Construction is booming along in what used to be my little slice of Paradise. SH 45 is reaching its concrete tentacles into Hays County. Both sides of IH35 will soon be solid concrete between Laredo and Dallas. The latest affront to Nature is the ugly monstrosity that will be "The Blanco Riverwalk". Some California and Arizona investors are building 835,800 sq. ft. of strip mall right on top of the Blanco River. As you drive between Kyle and San Marcos, the view west towards the cliffs of the Balcones Escarpment was stunning. You could see the Blanco cutting its way like a verdant green ribbon through the fields along IH 35. Within 2 years, it'll be hidden behind a multitude of SUVs and Suburbans parked on acres of asphalt. What was once one of the most productive little slices of bottomland farming in Central Texas has already been graded down to gravel. Why is it necessary to pave over the entire ******* State of Texas? My only hope is, they will watch in disappointment as the Blanco dries up as it is wont to do, and their little Riverwalk will be a dry dust bowl. And hopefully, the Blanco will come back with a vengeance and wreak 190,000 cubic feet per second of epic flood on their asses. Their "ampitheater" will be a "lagoon". When they have their ribbon cutting at the grand opening, I am going to kayak right down the middle of the Blanco and moon them with my pale shiny buttocks.
And isn't it San Marcos that intentionally shrunk the flood plain so they could get more tax money? Or am I thinking of somewhere else?
^ That was New Braunfels. This was just a lil' bitty flood at 3,000 CFS. There are 3-400 houses across the road now. Eventually some idoit is going to try and ford the low water crossing by cutting around the gates, and they will die.
Mrmyke, I went to a class that talked about changing demographics in the US and the growth areas. You might want to know that the Valley AND Laredo, TX, and Kansas City Missouri are considered to be part of the SAME urban or metro area. I was astonished at this. But they say that it is or soon will be ONE city. ALL of the I35 corridor. I drive between Austin and Ft. Worth on a pretty regular basis, and you are in someone's city limits almost the entire way, and the areas between are shrinking. It might be sad, but it is the way it is.
I've been thinking about this for a long time now, and my plan is to spend a good amount of any money I make (I am about to get out of lawschool, so these are just plans) to get some land as far away from highways as I can, and pass that down to the family. Hopefully I can instill the same love for the outdoors in my kids, and they will do the same thing, expanding it. Thats the goal at least.
^ Then they'll build a ******* toll road through it. How far away do you have to get, freaking Marfa?
*************. Another parcel of the Blanco Riverwalk was graded today, and yesterday they had a soiree out in front of a pile of dirt to break ground. So I drive by today, and what is it but ANOTHER ******* Chuck Nash car dealership. Sonofabitch. What's next, manufactured homes and an RV dealership? It might as well be ******* Plano.
this is why i favor downtown development. build those things to the sky. just make them more affordable.
