ACA bat cruise, September 2006, A tangled braid of life and technology

On September 23rd, 2006, the members of the Atheist Community of Austin went on a cruise on Town Lake, and watched the bats emerge at dusk from the Congress Avenue bridge. Austin area has several big bat colonies, and the biggest of them lives under the Congress Avenue bridge. The ACA has a long annual tradition of renting a cruise boat and going on a 2-hour sunset cruise along the Town Lake (which is not a lake but a river). The cruise ends at sundown, and the ship parks in front of the Congress Avenue Bridge so people could watch millions of bats fly out from under the bridge as they forage for food. The cruise is always at the end of September.

All photos in this set were taken by Don Baker. (I myself wasn’t there.)

A triangular building in the Austin downtown, seen from under a bridge from the cruise boat.

The triangular building and other buildings in the Austin downtown, seen from the cruise boat

Building in the Austin downtown, seen from under a bridge — picture_002 Buildings in the Austin downtown, seen from under a bridge

ACA members and friends inside the boat.

ACAers inside the cruise boat, September 2006 — picture_008 ACAers inside the cruise boat

Tracie (right), who used to be on the Atheist Experience show for a long time, and other ACA people in the cruise boat.

Tracie and other ACA people in the cruise boat, September 2006 — picture_010 Tracie and other ACA people in the cruise boat

ACA members and friends inside the boat.

picture_011 ACAers inside the cruise boat, September 2006 — picture_011 ACAers inside the cruise boat

Russell and his son on the cruise boat

picture_019 Russell and his son, September 2006 — picture_019 Russell and his son on the cruise boat.

A stuffed toy bat hanging inside the boat. I’m glad real bats aren’t this size.

picture_020 A stuffed toy bat inside a cruise boat, September 2006 — picture_020 A stuffed toy bat inside a cruise boat

ACAers on the upper deck of the cruise boat, September 2006

Matt Dillahunty, the then-president of the ACA, with a guitar.

Unidentified ACA person or guest (left) and Joe Zamecki

picture_033 Unidentified ACA person and Joe Zamecki on the ACA bat cruise in 2006 — picture_033 Unidentified ACA person (left) and Joe Zamecki on the ACA bat cruise in 2006

John and Tracie from the Atheist Experience

picture_034 John and Tracie on the ACA bat cruise in 2006

Sunset over Town Lake in Austin, TX

A kayak at sunset on Town Lake in Austin, TX, with Austin downtown in the background

picture_044 A kayak at sunset on Town Lake in Austin, TX, September 2006

Bats fly out at dusk from under the Congress Avenue bridge in Austin, TX, where they roost during the day. That trail of black specks above the horizon and under the clouds — that’s the bats. This happens towards the end of the cruise, and the cruise ship parks in front of the bridge and people are able to watch the bats for a while, before the boat heads back to its starting point and lets the passengers disembark.

picture_070 Bats fly out from under the Congress Ave bridge in Austin, TX

ACA’ers Don Baker (left) and Joe

picture_079 Don Baker and Joe at the ACA bat cruise in 2006