Last time, you’ll recall, we had just gotten back to the hotel after Martha almost passed out in Walmart in the city of San Marcos. There are some who say that this is the proper response to a Big Box store...I, however, will choose to differ.
Seriously. Differ. Big time.
Anyway, we spent the night in the hotel. In the morning, we had a quick breakfast, checked out, and then headed for “the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment.” In some ways, this would be the most interesting part of our trip to San Marcros. The Mermaid Parade was a blast...a lot of fun...but it would be the Meadows Center that would be the most intellectually stimulating.
About the photos: Several today. First, a trio of the glass bottomed boats at the dock. Second, the boat we eventually ended up taking. Third, the view from the glass bottom. It looks like a window, but you’re actually looking down at the lake floor. Fourth, a rather fuzzy picture (sorry) of one of the divers. And, finally, and as per norm, nothing to do with the story, a selfie of Martha and me in the town of Hutto, Texas.
Here’s the story. You’ll recall that San Marcos got its Mermaid theme from the Aquarena waterpark. You’ll also recall that when the park went...ah...under(water), the area was sold to the Texas State University, which then converted the area into a freshwater research facility, the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. Which is all very cool.
Okay, but the Meadows Center still has a place for visitors. You can walk the grounds, see exhibits, and...whoa!...take cruises on the lakes in the original glass-bottom boats that once belonged to Aquarena. We had been looking forward to just such a trip ever since we arrived.
We drove to the Meadows Center and parked. I soon found where you could buy tickets for the cruise and then we killed time looking at the lake and poking about the grounds a bit. Several of the waterpark’s old buildings still remain. Some have been converted into facilities for the Center. Others have been simply left to decay into graceful nothingness. But, we didn’t walk around too much, partly because we didn’t have a lot of time before our scheduled cruise, and partly because it was really hot.
Oh, Texas can be brutal when it puts its mind to it.
Anyway, it was soon time to board our little boat. We joined a small crowd down at the dock and filed aboard. The boat was quite amazing, really. A lovely little craft of wood, looking much like something out of the 1920s, with two long benches running the length of the vessel, and, of course, the glass bottom providing a view of the lake-floor below.
Our guide proved to be a friendly and knowledgeable young woman...a student at the University, of course...who herded us into place and then provided a fascinating commentary as we headed out.
Soon, we were on the lake. The water was amazingly transparent. You could see right to the bottom without the slightest hindrance. I recalled, then, that this was a spring-fed lake. There was no floating mud to spoil the view, and little of the pond life...algae, molds, etc...which so often make fresh water impenetrable.
Which is not to say that it was a marine desert. Plants of all sorts were everywhere...on the bottom, a few free floating...and there was no end of animals. Fish, turtles, frogs...these and more busied themselves with their daily lives.
It was, as I say, fascinating. Though, I think, the best part of the tour was watching our fellow passengers. There was, for instance, a French-speaking family (Quebec?) with two small children. Watching the kids watching the fish and turtles was a joy...even though I didn’t understand much of what they said.
The other thing was that a major part of the show...particularly for the children...was divers. There are no more mermaids eating underwater. There is no aquatic clown smoking below the waves. Diving Ralph has long ago been expelled from the waters, to live on only as memory and stuffed plushies in the parade. But there are still merpeople present. That day, there were researchers, scientists,, and technicians from Meadows in wetsuits and aqualungs, down below the surface, caring for the plants and marine life, and making certain that all was well and flourishing.
After a while, the boat turned around and we headed back to shore. I was rather sad to see it all come to an end.
We clamored out on the dock. I tipped our guide (she deserved more) and then Martha and I had a moment to cool down. The heat had begun to affect her again. But, after a bit, she was fine. We made our way to the car and headed off.
And that was pretty much the end of the story. We drove to Austin, where we had dinner with the kids and grandkids. Then, we returned to Georgetown for the night. Everything was comfy/cozy.
Except...
Except...
After all the heat...after days and days and days of heat....
We were about to have hail...
The size of baseballs.
But that’s for next time.
More to come.
copyright©2024 Michael Jay Tucker
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