Category: Travel

Isla Mujeres 2024

Posted in Local or Hometown Travel, Texas Hill Country Travel, Travel

Traveling the Texas Hill Country to New Braunfels: Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo

Posted on by Rhonda Wiley-Jones

KEEPING UP WITH OLD FRIENDS – NOT THE SNAKE

Do we keep up with old friends? Do we take time to see them? Do we wait sometimes until it’s too late? Often I’m not good at staying in touch; my husband is. Mayo Clinic states “friendships enrich your life and improve your health.” So, NOW, is the best time to visit old friends.

Maryann lost her husband Larry, and my husband’s long-time friend, suddenly last year. She invited us to come see her and provided her community’s guest apartment for our convenience.

So Lynn and I left town to explore more of the Texas Hill Country and visit Maryann for 3 days and nights. We traveled to New Braunfels with Murphy, our Shih Tzu. She lives in an over-55 community with her two Lasa Apsos, Cassidy and Sundance.

LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA

As I walked Murphy when we arrived, I noticed a bird’s nest. In fact, I discovered over the three days a row of seven elm trees, three of which had nesting mourning doves. They must be used to lots of commotion, because they are tending their eggs just feet from the pool and walking path.

Two things I love about this bird: 1) the cooing sound, which is mournful but relaxing to me; and 2) the birds mate for life, devoted to the end. This dove observed me with a black eye hiding behind a leaf. Look for the head and beak at “9:00 to 10:00” in the photo.

THE ANIMAL WORLD AND SNAKE FARM ZOO

After my online research, I knew what I wanted to experience first. The Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo. Admission fee was $16-$20/person. Extra for the petting zoo feed pellets (goats, lama, free-range chickens and peacocks/peafowl) and another charge for lettuce to feed the camels.

THE PETTING ZOO

I dusted the walking path with pellets. Chicken, peacocks, and birds followed. When I entered the petting zoo and toured the animal selection I counted about 20 goats, a single buck-toothed lama, a miniature cow and horse. A single worker was filing the hoofs of a goat. She offered no warning.

When I scattered pellet the goats surrounded and pinned my knees and shins in place. If I’d been claustrophobic, I would have panicked. Instead I laughed at my predicament and looked at Maryann. “What am I to do?” “Wait,” she said laughing at me. She enjoyed the show so much, she didn’t think to capture my dilemma on camera.

When they mobbed me, I spilled the rest of the pellets, landing on their backs. They had their faces and mouths to the ground. I tried moving forward the force of the goats that held me in place. Ironically, I found I could back up and finally moved out of that herd of feeding goats. This article on the affection of goats may explain some of this behavior.

A mother entered the petting zoon with a 2 or 3 year old. I gave her the warning, I wish someone would have given me. “Your little boy will be engulfed. It’s scary.” She retreated with her son.

THE SNAKE FARM

I’m fascinated by snakes as long as they are behind glass. These snakes were from all over the world, as well as right here in Texas. Snakes are known for their camouflage abilities. That is apparent in these photos, except for the Green Tree Python, but in its original habitat, I’m sure its bright green works well.


The lizard below was quite the entertainer, dancing his way into everyone’s heart.

FEEDING THE CAMELS

Young girls purchased lettuce to feed the herbivores. The camels proved friendly when offered the leafy morsels, so the girls had an up close encounter petting the dromedaries.

The single-humped, hoofed mammal hails from Arabia. They eat grass, grains, oats and wheat in their desert environment. They store fat in their humps to serve as reserved energy and water when sources are scarce. They can go for a week without water.

NAP TIME
The sun climbed higher and the heat soared. While some animals were retiring for a nap, monkeys cleaned each other, mountain lions paced, pumas – one white, one spotted stood panting, and a male/female pair of magnificent lions napped on a big stone.

We left hot, thirsty, and tired. It was time for my nap with the wildest of animals–my Murphy.

If you like to travel and you’re reading this post, you may enjoy my coming-of-age, travel memoir, At Home in the World: Travel Stories of Growing Up and Growing Away. Or if you are more interested in historical fiction, check out my novel, Song of Herself.
Posted in adventure, Driving Trips, Local or Hometown Travel, Travel

Traveling the Texas Hill Country to Enchanted Rock

Posted on by Rhonda Wiley-Jones


Is it the Great Wall of China? I don’t think so!


Is it the fences of the Cotswolds in England? I don’t think so!

This rock wall intrigued me on our drive through the Texas Hill Country. We enjoyed wind on our faces in my husband Lynn’s Mazda Miata convertible. Lynn has walked part of the Great Wall of China that was built over centuries. Stone or soil mixed with gravel and pressed between two boards to dry created the wall. It separated countries, enemies, and trade routes.

I’ve visited the Cotswolds of England and found their honey-colored stone fences stacked without any sort of cement fascinating. Both countries built walls and fences out of rocks that surfaced from the soil. Both countries used naturally available materials. Their walls, fences, structures separated countries, property and livestock.

This rock fence on our ride was about 2 feet wide, 3-4 feet tall, and a mile or more long. I suspect it merely divided the property from the road as any typical fence would. It was one of a kind to my eye.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF FENCE

We smelled the wafting scent of cedar trees being burned from landscapes overrun by cedar trees because of a recent 3-6 inch rain that broke a drought somewhat and lifted burn bans. Historically cedar trees were crafted into roof shingles in this area. No longer used in shingles, the tree can still be stripped and set as fence posts side-by-side here or with barbed wire. An invasive species, cedar trees slurp up too much water from our soil and aquifer, leaving the area drier than ever and so must be cut from ranch land and burned. A burden, cost, and nuisance to land owners.

BIRDS AND ANIMALS

The thrill of the day however was spotting a roadrunner fly to a low-hung tree branch and roost there AND then spying two zebras close to the fence line next to the road on an exotic animal hunting ranch. Neither of which I could capture in a photo.

ROCK

Our destination was Enchanted Rock, located 21 miles north of Fredericksburg, a German community and shopping haven, and 26 miles south of Llano, Texas, the deer capital of the state. A granite rock erupts in the ground with little to no vegetation. The State park allows for picnicking, climbing, geocaching, nature studies, birding, and stargazing. Be sure to bring your protein snacks and plenty of water. Wear athletic shoes or hiking boots for climbing. A climb can be achieved in half a day. Beware of rattlesnakes!

When you drive TX-16 S and Ranch Rd 965 you understand why it is called the Texas Hill Country. Broad panoramas, rock walls, and lush green hills welcome you to the Texas Hill Country.

Posted in adventure, Memoir writing, Travel, Travel Writing, Women traveling

Getting Lost in Dublin

Posted on by Rhonda Wiley-Jones

The Idea of Getting Lost

Getting lost can be a result of traveling into unknown territory. For many travelers and especially travel writers that’s the point of travel—to get lost, find ourselves in unlikely places, and discover something we could not have imagined just hours before. It’s the thrill of the travel writer, even if it is intimidating or scary.

A Travelers’ Tale of Getting Lost

In Ireland years ago, my mom joined my husband and I at his international conference in Dublin. Typically, the host university would have a robust itinerary for spouses and guests. But not this time.

One day Mother and I took the bus from our guesthouse to central downtown. I don’t even recall what we hoped to see or do. But we had shopped (my mother’s favorite hobby), bought a refreshing drink in the midafternoon and decided it was time to head back.

Map Reading Got us Nowhere

Our map did not match where we were. It didn’t resemble where we wanted to go. We walked and walked to find a street location that would give us our bearings to no avail. We laughed at our combined ineptitude. We walked until we were tired. We laughed at a city that seemed incomprehensible to either of us. We walked until we were parched again.

Finally, we waited in the heat of the afternoon, feet swelling at a bus stop.  

A stern bus driver wanted us on or off the bus. I was taking up time out of his route to step onto the bus to ask directions while mom stood on the street. Exasperated, he demanded, “Both of you. Get on. I’ll take you to the right bus stop.”

The Kindness of Strangers

In the end, he took time out of his route (and possibly at the ire of passengers) to get us to the correct bus stop, headed in the right direction back to our guesthouse, almost late for dinner with my husband.

We giggled at how this intimidating driver had given in to two damsels in distress. The kindness of a stranger was our hero in this story. The afternoon in Dublin was mom’s and my most memorable moment of a two-week Ireland trip.

A “Getting Lost” Story in Song of Herself.

You can find my novel, Song of Herself, on Amazon. In the novel you can find specifically the story of the protagonist, Fiona, getting lost in India and how she found her way to shop for a salwar kameez, on pages 166-168.

I believe, you will enjoy the adventure story of one young horsewoman’s journey to India alone to sell her uncle’s quarter horses. What she discovers along the way is the kindness of others and her own resilience to suffer the same obstacles she faced at home and due to her ability to taken the reins of her life succeed in overcoming those challenges.

Posted in adventure, Travel, Travel Writing

Let Travel Be Your Teacher

Posted on by Rhonda Wiley-Jones

Study abroad experiences stretch college students’ horizons; mission trips help church teens see a world different from their own. We expect young people to learn from travel, but do we anticipate the same from ourselves when we travel?

We often say, “Yes,” but fail to do what it takes to make it happen. We may be a tourist, pilgrim, or adventurer. It doesn’t matter. Anyone can let travel be their teacher by setting an intention before leaving, paying attention to that intention, and seizing surprises along the way. When we capture our experiences in a journal, we can reflect on the insights gained. That’s where the learning takes place.

The only things that interest me are people and ideas. I love going on trips that shock me, where everything I believe in my religion, my politics, my social outlook is immediately challenged with diametrically different viewpoints. (Arthur Frommer)

Objection

A frequent objection is one misses travel experiences, while journaling. Early morning or late evening can offer quiet time to write. Or you can convert hours of transportation to useful writing. Using simple methods that don’t take much time is another answer.

Themes for your travel

A purposeful method of journaling is to choose a theme for the trip. You might select to focus on architecture, then create questions that go beyond the obvious.

  • What are traditional and contemporary construction methods and materials used? Why these?
  • What topographic, geological, or historical factors affected building structure design?
  • How are/were homes different from ours and for what reasons?
Journal when you have down-time.

These inquiries set in motion intentional travel that culminates in paying attention more closely while roaming the world. We experience the trip more deeply, and as a result, discover richer insights.

Choose from simple journaling techniques

  1. Categorize differences between the culture you’re visiting and your own
  2. Write about the most influential part of your day; recall one significant conversation, historical fact, or memorable event – not everything
  3. Create a “3D” table: Date, Destination, Discovery (what you learned in twenty-five words or less)
  4. Identify the 3E’s of daily travel: Event, Emotion, and what to Explore next
  5. Each day draft a short poem about something particular or a haiku (a 17-syllable poem)
  6. Ask others travelers to record memorable moments from their day in your journal
  7. List new foreign vocabulary words and their meaning
  8. Describe trees and plants, birds or animals new to you  

Artistic Journaling

Try artistic approaches. Collect items like tickets, coffee sleeves, or maps to paste into your journal—like a collage. Sketch a scene, a historical building, or unique road sign. Ask children you meet along the way draw or color in your journal. Create a mind map of the day’s activities.

Journaling Supplies

People, who journal, choose supplies to fit their personality and the circumstances of their trip. Do you prefer a ballpoint or gel pen, colored markers or pencils? Do you like a sketchpad, a spiral bound notebook with lines and a pretty cover, or a classic leather-bound journal? Will you be at the beach or in a rain forest? Waterproof paper and pencils are available; otherwise, a Ziploc bag will protect your supplies.

Mindful, intentional journal writing allows travel to serve as guide, mentor, and teacher.

Posted in Travel, Travel Writing, Women traveling

Travel Back in Time

Posted on by Rhonda Wiley-Jones

On vacation last month we traveled to visit friends in Wisconsin we had not seen in many years. As we followed the Wisconsin highway and turned onto a two-lane county road, then to the unpaved road into the forested overhang of our friend’s retreat home on Lake Michigan, we knew we were almost there. As it is with old friends, we fell into old habits of eating, drinking, story telling, reminiscing, filling our glasses again and catching up on the years in between. 

A TRIP DOWN ANOTHER MEMORY LANE

But I must interrupt our current good time to walk the dog, Murphy, who travelled with us. So he and I trekked back up the long driveway to our friend’s house and I was transported to the Scottish Highlands, particularly the Isle of Skye.

I had visited the isle decades ago, where eight other tourists and I missed the last ferry of the day for the mainland. We ended up spending a night at the inconvenience of locals who found lodging for each of us, couples, singles (like myself traveling alone), and singles traveling together.

We spent a riotous dinner together laughing about how we had become so entranced by the island that we simply forgot to catch the ferry. At least I was not alone. 

The road Murphy and I walked that day took me back in time to why I missed the ferry. In wandering the lush undergrowth that was so mysterious then, I decided–just knew in my bones–that elves had to exist on that island.

Did they call them pixies, sprites, fairies, leprechauns (no, that would be Irish)? 

I could not see them, but I just knew (without really knowing) they could see me. They were watching my every move. And here again in this forest near the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin I could feel their presence then and there again. 

I WONDERED 

Were they observing me from the turn of the underside of a fern? 

How small were they and how many were there? 

 

Did they sit and twitter with each other about how funny we look and sound? 

Could they leap from leaf to leaf to get a better view of us? 

 

And did they listen from the creases of a tree?

Could they hide in the center of a flower, seeing us without being seen?

TRAVELING BACK IN TIME

I will never know the answers, but I will remember that unexpected overnight stay on the Isle of Skye. And then how my time in Wisconsin took me back, just as our drive had taken us back in time to visit old friends. What joys!

A TRAVELER’S QUESTION

When you travel what kind of alertness do take with you to explore even the mundane?