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North of Tucson, Picacho Peak tells us we're headed in the right direction
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South of Tucson, the snow about as low as we are makes us wonder about our direction
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Outside Las Cruces NM a Roadrunner bigger than our motor home
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Yee-haw! But still a long way to go
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We awaken to horses learning how to race
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The horses train no matter how cold - and it was about freezing
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Movin' east. We like the art on some of the Texas overpasses
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Hmmm. That's not the sunny skies we've been seeking
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Checking in to the Medina Lake RV park, we notice the sculptures about
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And almost immediately, we notice the deer about
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It's pretty hard to NOT notice the deer - they're everywhere
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These white tail deer are about 2/3 the size of the ones we're used to in Oregon
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Judy was fascinated with this unusually-marked cat that hung around the activity center
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The bucks were the most impressive of the deer
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But it was usually the younger does who were the most trusting
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Sometimes they ganged up
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It was great fun
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They weren't shy, but they were cautious
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Almost makes you feel important
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Pipe Creek Presbyterian was about 15 miles - our closest church - compact and very friendly
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Medina Lake didn't have much water when we arrived - there'd been a drought
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Well hello
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Sometimes the bucks all got along, sometimes they didn't
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And sometimes you had to prove the bag was really empty
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Same to you, buster
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It's pretty hard to hand-feed a buck.
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The park served pancake breakfast every Thursday morning
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Those are OUR 50 cent pancakes on the grill
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Judy gets into the feeding act
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This young buck had an injured hoof
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You can see that band around his hind hoof, causing swelling and bleeding
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Between the Super Bowl and Valentine's Day, plenty of reasons for inflatables at the Activity Center
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The bucks especially seem so noble
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That's the Natural Bridge at Natural Bridge Caverns near New Braunfels
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These are limestone caverns, very wet, very warm, very beautiful
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The caves are creatively lit to enhance the beauty
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Some of the sculptures are spectacular
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The cave rooms were quite large
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There are no "natural" views of something that's naturally in the dark
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This room is huge - as are those formations
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They call it the Chandelier, obviously
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Almost looks like some of those ancient ivory carvings, only much bigger
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There were wonderful formations everywhere you looked
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The path we didn't take - a flooded room under 35' of water
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The flash freezes every ripple in the water
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These are similar to the terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone
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There were a lot of "Oh Wow" moments
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Almost like a coral reef
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Some formations are very complex
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Formed by thousands of years of dripping - and it continues
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At 70 degrees and 99% humidity, we felt as drippy as the formations
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Fascinating
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Some of the passageways had been enlarged for us non-spelunkers
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It's "Oh Wow" time again
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The caves were first opened to the public in 1964
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About 2 miles of cavern have been explored; less than half are on tours
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Judy tries to capture the "fried egg" formations
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And she did . . .
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They look over-easy, but they're hard as a rock (groan)
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This gives some idea of the scale of the place
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We got down to about 120 feet below the surface
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Next door to the caverns is the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch. We couldn't resist
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The first to greet us were the Barbary Sheep
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This Barbary Sheep ram is a purposeful-looking fellow
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It's called a Deffassa Waterbuck
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That's a Fallow Deer
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The Gemsbok Oryx is impressive
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A Fallow Deer fawn in repose
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This buck is a white Fallow Deer - not an albino, just a common genetic trait
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The Wildebeest are such strange looking . . . beasts. So what's gnu?
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A female Kudu
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A beautiful example of a Springbok
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The Watusi (an African breed of domestic cattle) has most impressive horns
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A Longhorn Steer is quite a sight in the rearview mirror!
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There are two Springbok antelope there, thus the plethora of legs
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This is a Damaraland Zebra - three shades of brown markings
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Most of the animals will eat from your hand if you let them
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The Scimitar-Horned Oryx is believed to be extinct in the wild
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A Nilgai. Many of these are grown as hunting prey in Texas
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We closed the windows when the ostriches came around
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All kinds of beggars come calling
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A male blackbuck
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The horns on the Addax are impressive
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The burros were cute
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Ever see a duck with a toupee?
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The plumage on this peacock is wonderful
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This baby giraffe was born just 6 weeks ago
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Talk about cute . . .
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The Wild Animal Orphanage is an exotic animal rescue facility near San Antonio
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Like these Grizzlies, many of their animals come from roadside animal attractions
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Some of their primates are formerly laboratory test animals
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Most of them seem to enjoy having humans nearby
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This Capuchin money wanted to stay close
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Tigers are among the most magnificent creatures
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When enclosures are cleaned, the toys are rearranged, and the tigers always put them back
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Yes, we were that close.
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This fellow wanted us to know he was in charge
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The primates all drink from sipping tubes
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The very obese Serval cat was a pet, and is now on a strict diet
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Two wolf hybrids live with an Alaskan Husky, and the husky is the alpha dog of the group
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Most of these rescue cats doen't have a pedigree, so zoos won't take them
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This white tiger has hip dysplasia - a common ailment - and limps pretty badly.
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That's a Liger - daddy was a lion, mama was a tiger. Makes for a really big cat
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Our guide at the animal orphanage was very knowledgeable
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Took us so darn long to find Medina Lake Dam we WILL use this picture!
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There was a pretty good crowd for Valentine's Dinner
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You mean including this one?
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Our injured little buck being treated by the Parks & Wildlife ranger
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The injury was caused by a piece of ABS plastic pipe
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They gave the deer artificial respiration for almost an hour, but it wasn't successful . . .
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And finally, a house near San Antonio with a "propane tank" tower. Now isn't that special . . .