Texas Ten

Do you spelunk?

In Texas, you should definitely spelunk. Exploring natural underground caves takes you to a unique world. Spelunking is the middle ground of the subterranean. Tourists enjoy the show caves, the large, easily accessible, and often spectacular caves, but pay for admission. “Cavers” have experience, equipment, and the will to go where others will not. Spelunkers are careful. They spend time in unusual places. Equipment from REI, but not so much that it requires a second job. Texas has enough underneath to satisfy everyone. So on Day 140 of our Things We Love About Texas series, we celebrate underground Texas.

Seven show caves rival any other state. Natural Bridge, Wonder, Cascade, Inner Space, Sonora, and Longhorn are all great. Texas Ten, however, has a particular affinity for the “Cave Without a Name” near Boerne. With a combination of spectacular scenery, wide-open spaces, and reigned-in commercialization, it is a great place to spend several hours. We would love to go back for one of their underground concerts.

For those looking to challenge themselves a bit more, the limestone that so defines the Texas landscape does the same below the ground. The Hill Country and the Chihuahuan Desert are particularly happy hunting grounds. The Texas chapter of the National Speleological Society has nine “grottos” or local groups, which will help you get started.

For high-stakes experiences (after years of training), you will need special access to some of the more mysterious places on earth. Devil’s Sinkhole in Edwards County has a massive 60-foot opening, with a 350-foot drop to a world full of bats. Sorcerer’s Cave in remote Terrell County is the deepest in Texas at nearly 600 feet. The underground Sirion River gives you a 70-foot waterfall. The longest cave in Texas is one of the wettest and most technical. Honey Creek Cave is 21 miles of mud, darkness, and very low ceilings.

As we said, we are looking forward to the next concert in the very roomy Cave Without A Name.

How low have you gone?

The funny thing about a road trip is that even when you get home, you're already thinking about the next one. 🚗❤️

We've just returned from another adventure exploring Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. And while we're catching up on everything we left behind, we can't help thinking about all the places we still want to explore.

After traveling all 254 Texas counties, you'd think we'd have seen it all.

Not even close!

And that's one of the reasons we're so excited about TexasTen.com. We're finally building a place to share the stories, places, people, and discoveries we've collected along the way.

The website is live, the Travel Guides are growing, and we're just getting started.

So here's our Friday question:

If you could get in the car tomorrow and head anywhere in Texas, where would you go?

We might just get an idea for our next adventure!

❤️ Steve & M'Lissa

Can you have more pageantry?

Texas Ten does not think so. Just before 2:30 pm tomorrow, two football teams will emerge from a common tunnel to a deafening roar. They will see a stadium filled to the brim, cut down the middle between Crimson Red and Burnt Orange. On one sideline, a Schooner and team, on the other, a massive cow and an A-list actor. The Showband of the Southwest and The Pride of Oklahoma will provide the unrelenting soundtrack. An immense, only-in-America state fair is the backdrop. At the end, someone dons a Gold Hat.

On day 139 of our Things We Love About Texas, it is time for the Red River Rivalry.

It was always confusing to someone from the southern part of the state (San Antonio) as to how there could be Oklahoma fans in Texas. We moved to Dallas, and it became much clearer. The Cotton Bowl is actually five miles closer to OU’s Ga***rd Family Memorial Stadium than to UT’s
DKR-War Memorial Stadium. If you drive around the Panhandle, there is a natural affinity for OU. Even if the majority of players on both teams are from Texas, the split is as real as the line dividing the Cotton Bowl.

Add to that the fact that the teams usually play high-class, high-stakes football. The schools have combined for eleven national titles. In each case, the school with the title won the game. The contest is even, with UT holding a slight series advantage, while OU has had the upper hand this century. The fight often feels like a family squabble, best illustrated by the fact that the legendary Darrell Royal won the game as OU’s quarterback and then drove his former coach into retirement when he took over as UT's head coach.

The game moved to Dallas in 1912 and was played there all but three years. The Cotton Bowl has hosted since 1932. Combining that deep history, competitiveness, importance of football to the culture, and the Friday night margaritas leads to one of the premier sporting events in the country.

Hook’sm, Boomer, or Don’t Care?

55 counties down. 199 to go.

We’ve traveled all 254 Texas counties, and right now you can explore 55 of them through the Travel Guides at TexasTen.com.

We’re adding more, so we want to hear from you:

WHAT TEXAS COUNTY WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE US ADD NEXT?
Maybe it’s your home county. Maybe it’s somewhere you love to visit. Or maybe it’s a part of Texas you’ve always wanted to explore.
Drop the county in the comments. 👇

And if someone has already named your county, give their comment a like!

We already have counties in different stages of development, so this isn't a vote or a promise about which one will literally be next—but we want to know which counties you want to explore.