Sunday, February 26, 2012

A True Desert Oasis and Swimming Delight Park in far West Texas




We made it to Balmorhea (ball-more-eh) State Park and stayed for four days.  This area has had a drought for the last two years and the land is dry.  However, the big attraction here is a real oasis that was converted into a huge three-million-gallon swimming pool back during the Depression by the CCC.  The pool is L-shaped and is 25 ft. deep in places and has four diving boards.  There is also a rare desert wetland with numerous fish and birds.  The spring runs constantly and refills the pool every four hours as the excess runs off.  The water temp stays between 72 -76 degrees and is popular with swimmers and scuba divers as far a way as Tucson.  Bill took a good swim on two different days and there were many scuba divers that came to explore over the weekend.  Yes, you swim with fish, ducks, and turtles but the water is more clear than the Manistee River.

1 comment:

  1. Amelia said she would like to try scuba diving someday, Grandpa.

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