Tejas Chapter Deep in the Heart of Texas

We?ll go on a guided tour of a Texas natural geologic treasure and later peruse a quintessentially Texan collection of memorabilia ? and naturally carve up some twisty hill country roads in between! We will arrive at Jacob?s Well Natural Area for a guided tour. Jacob?s Well is an artesian spring that flows out of one of the deepest underwater caves in Texas ? literally DEEP in the heart of Texas! It surges up thousands of gallons of water per minute and acts as headwaters to the beautiful Cypress Creek that flows through Wimberley, sustaining the Blanco River. This geologically and naturally significant formation used to be a sacred meeting place for Native Americans, has more recently been explored by cave scuba divers, and also happens to be on a stunningly beautiful plot of land! As an added bonus, a brand new area will have just been opened to the public in time for this event, so even if you?ve visited before, there will be something new for you this time. There will also be two tour options: one taking the direct route to the well and back (0.3 miles round trip) for those who only wish to see the well and learn about the area, and the other involving a 1.5-mile hike through the newly opened area for those so inclined. Whichever you choose, make sure to bring anything you normally would for an outdoor activity (e.g. comfortable walking shoes, water, sunblock, bug repellent, etc.) Then, since cowboys feature in the lyrics of our event?s namesake, we'll take a short drive through Wimberley along the lovely River Road that hugs the Blanco River on our way to Pioneer Town. A reconstructed western town of the 1880s, Pioneer Town features an opera house, emporium, ice cream parlor, log cabins, a house made entirely of soft drink bottles, and our main attraction, Jack Glover?s Cowboy Museum. The museum is home to a collection of peculiar western memorabilia and artifacts unlike any other in the state, including an authentic 19th century hand-carved horse-drawn hearse, period six-shooters, Jim Bowie?s silver mine deed, early memorabilia from the American humorist Will Rogers, and countless photographs and curios collected from Jack?s friends, among them Bob Hope, Richard Petty, Johnny Crawford, and a host of American presidents! Updates and signups will be posted on the chapter website.