Dr. Ruby Stone's and Roo's Adventures In Austin, Texas
Chapter 1
Geology was everywhere and Dr. Ruby Stone was glad to have the knowledge to understand the environment she was in. The stair-stepped topography of the Glen Rose Formation in northwest Austin, Texas, made for a laborious climb. The alternating hard limestone and soft mud/sand layers had been deposited due to regression/progression series of near shore and off-shore environments during the Cretaceous – about sixty million years ago. Ruby’s short legs did not help. At times, she had to grab the branch of a cedar tree, and pull herself up over large blocky limestone outcrops or boulders, or hold on to keep from sliding down a rocky debris-littered slope. As the morning sun rose, Ruby energetically followed the trial, which was shaded from many cedar and mesquite trees, until she and her six-month old puppy, Roo, had reached the summit. Now they had an impressive view of Bull Creek basin.
Being a Tuesday, Ruby was usually working for the state of Texas as a geologist. However, today Ruby had taken the day off and had planned to hike all morning with her new red mix-Border Collie puppy, Roo.
In the solitude of the early morning, Ruby surveyed the area around her. As Roo stood beside her, Ruby sat on a limestone ledge and watched the sun rise higher in the sky and petted Roo’s little fuzzy puppy head. To keep Roo cool, Ruby had allowed Roo to jump into Bull Creek before their climb to the summit of North Cat Mountain. Even after thirty minutes, Roo’s fur was still damp. Ruby drank some water from a thermos and then poured some into Roo’s hiking bowl, which Ruby kept in her day pack when not in use.
As Roo settled down beside Ruby, Ruby noticed two people, a man and woman, walking on one of the trails below them near the creek. The woman screamed and a gun was fired. Another man appeared and grabbed the woman. The other man had fallen and was lying near the creek.
Ruby stood up and said to Roo, “Oh, Jesus Christ! We have got to save her. I’ll call the police and ambulance, but I don’t think they will get here in time. We’ll have to follow them and see where he takes her.”
To be continued……
