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Finding Gordy history in Louisiana.

We parted ways with Mom and Dad after Davis Mountains State Park. Our last evening together, we reflected on the trip, so far. We all felt that this trip was leaving us with more questions than answers about Bedi's bicycle ride! What did Bedi bring? We have no record of what Bedi brought with him -- or even how he carried it. Bikes in 1909 didn't appear to have bike racks or ways to mount saddlebags. Maybe he improvised?? We collectively asked the question, "What did Bedi bri

We just finished a week detour off the railroad track. First stop, the Davis Mountains – a favorite destination of Bedi’s in his later years. He devotes two chapters to the Davis Mountains in Adventures. Toward the end of each August I have an attack of Davis Mountain Fever. Nothing will do it any good except a visit there for a week or two weeks, or just as long as I feel that I can afford to stay. Adventures with a Texas Naturalist, Chapter 10 The town of Fort Davis is the

134 miles: Seminole Canyon State Park (near Comstock) – Langtry – Dryden – Sanderson – Marathon Unfortunately, no rail depots from 1909 still exist along this stretch. The landscape became more and more desolate. In late April, it is already very hot by noon – though the clouds and breeze provide relief. Thinking back on Bedi’s short diary noting a 4:45am start from Eddy, I can imagine he began every travel day in the early morning twilight. Even walking a bike would be exhau

The Pecos High Bridge Today exceeded my expectations in so many ways! Along Bedi's route was the Pecos High Bridge -- the tallest railroad bridge in North America and third tallest in the world at 321 feet above the river. The story goes that while he was carrying his bike across the bridge a train approached. He managed to scramble to a ledge, bike and all, and sit perilously on a sill with his bike dangling a bit as the train passed. I can't even imagine!!! He felt a strang

144 miles: Uvalde-Spofford-Del Rio-Comstock As we make our way across west Texas, my goal is to stick as closely as possible to the railroad Bedi rode his bicycle along. From Uvalde, US 90 followed the railroad pretty closely until the tracks veered south toward Spofford -- population 44 -- so we did, too, on road 1572. Spofford was about 16 blocks of tired houses and mobile homes, no people or 1909 buildings. At Spofford, the railroad left town with no road along it, so we t

40 miles: Hondo-Sabinal-Uvalde After several rainy days in Bartlett, Bedi would come to San Antonio in 140 miles and then another 40 to Hondo -- where I caught my first view of the railroad tracks Bedi rode. I still cannot imagine how he made much daily progress on any type of gravel or dirt path on a 1909 one-speed bicycle! The railroad tracks have obviously been replaced since then -- and the dirt track is no longer there. We found the original location of the Hondo depot.

I think Bedi would be pleased to know that his granddaughter and great-granddaughter visited Aransas National Wildlife Refuge today. Established in 1937, the Refuge played a major role in bringing the Whooping Crane back from extinction. Bedi spent considerable time out here and lobbied for nature-focused management, rather than management with hunters in mind. On the 1938 bird list below, he adds a note to lobby for the road-runner. In Adventures with a Texas Naturalist, his

Why is Quintana so special? It is in the "path of totality" for bird migration from Central and South America to nesting grounds in North America. These little guys fly SO FAR! The birds that fly across the Gulf land here tired and hungry. The Quintana Neotropical Bird Sanctuary provides them with fresh water, insects and loads of dewberries ripe on the vine. When the prevailing north winds are strong and create a tough headwind for the migrating birds, there are events calle

We started our Bedi's Bike Ride trip (the one where we follow Bedi's route with our trucks and travel trailers) in Waco, Texas (about 20 miles from his starting point in Eddy) to view the April 8, 2024 eclipse. What an amazing celestial event! It was my second solar eclipse, but the better, by far. Coincidentally, Bedi was born one month before the eclipse of 1878 that crossed the US. That year, the US scientific community leveraged the eclipse to "prove" itself as more than

The third and fourth (final) pages of Bedi's journal resurfaced in my documents from last year's trip. Here are his reflections from his first couple of days. Things that stuck in my memory – Tender shoots of corn – a field of it – Pekin ducks waddling away frightened holding heads first on one side and then another – Green of trees – lights of town in distance --- odor from peach orchards – a lost bird-dog – [band?] practicing across the street from me now Wednesday Mar 24

Roy Bedichek started his 900-mile bike ride 115 years ago, yesterday. In that early morning after the Vernal Equinox, he looked across the open prairie at the clear pre-dawn sky and decided it was a good day for a bike ride. He set off at 4:45am. He notes in his brief (and unfinished) journal, "Sky cloudless except for bank in west & northwest. Sun[?] flared red awhile through a small rift in the bank and I discovered new, a very new moon. It occurred to me that it looked lik

In about a month (after viewing the eclipse!), my family will launch on a trip -- following as closely as possible the same route that my great-grandfather, Roy Bedichek ("Bedi" to friends), rode a bicycle. I, my husband, my father and my mother (Bedi's granddaughter who is also a birder) will drive with travel trailers in tow. Fortunately, highways follow fairly closely the railroad that Bedi rode alongside. We will arrive in Deming about the same time of year he arrived --

Roy Bedichek's friends and colleagues wanted him to write a book. They had spent years receiving his eloquent letters and enjoying stimulating and inspiring conversations. His closest friends, J Frank Dobie & Walter Prescott Webb, were insistent -- they must have been confident this man had something to say that would be meaningful to audiences far and wide. They secured enough funding (grants and perhaps private donations) to support a one-year leave from work and Webb offer

Hello, Adventurers! I have started to dig into and organize the photos I took of Bedichek documents at the Briscoe Center. I found this gem and just had to share it. It is a letter to the editor that Great-Granddaddy composed and sent after noting a short article in the newspaper (attached to the top of the letter in the first photo) about the sighting of an unusually large flock of European Starlings. This letter is a great example of his artistic literary style. I love it.

My first Adventures with Bedichek road trip is in the books. It is great to be home and it is now time to reflect and digest. I'll continue to post as the reflections from the trip surface. _________________________ On my last day in Austin, I was able to see the few items in the Briscoe Center's Bedichek collection that are considered "artifacts." Included are a briefcase, wallet, Swiss Army knife and a hackberry tree clipping that was sent to him (not sure its significance)

Great-Granddaddy wrote about the Cliff Swallows that made mud nests on the Congress Avenue Bridge. I have yet to see the swallows -- if they are still here. But, after the bridge was renovated in the 1980s, a maternity bat colony moved in. It is the largest urban bat colony in the world at 1.5 million! Tonight, I saw them for the first time! It is early in the season, so the display was less spectacular, but I did see bats flying out from under the bridge right below me. I co

Today, I decided to take a hike along Barton Creek -- farther upstream to see if I could find running water. I had to walk 2 miles, but I found beautiful clear water and water falls! It felt like an oasis in a desert.

Personally, if I have to fight for this country, I will not fight for the flag, or the American “way of life,” or democracy, or private enterprise or for any other abstractions, which seem cold as kraut to me. But I will fight to the last ditch for Barton Creek, Boggy Creek, cedar covered limestone hills, Blazing star and Bluebonnets, Golden-cheeked Warblers and Black-capped Vireos, and so on through a catalogue of this natural environment of Austin, Texas. It is through this

I stumbled upon the perfect place for this first Adventure with Bedichek. My lodging is on a simple urban homestead with chickens, a turkey, rainwater catchment tanks and gardens. We are only 1.5 miles from the site of the Bedichek home and the University of Texas campus. The bed is wonderfully comfortable and the bedroom has tons of windows -- which I love. Each morning brings a peaceful collection of wild bird songs -- beyond the cardinal who greeted me the first day. With