Challenge excepted: Drowning or free food!

June 19, 2012

Killeen, Texas

Yesterday after waiting in a hotel with a closed pool, hot tub, and restaurant (remember I still don't have any access to my money) the day quickly turned into by far the greatest day I've spent in Texas. We finally got out of the sweltering heat of strips malls here in Killeen and went out to Belton lake maybe 20 miles outside of the city.

After stopping to pick up some beers we pulled into the park not 20 minutes later in search of a waterfall both my brother and his girlfriend had been to before. Pointing off in the distance to a small fishing boat Alicia informed me we'd have to walk around the cove to get to the spot maybe a mile away. My brother chose to carry the dog we'd picked up at Alicia's parents house because the poor guy wasn't even a foot tall and even walking in the shallow water was a big obstacle for him. The funniest part about this was even when the little guy was in my brothers arms out of the water, his primal instincts must have kicked in because you could still see him paddling the air. With Alicia carrying her shoes and phone, and me carrying my passport (for some stupid reason) and a six pack of beer (I know I know. A six pack for 3 people?? Let's just say my brothers a little new to the whole buying beer thing and math may not be his strong suit) we started off on our trek in the hot afternoon sun.

After about 20 minute of avoiding rocks, mud pits, and fatal flip flop destroying mistakes it occurred to me that I could lighten my load a little bit by minimizing the beers left in the bottle. With glee and a middle finger from my brother who was wadding waist deep in the sludge, I cracked open the first one of the Ziggen Bachs splattered with images of the Texan state and the actual word “Texas” written countless times on it to reassure Texans that they were in fact buying American beer.

In the hot sun, fighting with every step to keep my footing that first beer tasted excellent. Soon enough while still trekking along and congratulating myself on my ingenuity the first beer quickly turned into the fourth. Needless to say by the time we reached the water fall due to my dehydration and constant effort I was half in the bag, but feeling great and loving life.

The waterfall itself was strikingly beautiful cut in the side of the wide and also scenic lake. Although Niagara Falls it wasn't, the almost tropical foliage surrounding the chute and the 40 foot height of it still made it a picturesque spot to relax.

After finishing off our beers both me and my brother took the plunge and stood under the falls, enduring the brutal pounding on our heads of the quickly falling water. Then it was swimming in the lake and a great time was had by all, but especially myself! Alicia took some pictures on her phone so hopefully I'll be able to get those to post before I leave.

On the way back feeling much more sober then on arrival an idea struck me. It must have been a mile walk around the cove to get back to the parking lot, but to swim straight across couldn't have been more then half a mile. After telling him my idea, Ian with his usual grace and tact cheerfully informed me that if I didn't do it, he wouldn't be buying me dinner. For anyone who knows me two things generally always rule out common sense at the end of the day in my world: 1. A challenge and 2. The need to eat! After all, I had been on a swim team for 9 years in high school (I started early) that had been known across the county (don't confuse this with country) for crushing its competition.

So with onlooking eyes wide open I waded out, and with flip flops on hands I started the swim. At first I took a gentle pace knowing that if I tried to knock it off too quickly I'd cramp up and probably drowned with only my little brothers not so great swimming abilities to almost certainly guarantee a watery end. The only hard part of the swim was staying focused on the tree line I was aiming for, and not looking back to avoid the panic that would surely set in when I realized what I was actually trying to do. After all, I could clearly see people loading docks near my targeted destination, but unfortunately they were so far away I couldn't tell if they were male or female, and could almost guarantee that they couldn't hear me if I called for help.

Now for those reading this, you can probably guess that because I wrote this, ipso facto or whatever its called, I must have made it and of course I did. Overall it wasn't so bad and if anything made me sleep like a baby last night alone in the hotel. Challenge excepted and completed. The dinner I had at a local restaurant blessedly nothing like the huge chains found in Killeen never tasted so good. I got a delicious catfish Po'Boy and with the caso and chips it was a great meal. While free food is always great, food that you know you've earned couldn't taste better.

Unsure of what the rest of the day will be like today when my brother gets off work in a couple hours, I have to be content sitting in the cooling air conditioned hotel. Let's keep our fingers crossed that my new debit card will arrive Wednesday allowing me to leave for San Antonio in the last night in the states for a month. While working on my budget, it was a little difficult to keep my head up knowing I was about to pay some fees for crossing the border, but I have to remember that gas is around 15-20% cheaper as reported by my source in Mexico City, and that I can stay at a comfortable hostel in most places for around $10 per night. All I can say is that I truly cannot wait for the next part of my adventure to begin in Central America!