Dianne's First Round of Golf

Roger here...  OK, Dianne did not really play a round of golf.  HOWEVER, we did walk the front-nine of the Lajitas Golf and Spa Resort.  The Black Jack Crossing Golf Course was closed due to damage from a hard freeze last winter.  It was closed to golfing, but open for a canine hike for the resort guests.  According to Dianne's pedometer our hike was 6.5 miles.  The last part, when the water was running out, really did seem longer.

Bandido was sporting his new backpack (as a very smart herding dog, he needs a job).  He carried all of our water, including the human water, plus the doggie water dish, and the binoculars.  


Since a young man, I have always disliked golf.  I learned to play when I was nine.  My parents and my younger brother --- a very good golfer --- loved it.  I found it frustrating.  I hated it when I was close to breaking a personal record, and then invariably hit the ball in the creek.  


I coached a JH golf team for a while, and really enjoyed it (even though my 13-year-olds were much better than me).  But golf is an activity that I voluntarily gave up when I realized that I was causing myself more stress than enjoyment.  

Walking a magnificent course with amazing scenery is another matter.  The setting was so cool that I actually enjoyed mimicking a tee-shot into the valley below.  To my brother, Dick....  The scenery on this course rivals the course at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel -- different, but amazing, nonetheless.


Back to the hike...


One must be vigilant when negotiating the cart paths.

Dianne has never been a golf fan, but she had fun on this hike.  There were trees that sported orchid-like flowers.

And other flowering plants...

Oh, and the cart paths in the canyons had waterfalls.

The course was as scenic as a national park hike. The paved cart paths helped make the hike easier on the feet.

The middle of the hike was grueling, as we were running out of water.  Chaplin (and Dianne) were complaining.

Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.... Well, not really...  Bandido got several good drinks.  Dianne and I had several slurps.  Chaplin refused to drink; he seldom does anything unless it is his idea.    

Almost back to the resort.  The scenery continues to amaze..

Time to "reload"?  Too bad, the reloading station was also closed.  Maybe a nineteenth hole later?












Dianne here:  Our friends, Nancy and Bill, asked about the neck "thing-y's" that I wrote about in yesterday's blog.  Here's a close-up photo of them:

The absorbent beads are just in the center half, with bead-less ends for tying.  Here's a close-up of the tag.  The reverse of the tag shows the web site:

www.blubandoo.com

They are actually called "neckbandoos" and can also be purchased from Amazon.com in different patterns and styles.

  If you're clever with a sewing machine, I don't think they'd be difficult to make, if you could find the absorbent beads. -- D.

Back at the resort, I took a short walk along the back nine, while Dianne took the boys back to the motor home for food and more water.  The view from the back nine along the wash near the Rio Grande was so cool.  (Love the colors -- D.)

Dianne will be adding a story about the possibility of an international hole-in-one, before a devastating flood....


Dianne here:  I came across this old article that had appeared on pga.com about the golf course and resort at Lajitas.  Since this article was written, the entire "town" of Lajitas has changed ownership, to what Roger's river guide called a more affordable property for people to visit.  It started out very high-end, with a private airport, etc.


http://dyn.pga.com/news/travel/southwest/lajitas071405.cfm


 Since this article was written, the golf course has experienced a devastating flood, which forced moving several holes -- including the very cool hole shown in the photo of the article -- where you could tee off across the border to a green on the Mexico side.  The only reason to do this was try for a hole-in-one, because golfers were not allowed to cross the border to retrieve the balls.  When I first saw the neat structure from the photo in this link, I thought it was old ruins.  Obviously, it was just a backdrop for this very unique hole-in-one opportunity!  Back to Roger....


After the round, and a shower and clothing change, we moseyed on down to the main street of the resort to find refreshment.

The nineteenth hole was at the "Thirsty Goat Saloon" at the resort.  At one time, it is said that this saloon was famous for the beer-guzzling goat -- Henry Clay.  Dianne and I had a Shiner Bock draft.  No sign of Henry Clay at the bar today, or any other goats, for that matter.

The pet picture of the day shows Bandido as he overcomes his fear of water in one of the many
 streams along the Black Jack Crossing Golf Course.