In Wheel Time Podcast

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

• In Wheel Time Podcast | Automotive talk with Don Armstrong, Michael Marrs, and Jeff Dziekan • Season 2025 • Episode 221

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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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Speaker 1:

All right, thank you, sir. Mr Mars has driving destinations this week.

Speaker 2:

Cool places to cool off for this summer Go for it and on a day like today I would really like to go to one of these places. So one of the things you can look at, particularly up and around the hill country, barton Springs Pool. Now this is talking about places that you can actually go swimming, different pools around the state of Texas. So Barton Springs is located in Zilker Park in Austin. It's a three-acre natural pool. It's fed by underground springs, stays 68 to 71 year-round, which makes it great for summer and you can actually go in the winter. It actually will feel warm at certain times. So the setting is scenic and serene, but it fills up fast on weekends, so they you got to arrive a little early if you're going to go there.

Speaker 2:

The other one that you can find up there is the deep eddy pool. Now, this is texas oldest man-made swimming pool. The deep eddy is also spring fed and it's known for its clear, cool water and its relaxing ambience. Now, this is near downtown Austin, so it's got swimming lanes, got shallow in for kids, grassy areas for lounging. It was built in 1915, and it carries a nostalgic charm and attracts a quieter crowd than its neighbor over in Barton Springs. Oh boy, from there we go over to Wimberley where we're going to find the Blue Hole Now. The Blue Hole is a pristine swimming pool nested amongst towering cypress trees in wimberley. It's got emerald colored waters, iconic rope swings, the swimming hole is spring fed and maintaining a cool 75 degree temperature now the it's surrounded park is hiking trails, picnic lanes and it's got lots of courts. Got to make some advanced reservations for this, because they limit it to 900 people a day is all that can get.

Speaker 2:

Oh, geez wow, now you go over to. From there you go over to hamilton pool preserve. Now this is in dripping springs. Now it's a geological wonder because it features a collapsed grotto grotto with a 50-foot waterfall that goes into a jade-colored pool. This is in Travis County. Sometimes, because of bacteria levels, swimmers aren't allowed in, but it's still worth a visit.

Speaker 1:

Martha, I got this kind of odor to me and I don't know exactly where it's coming from.

Speaker 3:

You've been in that pool again, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

And then, if you're looking for something more park-like, Schlitterbahn over in New Bronzeville. Now this is the water park experience. It's consistently ranked among the best in the world, located in New Bronzeville along the Comal River.

Speaker 1:

Comal.

Speaker 2:

It spans over 70 acres, it's got slides, it's got lazy rivers, kids areas.

Speaker 1:

Have you ever been there? Been there once, but I was not in the water at the time.

Speaker 2:

Did you ever go tubing down the Comal? Yes, I did. Yep, I like that. But Slitterbond, I was there on a business trip, so I didn't actually get to participate in any of the activities that were there.

Speaker 1:

Well, that's too bad.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, that's got log cabins. It's a lot of. It's a really nice place and they have another one down in galveston. If you're looking for something down in there, then from there, cross springs now this is in spicewood. Now this is a family-owned uh operation. It's got 32 natural springs feeding into man-made and natural pools. Uh, it's a retreat again. It's one of the spring waters stays around 68 degrees fahrenheit year-round. Uh, it's got tent and rv camping and uh.

Speaker 2:

Then if you're looking for something that's a little further west texas, then balmora state park now this is way out in West Texas and I think there's a map going to come up here and it's the largest spring-fed swimming pool in the state and it's located in the desert and it was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. The 1.75-acre pool is fed by springs. It holds 3.5 million gallons of water. Now, keep in mind that's a lot of water. That ranges in temperatures from 72 to 76, but 15 million gallons of water go through that place a day. There's a lot of water going through there in the water flow. So there's some cool places that you can go and cool off during the summer.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, sir. Time now for Jeff's Car Culture Rare muscle car colors.

Speaker 3:

You betcha. And here we go. First one out of the box. Now, we've all seen these colors. You don't know what codes they are, 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:

Hey everybody, Look at my car In case you're wondering what the code is.

Speaker 3:

it's one of the rarest, most eye-catching combinations to leave a Chrysler plant. While the Duster was designated as affordable, compact muscle car, ordering it in Pink Panther turned into a bold statement piece. The color was part of Mopar's high-impact paint lineup and officially only offered it for the short time in 1970. The next one on the block is a 70 Plymouth Cuda who figured In violet code FC7. Now in violet, also known as what Plum Crazy over at Dodge. It was one of Chrysler's high-impact colors but surprisingly, a few buyers ordered it in 70 Cuda. Most stuck with the hemi-or Orange or Limelight, which was the green color, leaving the purple bruiser only to be the only one that's bold.

Speaker 1:

I think that John Hovis got one.

Speaker 3:

I believe so he does. When paired with a 426 Hemi or even a high-compression 440 in violet gave the Cuda an unmistakable presence.

Speaker 3:

That is a pretty car, I'd drive it. Next one 70, chevelle SS in Tuxedo Black, which is paint code 10. Tuxedo Black sounds common but it's rarely chosen. In 70, especially on the SS Chevelle, gm's bright hues like Cranberry Red and Phantom Blue dominated the dealer lots, while fewer than 1% of the ss buyers opted for the deep formal black. When paired with an ls6 454 in a cowl induction hood, a black on black chevy ss became a menacing presence. It didn't need stripes or flare to 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 rare on its own, but paired with a white vinyl top and white interior, you got a surprisingly uncommon setup for 69. Most buyers went with black or tan contrast instead of the high contrast combo. Add a 440 Magnum or a Hemi into the equation and you've got a charger that's hard to miss.

Speaker 3:

Next one Michael is a 1970 AMX. Big Bad Green is what they called this Paint code 00. Amc's Big Bad color lineup was in-your-face. Marketing moved on and a Big Bad Green was by far the boldest. Available in special order only this radioactive shade was rarely selected by AMX buyers, with fewer than 100 cars believed to have actually left the factory in this color. The AMX, with its two-seat layout a 390 V8, already stood apart from the pack, painted a big bad green green. It became a statement car in every sense of the word. That's nice.

Speaker 3:

Another favorite of mine is a 66 fairlane gt ember ember glow, code v. Ford's ember glow was one of the those mid-60 colors that defines uh sort of like a description part copper, part bronze, part burnt orange. It was available on a 66 Fairlane GT, rarely seen on high-performance versions like the GT 390. With its 335 horsepower, v8, bucket seats and optional GTA automatic, the Fairlane GT had solid muscle car cred but painted in ember glow it looked like a concept car that slipped through the production line. And the last one is my favorite 70 Pontiac GTO in what Orbit Orange, code 5.

Speaker 3:

Looks yellow 05. Orbit Orange is hard to miss and that's exactly why so few buyers chose it. Available in 70, only the screaming high-letter shade was meant to grab attention, and it did Just not in big numbers. Combine the Orange Orbit with the Judge package and the Ram Air, all that good stuff and you've got one of the loudest, fastest and rarest Pontiacs ever built. It was too much for most buyers, but 1970, who cares? Collectors are lining up for them today. How about that?

Speaker 1:

Very nice, yeah, good stuff, well done. All right Time now for this hour's car review. Had a chance to drive the 2025 Chevrolet Suburban. You know what that is? Built in Arlington, texas. There is a whole list that I forgot to put down here of trim levels. We had the top of the line, four-wheel drive, high country. This is considered by your government as a standard SUV. They should have put in their standard big SUV Biggin' Seats, including the driver. In this one that we had seven, I think that you can get let's see eight If you have a second row. That is a bench, but ours had captain's chairs for the second row. It had four buckets and a bench. Yeah, in the back.

Speaker 1:

Exterior changes from last model year. This vehicle was all new, completely redesigned in 2021, refreshed for this year, 2025. By the way, it grew exponentially in 2021. Huge, yeah, huge Exterior features big, large, house-like vehicle with refreshed front fascia.

Speaker 1:

Slab sides with straight lines on it Make it big. Don't put any accoutrement on it other than some chrome here and there. Attractive, big wheel design. I think this thing had 24s on it Wow, 24s Rear hatch very attractive. We've seen the taillights before and I can't remember the vehicle. It was on a truck and I think that they've brought them back because everybody liked them. Anyway, it's good looking.

Speaker 1:

What I liked. The overall look is attractive, follows its predecessors. If you have something that's successful, don't mess it up. What could use improvement? Nothing. Interior highlights Two separate screens are blended, kind of one almost on top of the other. It works very well. It's a different kind of look and it does not. It is not the same as the GMC and I'll tell you about that in a couple of weeks. Central air duct at the bottom of the center stack, which was kind of unusual, but you know they did that with the Camaro and somehow it worked. Our high country had two-tone brown and black interior. It was absolutely stunningly beautiful. Seating, very comfortable. Second row captain's chairs are great. Cargo, plenty of space, even with 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 assembly line in Arlington, texas. Nice.

Speaker 1:

Three-liter Duramax turbo diesel. That turns out 305 horsepower with 495 pound-feet of torque through a 10-speed automatic transmission, four-wheel drive, toe rating, 7,900 pounds. So get your cabin cruiser, hook it to the back of the truck and 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 gallon city 24 highway for a combined of 22. I got 21.5 miles per gallon over 256.6 miles.

Speaker 1:

What I liked about it? Plenty of grunt with mileage. Can you remember correctly, mars, when you had the old version of the thing with the V8 in 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 even tell it's a diesel. It is super quiet, it runs no turbo lag. It runs like a real, honest-to-goodness, old-school V8.

Speaker 1:

So I would suggest that if you're in the market for a big Suburban, check out that Duramax turbo diesel. All right, ride and handling. Well, the independent rear suspension makes for a smooth ride, along with the air ride suspension on a Chevrolet yeah, it's an option, it's part of an option 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 the line. Price is tested 92.220. So, don, how much does it cost to get into a plain Jane, if there is such a thing a plain Jane. Suburban 61.5. Wow, well, hey. The average price across all makes and models of cars these days is $50,000. Is that the three-row for a 61.5?

Speaker 2:

I think all the Suburbans are three-row.

Speaker 1:

They are, if you want a two-row, you get your Tahoe Right Competitors GMC Yukon XL Base 96.9,. Ford Expedition Max 89.170, or the Wagoneer L that's the long version of it 79.535. But I don't think that Wagoneer can really compete as far as size is concerned. I assume that it's got. I haven't have you ever driven one. No, I've just seen them. Yeah, does it come with a driven one? No, I've just seen them.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Does it come with a Hemi? No, I don't think so. I would hope it would.

Speaker 1:

The wagon here, I think it's a Hurricane.

Speaker 2:

Well, now it is yeah.

Speaker 1:

Because, well, we don't know, because they just said that they're going to put the Hemi. Bring the Hemi back.

Speaker 2:

In the Ram trucks. Yeah, I know Well. Once you got it in the assembly area then, yeah, I guess you know. I saw a blacked-out Suburban this morning pass me. It's a late model, it wasn't this brand new and it was a couple years old probably. And I thought, man, if we ever decide we don't really want a truck and we want to go with a trailer instead, that would be the tow vehicle to have.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, absolutely. Remember, I've had two Suburbans in my life and I will tell you that the third row seat you had to dig it out of the back literally because it clicked in and the thing weighed a gajillion pounds if you didn't want the third row. Well, we never used the third row, so we put it in a big plastic bag and put it in the attic 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:

Put it in the kitchen as a little seating area.

Speaker 1:

A little extra seating yeah, Bolt it to the floor. Hey, if you'd like to get in touch with us, shoot us an email. The address here is info at inwheeltime.

People on this episode

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Don Armstrong

Host
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Jeff Dziekan

Co-host
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Michael Marrs

Co-host