texascavers Digest 6 May 2009 14:51:21 -0000 Issue 754 Topics (messages 10639 through 10647):
survey device
10639 by: Mixon Bill
International Congress of Speleology Shuttle/Van Driver Volunteers
10640 by: Don Arburn
Banff Mountain Film Festival 2009
10641 by: Geary Schindel
10642 by: tbsamsel.verizon.net
10643 by: Geary Schindel
10644 by: Fritz Holt
UT Grotto Meeting â Wednesday May 6, 2009
10645 by: Gary Franklin
Jewel Cave, South Dakota, still second longest in the world
10646 by: Jim Kennedy
Re: Camino Columbia Toll Goes automated
10647 by: Minton, Mark
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--- Begin Message --- For those of you interested in survey instruments, the latest (#70) Canadian Caver has an article about a kit for modifying a Disto A3 so that it records distance, azimuth, and slope all at once, substituting for all the traditional cave surveying instruments. The CC author used the thing in Lech and thinks it is at least as accurate as traditional surveys. One big advantage is that you aim the thing at the station no matter how steep the angle of the shot--none of that pretending you're aiming in the right direction you do with a Suunto compass. See www.paperless.bheeb.ch .--Mixon ---------------------------------------------He who renders warfare fatal to all engaged in it will be the greatest benefactor the world has yet known. - Sir Richard Burton---------------------------------------------- You may "reply" to the address this message came from, but for long-term use, save: Personal: [email protected] AMCS: [email protected] or [email protected]
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--- Begin Message --- This is a heads up for International Congress of Speleology Shuttle/ Van Driver Volunteers. We need trip leaders and shuttle van drivers! There are only 11 at this point. Of course more are needed so please pass the word! At this point my first order of business and need is first thing in the morning on Saturday July 18. This is when vans need to be picked up and put into immediate service. Email me if interested in helping out, I have a schedule I can share. Pass this on to other caving lists!--- Don Arburn [email protected] 2009 15th International Congress of Speleology Transportation Coordinator NSS# 56822RL
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--- Begin Message ---Folks, I wanted to send out a short review of the Banff Mountain Film Festival, San Antonio, Texas showing last night (Sunday, May 3, 2009) at the Empire Theater. Susan Scoby and Bob Barnett were also there working for the film festival's Texas Sponsor - Whole Earth Provisions (great folks). The Empire is an excellent venue for the film as it is a wonderfully restored, old theater located in downtown San Antonio. The Banff Mountain Film Festival tour is composed of a number of short films ranging from 6 minutes to about 55 minutes and covered a wide range of topics and adventures in the great outdoors. The films included extreme skiing, climbing, caving, mountain biking, and kayaking all the way to base jumping in one of the giant sinkholes in China. The entire festival ran almost 4 hours with a 15 minute intermission. The films were all outstanding and keep you sitting on the edge of your seat. I've been concerned that in this day and age of computers, MTV, and other distractions, young folks just weren't getting out and doing the wild adventures I did in my youth - back when the men were iron and the ships were wood. However, these films show me that adventure is alive and is well fed by today's youth. Whole Earth Provisions (the Austin and San Antonio outfitter) was the local sponsor of the event which also included a number of vendors such as Gore-Tex, Mountain Hardware, Dueter Packs, Smart Wool, and others. There were also a number of non-profits with tables including the Sierra Club, Last Chance Forever, and Mitchell Lake Audubon Center of San Antonio. There were some very nice birds of prey on exhibit just waiting to take out someone's eye on command. I would suspect that the price of admission at $20 for adults and $16 for youths kept some folks away but it was an incredible bargain. First off, the films were worth every penny of the admission price and proceeds are used to support local conservation groups. But, to top it off, Whole Earth Provisions, AGAIN, showed its great support for the outdoor community by providing a $10 gift certificate for everyone who attended. In addition, Smart Wool was giving away a free pair of socks to everyone at the show. So, you ended up with about $25.00 worth of stuff AND a pair of socks that have a pretty high IQ. So, you basically made your money back. In addition, they had a number of excellent door prizes from the vendors that were present as well as a number of cool give-aways . Couple of recommendations, it could be a little better advertised. I think that San Antonio will show it's support as word of mouth spreads about this fine program. It would also be nice if they didn't hold it so close to college finals as I know that kept a few folks away - however, I understand they don't always have a choice of when the films are available. The biggest recommendation is that they should get Kimberly-Clark as co-sponsors (KC is the manufacturer of Depends). I had already peed myself from the various bike stunts and rock climbing footage by the time the three guys did the base jump into the Chinese Sinkhole, I think about half the audience crapped themselves. So, if you missed the San Antonio showing. It is also playing tonight in Austin and I understand the Radical Reels, with all the serious thrill seeking footage, is tomorrow night. If you're going to see the Radical Reels, I would definitely bring your own Depends and expect change them out during intermission. Great stuff and THANKS to Whole Earth Provisions and all the other sponsors for a great night out. Geary Schindel
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Folks,
I wanted to send out a short review of the Banff Mountain Film Festival, San Antonio, Texas showing last night (Sunday, May 3, 2009) at the Empire Theater. Susan Scoby and Bob Barnett were also there working for the film festival’s Texas Sponsor – Whole Earth Provisions (great folks). The Empire is an excellent venue for the film as it is a wonderfully restored, old theater located in downtown San Antonio.
The Banff Mountain Film Festival tour is composed of a number of short films ranging from 6 minutes to about 55 minutes and covered a wide range of topics and adventures in the great outdoors. The films included extreme skiing, climbing, caving, mountain biking, and kayaking all the way to base jumping in one of the giant sinkholes in China. The entire festival ran almost 4 hours with a 15 minute intermission. The films were all outstanding and keep you sitting on the edge of your seat. I’ve been concerned that in this day and age of computers, MTV, and other distractions, young folks just weren’t getting out and doing the wild adventures I did in my youth – back when the men were iron and the ships were wood. However, these films show me that adventure is alive and is well fed by today’s youth.
Whole Earth Provisions (the Austin and San Antonio outfitter) was the local sponsor of the event which also included a number of vendors such as Gore-Tex, Mountain Hardware, Dueter Packs, Smart Wool, and others. There were also a number of non-profits with tables including the Sierra Club, Last Chance Forever, and Mitchell Lake Audubon Center of San Antonio. There were some very nice birds of prey on exhibit just waiting to take out someone’s eye on command.
I would suspect that the price of admission at $20 for adults and $16 for youths kept some folks away but it was an incredible bargain. First off, the films were worth every penny of the admission price and proceeds are used to support local conservation groups. But, to top it off, Whole Earth Provisions, AGAIN, showed its great support for the outdoor community by providing a $10 gift certificate for everyone who attended. In addition, Smart Wool was giving away a free pair of socks to everyone at the show. So, you ended up with about $25.00 worth of stuff AND a pair of socks that have a pretty high IQ. So, you basically made your money back. In addition, they had a number of excellent door prizes from the vendors that were present as well as a number of cool give-aways .
Couple of recommendations, it could be a little better advertised. I think that San Antonio will show it’s support as word of mouth spreads about this fine program. It would also be nice if they didn’t hold it so close to college finals as I know that kept a few folks away – however, I understand they don’t always have a choice of when the films are available. The biggest recommendation is that they should get Kimberly-Clark as co-sponsors (KC is the manufacturer of Depends). I had already peed myself from the various bike stunts and rock climbing footage by the time the three guys did the base jump into the Chinese Sinkhole, I think about half the audience crapped themselves.
So, if you missed the San Antonio showing. It is also playing tonight in Austin and I understand the Radical Reels, with all the serious thrill seeking footage, is tomorrow night. If you’re going to see the Radical Reels, I would definitely bring your own Depends and expect change them out during intermission.
Great stuff and THANKS to Whole Earth Provisions and all the other sponsors for a great night out.
Geary Schindel
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--- Begin Message ---Yes, I’ve found that if you misspell someone’s name, they usually respond back so you know they read the post. An old journalism trick I pick up – yeah, that’s it, a journalism trick. Geary (with an e) From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, May 04, 2009 3:16 PM To: Geary Schindel Cc: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Banff Mountain Film Festival 2009 Could that be Bob Burnett & Susan Souby? T May 4, 2009 02:43:41 PM, [email protected] wrote: Folks, I wanted to send out a short review of the Banff Mountain Film Festival, San Antonio, Texas showing last night (Sunday, May 3, 2009) at the Empire Theater. Susan Scoby and Bob Barnett were also there working for the film festival’s Texas Sponsor – Whole Earth Provisions (great folks). The Empire is an excellent venue for the film as it is a wonderfully restored, old theater located in downtown San Antonio. The Banff Mountain Film Festival tour is composed of a number of short films ranging from 6 minutes to about 55 minutes and covered a wide range of topics and adventures in the great outdoors. The films included extreme skiing, climbing, caving, mountain biking, and kayaking all the way to base jumping in one of the giant sinkholes in China. The entire festival ran almost 4 hours with a 15 minute intermission. The films were all outstanding and keep you sitting on the edge of your seat. I’ve been concerned that in this day and age of computers, MTV, and other distractions, young folks just weren’t getting out and doing the wild adventures I did in my youth – back when the men were iron and the ships were wood. However, these films show me that adventure is alive and is well fed by today’s youth. Whole Earth Provisions (the Austin and San Antonio outfitter) was the local sponsor of the event which also included a number of vendors such as Gore-Tex, Mountain Hardware, Dueter Packs, Smart Wool, and others. There were also a number of non-profits with tables including the Sierra Club, Last Chance Forever, and Mitchell Lake Audubon Center of San Antonio. There were some very nice birds of prey on exhibit just waiting to take out someone’s eye on command. I would suspect that the price of admission at $20 for adults and $16 for youths kept some folks away but it was an incredible bargain. First off, the films were worth every penny of the admission price and proceeds are used to support local conservation groups. But, to top it off, Whole Earth Provisions, AGAIN, showed its great support for the outdoor community by providing a $10 gift certificate for everyone who attended. In addition, Smart Wool was giving away a free pair of socks to everyone at the show. So, you ended up with about $25.00 worth of stuff AND a pair of socks that have a pretty high IQ. So, you basically made your money back. In addition, they had a number of excellent door prizes from the vendors that were present as well as a number of cool give-aways . Couple of recommendations, it could be a little better advertised. I think that San Antonio will show it’s support as word of mouth spreads about this fine program. It would also be nice if they didn’t hold it so close to college finals as I know that kept a few folks away – however, I understand they don’t always have a choice of when the films are available. The biggest recommendation is that they should get Kimberly-Clark as co-sponsors (KC is the manufacturer of Depends). I had already peed myself from the various bike stunts and rock climbing footage by the time the three guys did the base jump into the Chinese Sinkhole, I think about half the audience crapped themselves. So, if you missed the San Antonio showing. It is also playing tonight in Austin and I understand the Radical Reels, with all the serious thrill seeking footage, is tomorrow night. If you’re going to see the Radical Reels, I would definitely bring your own Depends and expect change them out during intermission. Great stuff and THANKS to Whole Earth Provisions and all the other sponsors for a great night out. Geary Schindel
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--- Begin Message ---How about Schindel with a c and one l. Wise a__. ________________________________ From: Geary Schindel [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, May 04, 2009 3:23 PM To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Subject: RE: [Texascavers] Banff Mountain Film Festival 2009 Yes, I've found that if you misspell someone's name, they usually respond back so you know they read the post. An old journalism trick I pick up - yeah, that's it, a journalism trick. Geary (with an e) From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, May 04, 2009 3:16 PM To: Geary Schindel Cc: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Banff Mountain Film Festival 2009 Could that be Bob Burnett & Susan Souby? T May 4, 2009 02:43:41 PM, [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> wrote: Folks, I wanted to send out a short review of the Banff Mountain Film Festival, San Antonio, Texas showing last night (Sunday, May 3, 2009) at the Empire Theater. Susan Scoby and Bob Barnett were also there working for the film festival's Texas Sponsor - Whole Earth Provisions (great folks). The Empire is an excellent venue for the film as it is a wonderfully restored, old theater located in downtown San Antonio. The Banff Mountain Film Festival tour is composed of a number of short films ranging from 6 minutes to about 55 minutes and covered a wide range of topics and adventures in the great outdoors. The films included extreme skiing, climbing, caving, mountain biking, and kayaking all the way to base jumping in one of the giant sinkholes in China. The entire festival ran almost 4 hours with a 15 minute intermission. The films were all outstanding and keep you sitting on the edge of your seat. I've been concerned that in this day and age of computers, MTV, and other distractions, young folks just weren't getting out and doing the wild adventures I did in my youth - back when the men were iron and the ships were wood. However, these films show me that adventure is alive and is well fed by today's youth. Whole Earth Provisions (the Austin and San Antonio outfitter) was the local sponsor of the event which also included a number of vendors such as Gore-Tex, Mountain Hardware, Dueter Packs, Smart Wool, and others. There were also a number of non-profits with tables including the Sierra Club, Last Chance Forever, and Mitchell Lake Audubon Center of San Antonio. There were some very nice birds of prey on exhibit just waiting to take out someone's eye on command. I would suspect that the price of admission at $20 for adults and $16 for youths kept some folks away but it was an incredible bargain. First off, the films were worth every penny of the admission price and proceeds are used to support local conservation groups. But, to top it off, Whole Earth Provisions, AGAIN, showed its great support for the outdoor community by providing a $10 gift certificate for everyone who attended. In addition, Smart Wool was giving away a free pair of socks to everyone at the show. So, you ended up with about $25.00 worth of stuff AND a pair of socks that have a pretty high IQ. So, you basically made your money back. In addition, they had a number of excellent door prizes from the vendors that were present as well as a number of cool give-aways . Couple of recommendations, it could be a little better advertised. I think that San Antonio will show it's support as word of mouth spreads about this fine program. It would also be nice if they didn't hold it so close to college finals as I know that kept a few folks away - however, I understand they don't always have a choice of when the films are available. The biggest recommendation is that they should get Kimberly-Clark as co-sponsors (KC is the manufacturer of Depends). I had already peed myself from the various bike stunts and rock climbing footage by the time the three guys did the base jump into the Chinese Sinkhole, I think about half the audience crapped themselves. So, if you missed the San Antonio showing. It is also playing tonight in Austin and I understand the Radical Reels, with all the serious thrill seeking footage, is tomorrow night. If you're going to see the Radical Reels, I would definitely bring your own Depends and expect change them out during intermission. Great stuff and THANKS to Whole Earth Provisions and all the other sponsors for a great night out. Geary Schindel
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--- Begin Message ---Underground Texas Grotto meeting May 6, 2009 www.utgrotto.org The meeting is on Wednesday from 7:45 P.M. - 9:00 P.M. on the University of Texas Campus in 2.48 Painter Hall http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/buildings/pai.html The Presentation will be Speleothems as records of paleoenvironmental change in Texas by Dr. Jay L. Banner Professor, Jackson School of Geosciences Director, Environmental Science Institute http://www.geo.utexas.edu/faculty/banner/ Use of the growth rate and geochemistry of speleothems as paleoenvironmental proxies has grown rapidly in the past decade, reflecting the great potential of speleothems as high-resolution records for late Pleistocene and Holocene environmental change. Uranium-series isotopes provide accurate and precise geochronometers for reconstructing speleothem growth rates. To test the hypothesis that such growth rates are a proxy for paleo-rainfall, we quantify growth rates of modern speleothem calcite on artificial substrates and monitor concurrent environmental conditions in three caves across the Edwards Plateau in central Texas. For information on Underground Texas Grotto activites, please see the website All of our information is available through our link including officer contact info. Check it out and surf around for information on trips reports, new caver training, calendar, and link to get included on mass postings for either beginner trips or vertical rope training. We are busy with all kinds of activities such as projects that we discuss after each of our meetings as well. Come out and hang out with us for burgers, beer, and tall tales at the after meeting at Posse East, 2900 Duval Rd www.posseeast.com The UT Grotto is always looking for someone like you that has great photos and a story to share about your caving adventures, or scientific research, or something else really cool. Contact Gary to get your place in the spotlight. [email protected]
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--- Begin Message ---More of Jewel Cave is mapped May 1 2009 5:15AM Associated Press Eds: APNewsNow. RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) Explorers have mapped out another 700 feet of Jewel Cave in the Black Hills to maintain its rank as the world's second longest cave. Jewel Cave now has just over 145 miles of explored and mapped passageways. The official length of a cave is not the distance between points, but rather the cumulative distance of all explored and mapped passages. Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is considered the world's longest cave with 365 miles of explored passages. Third on the list behind Jewel Cave is a cave in the Ukraine. Information from: KUSD-FM, http://www.sdpb.org <http://www.kxmb.com/iframer.asp?URL=http://www.sdpb.org> (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 05-01-09 0501CDT |
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--- Begin Message ---Aimee said: >We got 180 day tourist and vehicle permits. Lately we've been told that >tourist permits are only good for one visit but not this time - a new and >welcome change. We had no trouble getting 180 days on our permits when we went to Los Toros (Purificación) last Christmas or to J2 (Oaxaca) this spring, so I haven't seen any evidence of one-trip-only permits. I certainly hope that is not happening. Occasionally I have been offered less time initially, but when I asked to get the full 180 days it was always granted. >I'll sorta miss the old semaforos but they are still in use at Camaron Station >further into the interior. On our way down to J2 in March we noted that a new interior aduana check point was being constructed further south of Matamaoros than the old one. On our way back north in April it was open, although of course we didn't have to stop since we were heading north. This was obviously designed to allow a single check point to catch traffic crossing from both Matamoros and Indios, similar to the one constructed south of Laredo to catch both Laredo and Colombia traffic many years ago. I don't know what sort of inspection selection device the new aduana has, but I won't miss those semaforos since they were obviously not really random like they were supposed to be. I've had the light come on before I ever even pushed the button! >The Mexican army is well represented at the border now. When we crossed at Colombia last Christmas, there was the heaviest army presence I've ever seen at a border crossing. In addition to soldiers with vests, helmets and rifles, there were jeeps with heavy machine guns mounted on the roof parked around the aduana. I suspect this has to do with the increased drug violence in border cities. >A 22 Km stretch of NL 1 has just been widened and paved. There are several recently widened smaller roads in northern Mexico. It looks like the government is definitely trying to improve access to/from the border. Although these roads are not four lanes wide, they have wide enough shoulders to make passing easy because people move over, just like they do in Texas. In addition to the widened section of NL1 and the road south from Colombia, the road south from Indios is fully widened to its junction with 101/180, 180 has been partly widened south toward Soto La Marina, and the road from Soto to La Pesca on the coast is almost completely upgraded. Now if they'd just fix the rest of the road south from Tampico to Veracruz! >There are two new and quite large Santo Muerte chapels along NL 1. We stopped at one of those last January. Very bizarre statues and posters inside. We took several photos. >The times they are a changin' And seemingly for the better! :-) Mark Minton
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