Beautiful Tower and View

The observation tower at Longhorn Cavern State Park is more elaborate than most I've seen. The building is made of native limestone and blends well into the picturesque setting.

I like the design detail in the windows of the stairwell leading to the top deck.

And, the views at the top are spectacular!

I couldn't help but notice the huge building in the distance. John said it looked like a castle and he was right. It's called Falkenstein Castle. As it turns out, this is one of three castles in the area!

I'm sort of amazed by that...and baffled at the same time.

Inks Lake State Park

The Texas Hill Country is so pretty, it's no wonder there is a large concentration of state parks in this area.

We drove through Inks Lake State Park and briefly stopped at one of the fishing piers. It was the end of a gray, cloudy day, and what little light was left, was fading quickly, but the lake was so beautiful to my eye, that I had to snap a picture.

The trees along the shore were showing a bit of fall color and were reflected ever so softly on the smooth-as-glass surface. It was beautiful in person, even if the photo doesn't capture it well.

I happened to catch John on a point of land looking into the water. The surrounding trees created a natural frame to the scene and the green grass added a little life to the flat, dull light. 

If you know John like I do, then you know he was looking for fish and thinking about getting the fishing rods from the truck and trying his luck. But, it was late and time to go.

Maybe we'll have a chance to fish this weekend...in our home waters.

Longhorn Cavern State Park

The poor weather continued the whole time we were in the Texas Hill Country, but we found a way to escape the elements and still enjoy nature at the same time by heading underground for a guided tour of Longhorn Caverns.

Our guide was fantastic! He shared with us the history of this limestone cave, its legends, and its many interesting geological features. In the photo above he is pointing out one of the tiny bats that lives in this cave.

We all took a look at the bat, but I didn't snap a closeup. There is a very small population of Eastern Pipstrelle bats living in the cave. They do not hang out together and never leave.

There are several chambers in the cave. One of the largest is the Indian Council Room that was used by the Comanche for ceremonial purposes. The dark layer of hard rock running through the limestone in this room was used to make tools and arrow points.

Through the years, Longhorn Caverns has served many purposes. It was a place to manufacture and store gunpowder during the Civil War. It is said to have been a hideout for several outlaws including Sam Bass. During the prohibition era, it was used as a speakeasy, complete with dance floor, bandstand, and restaurant. And when Lyndon B. Johnson was president, it was designated as his underground bunker, should he ever need one while he was at his Texas ranch.

It is easy walking through most of the cave. However, there is 20-foot section of the tour where the height of the ceiling averages about four feet. It is referred to as the Lumbar Tunnel, because you have to walk bent over to get through it. I wondered if I would feel claustrophobic through this part when we were told about it at the beginning of the tour, but it turned out to be wide enough that I never felt closed in and no one else had trouble with it either.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked to clear the passages in the cave and make it what it is today. According to our guide, they were paid a dollar a day—$30 at the end of the month, $25 of which they sent home to their families, keeping only $5 for themselves.

Our tour of Longhorn Cavern was the highlight of our trip. I've been in other caves before, some with more colorful formations, but this is by far my favorite!

Colorado Bend State Park

The hiking trails through the canyon lands of Colorado Bend State Park are rugged and beautiful. 

Scenic Overlook at Colorado Bend State Park

We had big plans to hike a few of them, especially the one to Gorman Falls, but it turned out to be a cool, rainy day, and I had a sore throat, so we saw what we could from the vehicle.

Our lunchtime view of the Colorado River. 

Parked within view of the Colorado River, we ate our lunch (Schlotzsky's sandwiches that we brought with us) while the rain fell.

John stands on the banks of the Colorado River in Bend, Texas.

Yes, this is our river—the same river that runs by our trailer in Matagorda—only, the scenery is so very different! 

The Colorado River ends in Matagorda where it flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Here in Bend, we were on the northern end near the headwaters. 

Fishermen at Colorado Bend State Park

Even though we didn't get to do the things we planned, what we saw has us looking forward to our next visit. We bought a Texas State Parks Pass, so our admission is already paid for.

Brazos Bend Nature Walk | The End of the Trail

The abundance of wildlife at Brazos Bend State Park attracts nature lovers and photographers...

with serious lenses! I can only imagine the detail that you can get with such a high power zoom...imagine and dream.

I stepped over when this photographer was finished to see what she was shooting. 

It was a heron perched in a dead tree. This was the best I could do--lens zoomed all the way out--no crop--more of a scenic shot, than a bird photo.

A very brief drizzle of rain convinced John and I that it was time to head back. We had gone as far as the observation tower, just on the edge of 40 Acre Lake.

Retracing our steps down the Spillway Trail, I once again admired the swamp sunflowers against a backdrop of cattails.

We rejoined Elm Lake Trail where we left off and finished the loop around the lake...

stopping to watch a flock of whistling ducks...

and to photograph the only turtle we saw all day.

The trail ends back at the recreation area in a grove of mature trees thickly draped in Spanish moss.

A dead tree nearby in silhouette against a drab sky gave off a spooky vibe that is entirely appropriate for this Halloween weekend.

Brazos Bend State Park is a great place to get up close and personal with nature. We had a lot of fun and plan to go back soon.

I hope you are able to get out and enjoy a nature walk in your area. I'd love to see your pictures!

Bonus Snap:

An armadillo we saw in the campground on our way out...a strange and weird looking creature...perfectly creepy for Halloween.

Brazos Bend Nature Walk | Spillway Trail

Continuing our nature walk, John and I left the Elm Lake Loop Trail and headed to 40 Acre Lake by way of the Spillway Trail.

Do you see what we saw in the water?

Yes, it's another large gator! His head is exposed and you can see his body just below the surface. The trail is much higher than the water level here, so I felt safe to take all the pictures I wanted.

The trees along the spillway create a perfect leafy arch over the trail. It was a pleasant walk through the woods.

The Brazos River flooded earlier this year and the park was closed for a time until the water receded. See how the lower portion of these tree trunks are dark? I'm guessing that's from the high water.

And then the scenery changes--out of the swampy woods and onto the open plain. 

A golden blanket of swamp sunflowers covered the field nearly as far as my eye could see. It was impressive!

The closer we got to 40 Acre Lake, the more alligators we saw. In one small area there were at least 20. 

That was also impressive, but...

I like flowers better...so no more pictures of the alligators.

To be continued...

Brazos Bend Nature Walk | Plants and Flowers

John and I continued our nature walk on Elm Lake Trail at Brazos Bend State Park, enjoying the sights and taking photos. While John photographed birds and alligators, I began to focus my camera on plants and flowers.

The "green scum" on the surface of the water is actually tiny free-floating aquatic plants called duckweed. Elm Lake is covered in it.

I was fascinated by the large leaves of the American lotus, a plant that is often confused with water lilies. 

It is not in bloom right now, but seed pods are everywhere. The photo above shows a fresh pod filled with seeds.

But, most of the seed pods I saw had already gone by and were drooping downward, looking like little shower heads or decorative landscape lights. 

The water hyacinth was blooming and was so pretty! But don't be fooled by its good looks. Its prolific and aggressive nature can quickly clog waterways. To keep it under control, Texas has made it illegal to transport this plant. 

This bright yellow flower was striking. I thought it resembled coreopsis, but I wasn't sure what it was. When I got home, I identified it as swamp sunflower from this site. It looked like an excellent source of nectar for this busy bee.

Patches of asters were bright spots on a cloudy day...

as were these happy flowers known as creeping spot-flower.

I hope you enjoyed this part of our nature walk. There are still a few more photos to share.

To be continued...

Brazos Bend Nature Walk | Scenery on Elm Lake Trail

Despite the cloudy, overcast skies on Friday, John and I decided to go for a nature walk at Brazos Bend State Park. We haven't been here in a long time.

I noticed there's a new sign at the entrance featuring one of the park's main attractions. If you've never seen an American alligator in the wild, this is the place to come. They are abundant here.

We began our nature walk at Elm Lake. We didn't have very far to go before we came across our first gator sighting. John pointed him out to me.

The alligator was in the water at the edge of the trail, partially covered with plant debris. He was huge! He never moved the whole time we were there. We kept a safe distance while taking our pictures. I was glad to move along. Alligators fascinate me and scare me at the same time.

There were so many things to see and photograph. I tried to snap a few pictures of birds, but soon gave up on that. I may have said out loud more than once, that the shot was well beyond the range of my lens. I wasn't hinting around or anything like that. Truly.

Instead I focused on scenery shots that evoked the feeling of Elm Lake Trail. The bald cypress trees were showing just a tinge of fall color.

This is a pretty spot where the trail bends along the lake. There are several of these decks along the trail. They extend over the water for better views and for fishing. The white tube mounted on the side is for discarding used fishing line. 

For the most part, we had the trail all to ourselves, but it wasn't quiet. The music of nature--constant calls of birds and bullfrogs--played in the background as we continued down the tree-lined path under a drape of Spanish moss.

To be continued...