We had been staying at McKinney Falls State Park while visiting Austin and San Antonio, but we hadn’t taken the time to explore the park. On our last day there we hiked around and saw the falls, the homestead, and the old grist mill ruins. There were some neat features and tons of turtles! (We think Yertle the Turtle probably lived there!)
After McKinney Falls we drove over towards Fredericksburg, TX. We stayed at a Harvest Host location and when we pulled up to our spot, there was an armadillo scavenging around in the field!
We did not spend any time in Fredericksburg (even though we drove through and it was super cute and really busy), because we headed to Enchanted Rock State Park the next day. As we headed out on the trail, we noticed a guided hike that was just about to leave. We joined in and were thoroughly impressed by the ranger’s knowledge – geology, flora/fauna, and fairy shrimp. It was wonderful and educational.
There were a few other people on the hike and we discovered that one was a Colorado College grad from the 70s and is good friends with the owner of Poor Richard’s in Colorado Springs – a favorite place of ours. Small world once again.
After the guided hike we went in search of climbing. It was fun exploring and as we found a spot that looked promising, we were grateful that another couple came up to climb and confirmed the route we were on. It was a beautiful day at Enchanted Rock!
After climbing we visited the winery/safari tour place of the Harvest Host we were staying at. We saw donkeys, pigs, alpacas, peacocks, emus, zebras, and camels! We enjoyed beverages in Adirondack chairs overlooking Texas hill country.
Finally, we returned to our camper to see the armadillo again and fly the kite we had gotten in Galveston.
Grateful for the sunshine and current warmth of TX hill country!
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