With a lighter day on the Southern Legislative Conference’s Docket, we did a bit of exploring and learning on our own. With us passing the official half-way mark of our trip, we felt a bit of pressure to ensure we are getting the most out of this opportunity, while still having fun.
Kayaking the Low Country
With a day more or less free to explore and spending time on our own dime, we decided to kayak. Feeling empowered, we asserted our independence, noting, “We are women, hear us oar!”
At first, however, the only roar we heard was thunder. Indeed, this was the scene ten minutes prior to our arrival:
Fortunately, it soon cleared up–almost miraculously. Within twenty minutes, the weather cleared, producing a pleasant looking morning.
Although this “eco-tour,” as it is described, is educational, it is mostly a fun excursion, designed to get us exercise, learn about the outdoors, and relieve some advisor-induced stress.
But it was educational. Charleston is one of the South’s key cities in terms of culture and economics. Its barrier islands gave it a protective harbor of sorts, and that, in turn, made it an attractive base for sea-travelers early on in US history. And, today, we felt as though we were continuing in that tradition, navigating these barrier (or, as our guide Daniel referred to them, “hammock”) islands.
Our paths took us through estuaries, which are waterways mixed with salt and freshwater. The mix, however, is heavy on the salty-side, which on the plus side, means there are no (or at least very few) alligators. (This story had us a bit worried, but we reminded ourselves that it occurred in a freshwater environment). There are, however, many other animals, and we saw herons, egrets, pelicans, blue crabs, many types of gulls, a marsh wren, a woodstork, oyster beds, and the curious fiddler crabs (everywhere).
We also learned about the Charleston “pluff mud,” which is a nutrient rich mud that lacks oxygen. It has been plundered in the past by farmers, so it is now federally protected, and according to our tour guide, if you take any with you, you are subject to a $500 fine. He did not mention the charge, but it would be something along the lines of “mud smuggling.”
Somehow, Daniel convinced the college students to put this mud on their faces. They did this, even after they learned that much of its nutritional richness comes from “decaying matter” and “crab waste.”
Most of the morning, however, was devoted to paddling and having fun, although Michelle did have a minor mishap, when, instead of saying, “I am woman, he me oar,” she said, “I am woman, hear me go overboard.” But she bounced back nicely, and ultimately made her second-ever kayaking trip a success.
So we were a little sad when we had to turn back.
And as we prepared to depart, we looked upon blue skies, satisfied with a morning well spent.
We soon learned, however, that more rain was coming, but that is a story for the next blog.
For Day two of our LEAP Retreat, we began with brunch at the Russian House, an authentic Russian Restaurant in downtown Austin. The name “Russian House” is very fitting for the restaurant. When we were seated at our table, it genuinely felt like we were having brunch in someone’s home. There were family photos lining the walls, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, small decorative knick-knacks on various shelves, and there was even a mini-fireplace.
For many of us, it was our first time experiencing Russian food. With the goal of being culturally diverse, everyone kept an open mind and diverged from ordering dishes with which we were already familiar. To ease our way into this experience, we started with Cheburek, which is a crescent-moon shaped dough filled with meat and herbs. Next, was the group’s favorite: the stuff mushroom.
This was a grilled Portobello Mushroom covered in gorgonzola cheese, salted cucumber, and fried onion. Lastly, we tried the Pogrebok, which consisted of an assortment of pickled vegetables, pork belly, boiled potatoes, sauerkraut, herring, and scallions. This was our least favorite.
And this was just in preparation of our main meals! Our meals consisted of Potato Zrazy…
…which includes fried potato rolls; the Manty, which are large dumplings stuffed with lamb;
…and the Golubtsy, which includes cabbage rolls stuffed with beef, portk, and rice.
After stuffing ourselves, we reflected a bit on our meals. Although we were somewhat daunted by trying new food, we enjoyed our meals, learned much that was new (Russians like sour cream with almost everything!), and enjoyed further exploring Austin.
Next, we decided to further explore Austin by visiting the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, which is named for Texas’s 38th Lieutenant Governor. The Museum opened in 2001, and it captures more than 2,500 years of Texas history.
As we walked inside, we were greeted by a quote on the wall by Sam Houston, declaring his love for Texas.
After taking a photo, we began our journey through time with exhibits that explore the pre-contact phase of Texas history.
We enjoyed the exhibits, which covered much that students are already familiar with, such as the conquistadors, Stephen F. Austin and the settlement of Texas, and the Alamo.
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But we also saw some brand new things. One of the paintings on Texas history, for example, was “Marching to the Massacre,” and it was painted by none other than Andrew Jackson Houston, Sam Houston’s son.
And speaking of paintings, the Museum had a special exhibit on collectibles, which included a painting of Abraham Lincoln, called “Melancholy Lincoln.” It was a fine painting, but what made it unusual is that it was painted by Dwight D. Eisenhower.
It is also energizing to learn about the role that Sam Houston played in the Civil War; specifically, his decision not to take an oath to the confederacy.
As we ascended the floors, we learned more about the history of modern day Texas, such as the importance that oil has played in the state’s development, the state’s role in the space race, and a special exhibit titled “Rodeo,” which showcased the history of rodeo in Texas.
We had a lot of fun pretending to be in a rodeo…
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To mark our time in the Museum, we took some LEAPing photos in front of the giant Lone Star.
To finish a full day in Austin, we headed to “Rowing Dock,” the LEAP Ambassador’s favorite kayaking spot in Austin. But for four of us, it was actually our first time to kayak, and we did it in 48-degree weather!
At first, we struggled to get our bearings, and we remained very concerned about tipping over into the frigid water.
The double kayaks rent for about $20 for an hour, which was only $10 per person. It took us, however, about an hour and a half to do our four-mile trip, which was to the second set of Austin bridges.
Once we reached our goal, we paused and balanced in our kayaks for a quick selfie with the Austin skyline as our backdrop.
The view was beautiful.
Going back was a little more difficult, because it involves rowing upstream.
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But we were warming up from the effort…
…and the beauty of the sunset made it a pleasant journey.
To warm up a bit more and to decompress after exercise, we went to “Quacks” on 43rd Street, where we enjoyed coffee, tea, and cupcakes.
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Quacks is our favorite local bakery in Austin, and while we enjoyed all the cupcakes, the Gingerbread was the best! It was a nice cap to a long and productive day, and it left us energized for some traveling on day three of our Austin adventure.
Although our official work week was over, it didn’t mean our education was complete. Accordingly, we planned out a day that involved virtual exploration, actual exploration, and some adventurous food choices!
Bob Bullock Museum and National Parks
We began our morning with virtual exploration of the National Park system at the Bob Bullock Museum. The Museum was presenting America Wild: National Parks Adventure. It was narrated by Robert Redford, whom we had just seen in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on Thursday, and it reinforced some of what we had learned when we brought Mark Burns to campus in March to exhibit his photos of the 59 national parks he had visited and photographed in Black and White.
The Documentary was created to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the National Park Service. Although Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and others had taken steps to preserve America’s most treasured lands, it was Woodrow Wilson who signed the legislation enabling the National Park System for generations of Americans to enjoy.
The documentary was in 3-D, so we put on our glasses, sat back, and enjoyed the show…
…while reinforcing our appreciation of the National Parks in the United States.
The Bullock Museum also has a limited exhibit of photographs from the National Park System, and we were followed up the documentary with a viewing of the photographs.
From Virtual Exploration to Actual Exploration
After seeing a high-adventure documentary, we chose to experience some of that adventure ourselves. That evening, we headed off to the Rowing Dock to get in some kayaking.
It took Karla and me (Alex) a while to find our rowing rhythm, but once we did, we sped up to catch up with the others.
Karla and Alex Begin Their Kayaking Adventure!
The river was full of kayakers, canoers, and paddle boarders rowing up and down the river and under the busy bridges. I admired the mix of city and nature as we paddled up the river.
The Austin Skyline from a Kayak
It was a combination that I am not accustomed to seeing. After a while of paddling, we all gathered under a bridge that seemed to be making a strange sound. We stayed there for a while as Professor Yawn explained to us that the noise was being produced by bats! Apparently “South Congress” is known for its bat population that flies out at sunset every day. We paddled along and saw a few more interesting water mechanisms; a swan boat, a Cambridge Racer…
….and paddle boards with bicycles as the motor. But mostly we all just enjoyed the exercise…
Beatriz and Kaitlyn Taking Off from the Rowing Dock
…the skyline…
Stephanie and Megan Enjoy the River
…each other’s company…
…the sunset…
Alex and Karla Sail Into the Sunset
…actually, we enjoyed the sunset a lot…
Kaitlyn and Beatriz Sail Into the Sunset
…and even the moonrise.
In fact, we were so taken with the moon that we were a little late getting our kayaks back.
Kaitlyn and Beatriz Pull in at Moonrise
It was a satisfying adventure all around.
After learning about the bats under the bridge, we decided to get a look for ourselves. Accordingly, we scurried off to the Congress Avenue Bridge, where hundreds of people gathered to watch for the 750,000 or so bats that begin coming out around sunset.
We didn’t see 750,000 bats, but we saw a lot of them! They are difficult to photograph, however, and we didn’t get any usable photographs, at least not of bats. We did get a decent group shot, though:
A Food Adventure
With more time than typical, we could explore our food tastes. And explore we did!
For lunch we enjoyed Indian cuisine at Clay Pit, a place known not only for its food, but also for being housed in the Bertram historical building. The Clay Pit offers a lunch buffet, giving us the chance to sample varieties of food. Starting with crunchy fried veggies to the scrumptious Chicken Tikka Masala we stuffed ourselves with food in a classy environment filled with Indian music. Accompanied with these dishes were naan: some filled with melted cheese and jalapenos, while others had sweet cherries, nuts, and raisins. After our meal, we decided to get dessert which consisted of Chai Spice Creme Brulee and strangest of all,or at least not commonly heard of, Gajjhar Halwa. This is a dessert described as a “hot and cold love”.
Interestingly, it consisted of cold vanilla ice cream and warm carrots, a dish recommended to us by SHAIP (Sam Houston Austin Internship Program) alumnus Shelby O’Brien. Everyone enjoyed this shockingly delicious dessert!
Despite the large lunch, our evening kayaking adventure whetted our appetite for a large dinner, which consisted of Ethiopian food.
Our appetizers were Sambusas, which are pastries filled with onion, green pepper, and beef accompanied by a spicy sauce.
While we waited for our food, we talked about our favorite experiences during our week in Austin. We all had different favorites, but we all agreed that we definitely learned a lot this past week. It was filled with fun and adventure, but also a lot of work and learning time; the best combination!
That learning and fun continued with the arrival of our entrees, presented in a large Ethiopian basket!
Our entrees consisted of the Habesha special meat combo that included Doro Wot, Siga Wot, Kitfo, Yebeg Tibs, Alicha Fitfit, Bozena Shiro, Gomen Besega, Habesha special tibs, and Ayib; thankfully we had a great waiter that could explain each one of these to us! We also ordered from the Poultry menu, the Doro Tibs, chicken breast cubes sautéed with slices of onions, herbs, and sauce. For the least adventurous, we ordered spaghetti with meat sauce. The food really seemed to be authentic Ethiopian food which was a great way to introduce this type of food to us first-timers.
Even as first-timers, we did our best to eat in the Ethiopian tradition, using the injera bread as utensils. It was great food and a great way to wrap up our adventurous week in Austin.
We headed back to the hotel to pack up and get ready to hit the road the next morning. We were all thankful for the opportunity to intern at the Texas Capitol for the week. We were also thankful to meet extremely helpful people and eat really good food. Until next time, Austin!
It was the first day of summer, and it was a fun one. Making the most of the City of Huntsville’s “Outdoor Explorer Program,” the LEAP Center students ventured to the Huntsville State Park, for a day of hiking, biking, kayaking, and grilling.
Most of us had never been to the State Park, and most of had never had any meaningful experience kayaking. So that made it all the more fun when we started the day off with kayak training–and then launching into the water!
Bella surprised everyone with her quick launch and her mastery of kayaking. She also had a go-pro camera, which she used to record almost everything…
Following Bella’s lead, others soon got into the act.
Megan and Kaitlyn Launching
Soon, we were scurrying all over the lake, enjoying the sun, relaxation, and exercise.
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Austin, the most athletic of us, looked like a natural kayaker…
The “look,” however, was short lived. Following a loss of balance, Austin found himself tasting some lake water…
…and while he may have lost his balance, he didn’t lose his shades….
…getting back on, however, was another matter. This maneuver requires help, strength, and balance.
Austin Climbs Back On, While Bella Photographs Helpfully
…While this particular attempt was not successful…
Austin Slips Off, While Bella Laughs Helpfully
..He eventually regained his form and was able to enjoy the rest of the day.
Following a bit more exploration of the lake, we called it a morning–at least as far as kayaking was concerned.
But that didn’t mean the day was over. The bulk of us went for a three-mile hike, while Constance, Megan, and Stephanie sneaked back to the lake for more kayaking.
We hiked the north-west side of the lake. It was a particularly pretty trail.
The trails in the State Park are well marked, clear, and roomy. It’s great for those who enjoy nature, birding (250 species of bird in the park), and hiking. In fact, there are 129 miles of hiking trails.
At the northernmost end of the lake, it gets very marshy, and you actually walk across a wooden platform for about 70 yards.
Afterward, we headed back to “camp,” and we picnicked on hot dogs, chips, cole slaw, and s’mores.
At the end of the day, we headed our separate ways, returning to our homes to prepare for Father’s Day.
The LEAP Center students thank the City of Huntsville and, particularly, Natalie Reid, for the Outdoor Explorer program and the fun the program brings to the community!
Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 