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| One of the San Antonio Missions- The Alamo |
With a break in my teaching schedule, I've been able to devote more free time to enjoying Texas. Like every place I've lived in the last couple of decades, my time here in TX has an expiration date (and no, I don't know that date yet!). Early in my military career, I was too young and homesick to really appreciate the ridiculously unique locations I was fortunate enough to find myself. Unfortunately, I was too busy comparing each place to where I was raised or the location I had just left. There's a saying in the military that no place is as good as the place you just came from, and no place is worse than the one in which you are currently stationed. It's sad, but unfortunately an accurate perception.
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| Day of the Dead Festival |
At the beginning of my three month internship at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs back in 2003, I made a mental list as soon as I got there of all the places in Colorado I wanted to see before my summer internship was over. With my aversion to cold climates and northern locales, I figured I may never go there again, so I should see all that I could in those three months.
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| Blue Bonnets in bloom |
Each weekend, I ticked off an experience or location on my list. There wasn't a single day off that I didn't go out and experience all that Colorado had to offer. I ended up staying to live and work in Colorado Springs for another 4 years after that summer internship. Until I had bought my motorcycle though, I had seen and done more in Colorado in those three months of my internship than I had in my whole four years afterwards.
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| Jacob's Well |
I've continued to made a mental list at each new place I live and then make a conscious effort to do and see as much as I can while I live there. I didn't realize how much I had been slacking on my list here in TX until I it dawned on me that I hadn't really seen anything new in a while. So, I've been revisiting my bucket list.
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| Luckenbach, TX |
So far:
Stock Show and Rodeo
Hill Country wineries
San Antonio Missions
Spoetzl Brewery (Shiner)
Luckenbach and Gruene Dance Halls
Bluebonnets blooming
BBQ at just about every well-known BBQ joint
Jacob's Well
Day of the Dead festival
Zip-lining in Wimberly
Ride Three Twisted Sisters
Natural Bridge Caverns
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| BBQ pit at the Salt Lick |
Still left to experience:
Big Bend National Park
McDonald Observatory
Blue Bell Ice Cream factory
Cadillac Ranch
Battle of the Flowers Parade
I'm sure I'm missing a ton of great locations and experiences, so I'm open to suggestions!
3 Nov update: Since my friends all prefer to comment on Facebook, here's three more to add to the "still left to experience" list:
Marfa lights
Fort Davis
Palo Duro Canyon State Park
Thanks team!
