Chrome & Cannonballs: Pink Panthers, Plum Crazy, and Texas Swimming Spots

Seeking refuge from Texas summer heat? Join us as we uncover the most spectacular swimming holes and natural pools scattered across the Lone Star State. From the iconic Barton Springs Pool in Austin, where 68-degree spring-fed waters provide year-round relief, to the emerald paradise of Wimberley's Blue Hole nestled among towering cypress trees, we've mapped the perfect aquatic escape plan regardless of where your Texas travels take you.

Discover hidden gems like Hamilton Pool Preserve with its collapsed grotto and 50-foot waterfall, or venture to Balmorhea State Park in West Texas, home to the state's largest spring-fed swimming pool holding a staggering 3.5 million gallons of crystal-clear water. Whether you're looking for family-friendly destinations like Schlitterbahn's 70-acre water wonderland or the nostalgic charm of Deep Eddy Pool (Texas' oldest man-made swimming spot), we've got refreshing recommendations that combine natural beauty with cooling comfort.

The conversation shifts gears as we explore the fascinating world of rare muscle car colors that turn heads and command premium prices today. We highlight showstoppers like the 1970 Plymouth Duster in eye-popping Pink Panther, the menacing Tuxedo Black 1970 Chevelle SS, and AMC's radioactive Big Bad Green AMX—colors so bold that few buyers originally selected them, making them incredibly valuable collector pieces today. Our journey concludes with a comprehensive review of the refreshed 2025 Chevrolet Suburban High Country, featuring impressive Duramax diesel efficiency, luxurious appointments, and surprising technological advancements. Ready to dive into Texas swimming holes, vibrant automotive history, and cutting-edge SUV engineering? Just press play and enjoy the ride.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
All right, thank you, sir.
Mr Mars has drivingdestinations this week.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Cool places to cool off for this summer Go for it
and on a day like today I wouldreally like to go to one of
these places.
So one of the things you canlook at, particularly up and
around the hill country, bartonSprings Pool.
Now this is talking aboutplaces that you can actually go
swimming, different pools aroundthe state of Texas.
So Barton Springs is located inZilker Park in Austin.

(00:32):
It's a three-acre natural pool.
It's fed by underground springs, stays 68 to 71 year-round,
which makes it great for summerand you can actually go in the
winter.
It actually will feel warm atcertain times.
So the setting is scenic andserene, but it fills up fast on
weekends, so they you got toarrive a little early if you're
going to go there.

(00:52):
The other one that you can findup there is the deep eddy pool.
Now, this is texas oldestman-made swimming pool.
The deep eddy is also springfed and it's known for its clear
, cool water and its relaxingambience.
Now, this is near downtownAustin, so it's got swimming
lanes, got shallow in for kids,grassy areas for lounging.
It was built in 1915, and itcarries a nostalgic charm and

(01:14):
attracts a quieter crowd thanits neighbor over in Barton
Springs.
Oh boy, from there we go overto Wimberley where we're going
to find the Blue Hole Now.
The Blue Hole is a pristineswimming pool nested amongst
towering cypress trees inwimberley.
It's got emerald colored waters, iconic rope swings, the

(01:34):
swimming hole is spring fed andmaintaining a cool 75 degree
temperature now the it'ssurrounded park is hiking trails
, picnic lanes and it's got lotsof courts.
Got to make some advancedreservations for this, because
they limit it to 900 people aday is all that can get.
Oh, geez wow, now you go over to.
From there you go over tohamilton pool preserve.

(01:55):
Now this is in dripping springs.
Now it's a geological wonderbecause it features a collapsed
grotto grotto with a 50-footwaterfall that goes into a
jade-colored pool.
This is in Travis County.
Sometimes, because of bacterialevels, swimmers aren't allowed
in, but it's still worth a visit.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Martha, I got this kind of odor to me and I don't
know exactly where it's comingfrom.

Speaker 3 (02:21):
You've been in that pool again, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
And then, if you're looking for something more
park-like, Schlitterbahn over inNew Bronzeville.
Now this is the water parkexperience.
It's consistently ranked amongthe best in the world, located
in New Bronzeville along theComal River.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
Comal.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
It spans over 70 acres, it's got slides, it's got
lazy rivers, kids areas.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Have you ever been there?
Been there once, but I was notin the water at the time.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
Did you ever go tubing down the Comal?
Yes, I did.
Yep, I like that.
But Slitterbond, I was there ona business trip, so I didn't
actually get to participate inany of the activities that were
there.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
Well, that's too bad.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
Yeah, yeah, that's got log cabins.
It's a lot of.
It's a really nice place andthey have another one down in
galveston.
If you're looking for somethingdown in there, then from there,
cross springs now this is inspicewood.
Now this is a family-owned uhoperation.

(03:19):
It's got 32 natural springsfeeding into man-made and
natural pools.
Uh, it's a retreat again.
It's one of the spring watersstays around 68 degrees
fahrenheit year-round.
Uh, it's got tent and rvcamping and uh.
Then if you're looking forsomething that's a little
further west texas, then balmorastate park now this is way out

(03:45):
in West Texas and I thinkthere's a map going to come up
here and it's the largestspring-fed swimming pool in the
state and it's located in thedesert and it was built by the
Civilian Conservation Corps inthe 1930s.
The 1.75-acre pool is fed bysprings.
It holds 3.5 million gallons ofwater.
Now, keep in mind that's a lotof water.
That ranges in temperaturesfrom 72 to 76, but 15 million

(04:10):
gallons of water go through thatplace a day.
There's a lot of water goingthrough there in the water flow.
So there's some cool placesthat you can go and cool off
during the summer.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
Thank you, sir.
Time now for Jeff's Car CultureRare muscle car colors.

Speaker 3 (04:30):
You betcha.
And here we go.
First one out of the box.
Now, we've all seen thesecolors.
You don't know what codes theyare, but here we go.
1970, plymouth Duster.
We call this the Pink Panther,the 1970 Plymouth Duster and
factory Pink Panther.
Pink code FM3.

Speaker 1 (04:50):
Hey everybody, Look at my car In case you're
wondering what the code is.

Speaker 3 (04:54):
it's one of the rarest, most eye-catching
combinations to leave a Chryslerplant.
While the Duster was designatedas affordable, compact muscle
car, ordering it in Pink Pantherturned into a bold statement
piece.
The color was part of Mopar'shigh-impact paint lineup and
officially only offered it forthe short time in 1970.
The next one on the block is a70 Plymouth Cuda who figured In

(05:18):
violet code FC7.
Now in violet, also known aswhat Plum Crazy over at Dodge.
It was one of Chrysler'shigh-impact colors but
surprisingly, a few buyersordered it in 70 Cuda.
Most stuck with the hemi-orOrange or Limelight, which was
the green color, leaving thepurple bruiser only to be the
only one that's bold.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
I think that John Hovis got one.

Speaker 3 (05:39):
I believe so he does.
When paired with a 426 Hemi oreven a high-compression 440 in
violet gave the Cuda anunmistakable presence.
That is a pretty car, I'd driveit.
Next one 70, chevelle SS inTuxedo Black, which is paint
code 10.
Tuxedo Black sounds common butit's rarely chosen.

(06:00):
In 70, especially on the SSChevelle, gm's bright hues like
Cranberry Red and Phantom Bluedominated the dealer lots, while
fewer than 1% of the ss buyersopted for the deep formal black.
When paired with an ls6 454 ina cowl induction hood, a black
on black chevy ss became amenacing presence.

(06:22):
It didn't need stripes or flareto make it a paint.
There you go.
Next one 69 dodge charger in r4, bright red with a white top.
Bright red code R4 wasn't rareon its own, but paired with a
white vinyl top and whiteinterior, you got a surprisingly
uncommon setup for 69.

(06:42):
Most buyers went with black ortan contrast instead of the high
contrast combo.
Add a 440 Magnum or a Hemi intothe equation and you've got a
charger that's hard to miss.
Next one Michael is a 1970 AMX.
Big Bad Green is what theycalled this Paint code 00.

(07:03):
Amc's Big Bad color lineup wasin-your-face.
Marketing moved on and a BigBad Green was by far the boldest
.
Available in special order onlythis radioactive shade was
rarely selected by AMX buyers,with fewer than 100 cars
believed to have actually leftthe factory in this color.
The AMX, with its two-seatlayout a 390 V8, already stood

(07:26):
apart from the pack, painted abig bad green green.
It became a statement car inevery sense of the word.
That's nice.
Another favorite of mine is a 66fairlane gt ember ember glow,
code v.
Ford's ember glow was one ofthe those mid-60 colors that
defines uh sort of like adescription part copper, part

(07:47):
bronze, part burnt orange.
It was available on a 66Fairlane GT, rarely seen on
high-performance versions likethe GT 390.
With its 335 horsepower, v8,bucket seats and optional GTA
automatic, the Fairlane GT hadsolid muscle car cred but
painted in ember glow it lookedlike a concept car that slipped

(08:07):
through the production line.
And the last one is my favorite70 Pontiac GTO in what Orbit
Orange, code 5.
Looks yellow 05.
Orbit Orange is hard to missand that's exactly why so few
buyers chose it.
Available in 70, only thescreaming high-letter shade was
meant to grab attention, and itdid Just not in big numbers.

(08:28):
Combine the Orange Orbit withthe Judge package and the Ram
Air, all that good stuff andyou've got one of the loudest,
fastest and rarest Pontiacs everbuilt.
It was too much for most buyers, but 1970, who cares?
Collectors are lining up forthem today.
How about that?

Speaker 1 (08:44):
Very nice, yeah, good stuff, well done.
All right Time now for thishour's car review.
Had a chance to drive the 2025Chevrolet Suburban.
You know what that is?
Built in Arlington, texas.
There is a whole list that Iforgot to put down here of trim

(09:06):
levels.
We had the top of the line,four-wheel drive, high country.
This is considered by yourgovernment as a standard SUV.
They should have put in theirstandard big SUV Biggin' Seats,
including the driver.
In this one that we had seven,I think that you can get let's

(09:26):
see eight If you have a secondrow.
That is a bench, but ours hadcaptain's chairs for the second
row.
It had four buckets and a bench.
Yeah, in the back.
Exterior changes from last modelyear.
This vehicle was all new,completely redesigned in 2021,
refreshed for this year, 2025.

(09:47):
By the way, it grewexponentially in 2021.
Huge, yeah, huge Exteriorfeatures big, large, house-like
vehicle with refreshed frontfascia.
Slab sides with straight lineson it Make it big.
Don't put any accoutrement onit other than some chrome here

(10:09):
and there.
Attractive, big wheel design.
I think this thing had 24s onit Wow, 24s Rear hatch very
attractive.
We've seen the taillightsbefore and I can't remember the
vehicle.
It was on a truck and I thinkthat they've brought them back
because everybody liked them.
Anyway, it's good looking.

(10:30):
What I liked.
The overall look is attractive,follows its predecessors.
If you have something that'ssuccessful, don't mess it up.
What could use improvement?
Nothing.
Interior highlights Twoseparate screens are blended,
kind of one almost on top of theother.
It works very well.

(10:51):
It's a different kind of lookand it does not.
It is not the same as the GMCand I'll tell you about that in
a couple of weeks.
Central air duct at the bottomof the center stack, which was
kind of unusual, but you knowthey did that with the Camaro
and somehow it worked.
Our high country had two-tonebrown and black interior.
It was absolutely stunninglybeautiful.

(11:13):
Seating, very comfortable.
Second row captain's chairs aregreat.
Cargo, plenty of space, evenwith the third row up.
What I liked about it?
The roominess.
Yeah.
What could use improvement?
If you want more lux than this,check out the GMC or the
Cadillac.
It goes down the same assemblyline in Arlington, texas.

(11:34):
Nice.
Three-liter Duramax turbo diesel.
That turns out 305 horsepowerwith 495 pound-feet of torque
through a 10-speed automatictransmission, four-wheel drive,
toe rating, 7,900 pounds.
So get your cabin cruiser, hookit to the back of the truck and

(11:55):
take it to the lake.
As far as mileage is concerned,it is a diesel and it didn't do
too bad 20 miles per galloncity 24 highway for a combined
of 22.
I got 21.5 miles per gallonover 256.6 miles.
What I liked about it?
Plenty of grunt with mileage.

(12:15):
Can you remember correctly,mars, when you had the old
version of the thing with the V8in it?
13 miles per gallon was good.
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
I was happy with that.
Yeah, yeah.
So they've come a long way.
And that diesel you can't eventell it's a diesel.
It is super quiet, it runs noturbo lag.
It runs like a real,honest-to-goodness, old-school

(12:37):
V8.
So I would suggest that ifyou're in the market for a big
Suburban, check out that Duramaxturbo diesel.
All right, ride and handling.
Well, the independent rearsuspension makes for a smooth
ride, along with the air ridesuspension on a Chevrolet yeah,

(12:59):
it's an option, it's part of anoption package Get it.
Ooh dreamy.
What could use improvement?
Nothing, honey.
Base trim price Base trim price$8,400.
Now, this is the top of theline.
Price is tested 92.220.
So, don, how much does it costto get into a plain Jane, if

(13:21):
there is such a thing a plainJane.
Suburban 61.5.
Wow, well, hey.
The average price across allmakes and models of cars these
days is $50,000.
Is that the three-row for a61.5?

Speaker 2 (13:38):
I think all the Suburbans are three-row.

Speaker 1 (13:39):
They are, if you want a two-row, you get your Tahoe
Right Competitors GMC Yukon XLBase 96.9,.
Ford Expedition Max 89.170, orthe Wagoneer L that's the long
version of it 79.535.

(14:01):
But I don't think that Wagoneercan really compete as far as
size is concerned.
I assume that it's got.
I haven't have you ever drivenone.
No, I've just seen them.
Yeah, does it come with adriven one?
No, I've just seen them.

Speaker 2 (14:13):
Yeah, Does it come with a Hemi?
No, I don't think so.
I would hope it would.

Speaker 1 (14:18):
The wagon here, I think it's a Hurricane.

Speaker 2 (14:19):
Well, now it is yeah.

Speaker 1 (14:23):
Because, well, we don't know, because they just
said that they're going to putthe Hemi.
Bring the Hemi back.

Speaker 2 (14:27):
In the Ram trucks.
Yeah, I know Well.
Once you got it in the assemblyarea then, yeah, I guess you
know.
I saw a blacked-out Suburbanthis morning pass me.
It's a late model, it wasn'tthis brand new and it was a
couple years old probably.
And I thought, man, if we everdecide we don't really want a
truck and we want to go with atrailer instead, that would be
the tow vehicle to have.

Speaker 1 (14:48):
Absolutely, absolutely.
Remember, I've had twoSuburbans in my life and I will
tell you that the third row seatyou had to dig it out of the
back literally because itclicked in and the thing weighed
a gajillion pounds if youdidn't want the third row.
Well, we never used the thirdrow, so we put it in a big

(15:09):
plastic bag and put it in theattic and I don't know how I got
it up there, but somehow I did.
But yeah, we sold it, obviously, and had the third row.

Speaker 3 (15:16):
Put it in the kitchen as a little seating area.

Speaker 1 (15:19):
A little extra seating yeah, Bolt it to the
floor.
Hey, if you'd like to get intouch with us, shoot us an email
.
The address here is info atinwheeltime.