I am just curious how many CaveTex readers plan to camp at the campus, and if you plan to camp all week.
1267 cavers have registered. A "wild guess" would be that 300 of those plus or minus a 100, are going to camp on the campus. Does anybody have a better guess ? Many cavers are staying some days at places outside of Kerrville and just coming to Kerrville during the day. Right ? Surely, 300 or more cavers will show up un-registered and either register for the whole ICS, or by day passes. Right ? They probably won't have pre-arranged accommodations and will plan to camp at the last minute. Right ? The campus has a exercise facility that appears to be new. It is near the campground and has 2 racquetball courts and a exercise bike room with a big TV playing CNN. There are nice showers and restrooms there. I don't know what else it offers. I don't mean to bash the previous NSS Conventions, but in my opinion, the facilities at Shriner University seem to be better than the campus in Lake City. The Bellingham Convention maybe had nicer facilities, but the campground was a long hike to the opposite end of the campus. My memory recalls little about the facilities in Porterville. I would have to say Kerrville is a nicer town than Porterville, but Porterville was centered between some nice caves and the Sierra Nevada mountains. All the other conventions that I have attended used a nearby high-school, which was either adjacent to the campground or too far to walk from it. In Lake City, we had a huge tree that nearly every caver was able to set up their tent around, and that was one of the things that saved the convention from the low attendance. But back to Kerrville and camping, The swimming pool is near the campground, but it may not be open late at night after the sessions. Anybody know ? Kerrville does have a nice indoor swimming pool on the opposite side of town. They want $ 60 for a week pass. It has a big jacuzzi and stays open til 11 pm on Friday and Saturday night, and 10 p.m. the rest of the week. I don't know if the pass includes the other amenities they offer, which I think are bowling and basketball. I seem to recall someone announcing that camping at the campus will be more convenient than the state park. But the state park has a few screened shelters, if you could luck out and get one. My experience tells me you will have more fun at the convention if you plant your tent right next to all the action, but not next to the Terminal Siphon's speakers. There is some kind of taco stand within walking distance of the campground. I bet it will be open late. Surely, some cavers will have a big grill and will be cooking out each night. So put, something in your ice chest to throw on their grill. I did not get a chance to walk down to the swimming hole near the campus. I don't know how far it is from the campground or how nice it is. Can anyone describe that ? I saw a bridge with a creek. I presume a trail there leads to the swimming hole ?? Any other comments about camping on campus ? One of the items that seems to be high on caver's list of importance is the availability of beer during the event. I am not a beer drinker, but will usually have a mug at each party. I presume the beer situation is under control since one of the major sponsors is a beer corporation. Has that ever happened before ? David Locklear --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
