to access the cave via this passageway have yet to be resolved. Hopefully, someday, the additional survey points and data collected by the various surveys will be added to the Longhorn Caverns map and we will have a completed and thorough idea of the total length and lay of the cave! I would love to be able to present this completed map to the park, someday! Highlights of the Project leader list include improvements and restoration of the Lovers Lane area, and removal of dead fall, cedar, and other unsightly underbush in the sinkhole near the Visitors Center, and pushing leads in the Lumbago Alley section. Numerous other smaller projects were completed and I'd rather not list them all or bore you with them here. Some of the folks I would like to thank, in no particular order, are: Lyndon Tiu, Gerry Geletzke, Natasha Glasgow, Daniel Ramirez, Bill Larson, Edwin Lehr, George-Paul Richman, Mallory Mayeux, Andrew Alman, Allison Alman, Chris Franke, Leslie Bell, Jim Sheets, and a cast of hundreds of others who have come out to help and my feeble memory can't recall! Some of the groups I'd like to offer a HUGE thank you are the Aggie Speleological Association and the Greater Houston Grotto. The Aggies, especially, were the hardest working, most enthusiastic, and hardest partying bunch I have ever been associated with and the success of this project, Pre and Post ICS, would not have been possible without their participation! Finally, I would like to thank ALL of the Boy Scout Troops that have come out to volunteer and to camp. They performed a huge service to the park,plus, a BUNCH of new youth received their first taste of caving and many have gone off to become more involved. (Why more cavers prefer to NOT work with Scout and other youth groups is beyond me! They are a great resource of labor and deep pool of potential new cavers. Refusal to work with them has puzzled me for 18 years and y'all know who you are!) In closing, to all of you who have come out to help on the project since 2008, either for just one weekend or for several weekends, I salute and thank you! I will always remember the fun times, hard work, evening meals (at the Park or at The Bluebonnet Cafe in Marble Falls), and the stargazing and camaraderie up in the Observation Tower on Saturday nights! To those of you who never made it out, y'all missed a VERY special project! If it gets resurrected or a special task at the park comes along, I'll be sure to let y'all know! Thanks and hats off! Mark Alman -- Lyndon Tiu
