However - I lucked out on this particular road trip. The first bit of luck I caught was because my parents took my older children with them, so there were two less kids I had to entertain on the 7 hour drive. That just left me with the baby, and I sat in the back with her, watched "Baby Einstein" videos on the DVD and read while she napped. The second bit of luck I caught was during her nap. I was at a boring part of my book, and opted to gaze out the window at the blandness that is the Texas Panhandle. While I was staring, an 18-wheeler passed and I was treated to the COOLEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN on this particular stretch of roadway.
This 18 wheeler was hauling..... beehives. Beehives in square white boxes stacked one on top of each other, covered with a net, and swarming with thousands of angry buzzing bees. I immediately went into a frenzy, because - well - I was bored and this was just something new that I've never seen before. I whacked my husband on the back of the head and started yelling and asking him where the camera was. Poor guy almost drove into the bee truck because he was so startled. Wouldn't THAT have been funny... But here's some pictures of all the bees:
(Hey Shelly!! This post is for you! I thought of you and this post when I saw the truck!!)
Can you see where the bees are trying to get back in?? It was crazzeeee! I had the window down to try to get a better look, and then I noticed that even though the truck was moving - the bees were still flying around and trying to get in. About that time, my husband started saying that the bees were hitting the windshield, and I started worrying that some would get in the car and sting the baby and me, and then I would fling the camera out the window... so I shut the window. I also managed to get some video of this whole thing, but I think I was freaking out the truck driver so I stopped.
The other cool thing that I took a picture of was a town called "Medicine Mound Texas". The reason it is called that is because there are some HUGE MOUNDS out in the middle of the plains, that are apparently man-made. But I don't know WHEN they were made. I tried getting some info out of the internet on it, but all I could find (after like, 3 minutes worth of searching) was that the Comanche Indians considered it a magical place. Who made these mounds, why did they make these mounds, and what's in them? The largest peak is 235 feet high, which is pretty big for being man-made. The mounds are actually located on private property, so we couldn't go walk on them, but I took pictures!
Those mounds are about 10 miles away, and taken with a zoom lens, so that should give you some perspective on how big they are. Also - you need to consider that they are smack dab in the middle of the Texas Plains. We don't have hills around here, all the more reason why these things stick out like a sore thumb. There are actually 5 of the mounds, but I only got pics of the biggest ones...
So - anyone out there know anything about these Medicine Mounds? If you do - I'd sure like to know the following: Who built them, Why'd they build them, and What's in them?!
NORM!
p.s. you can click on the pictures above for the larger picture... it shows more detail!
That bee truck is so cool!!