Nature Walks, Part 3a — Themes at McKinney Falls

Posted on January 2, 2010 by Meredith

Imagine it’s just before Christmas Eve again, for that is when my boys and I took our dogs to McKinney Falls State Park for a little nature excursion before the holidays. Having recently enjoyed autumn colors at Lost Maples, Westcave Preserve, and Hamilton Pool, we found that McKinney Fall seemed appropriately devoid of leaves and color — we had found winter in Texas at last.

But it didn’t really bother us, and it certainly didn’t upset the dogs one bit. Instead of delighting in vibrant colors and active wildlife, as there wasn’t much around, we enjoyed themes in nature and the unusual that caught our eye, noticing things that might have escaped observation at another time of year.

For one, we discovered that nature provided hints of Christmas all around us. From ornaments…

to red and green colors.

Sometimes we found unexpected shapes that brought our thoughts to ordinary objects or otherwise sparked our imagination, such as hearts…

Bigfoot tracks…

and even a longhorn. Hook ’em Horns!

We enjoyed “Wildlife Words of the Day” including “snag,” “hollow,” and even “scat” (I declined to post of picture of scat, however).

And we enjoyed a variety of textures, from the soft to the rough to the bristly.

The cactus kept our attention, through color, shape, and spines. Sometimes it was pests, like cochineals…

but sometimes it was beauty in age and decline. Have you ever wondered about the interior structure of a cactus, its vascular system that supports its water conservation? When dry, it leaves behind a beautifully intricate skeleton.

We found animal tracks…

a lone butterfly…

a flower staring back at us (you can really have a conversation with this flower if you choose to)…

nifty things plants and fungus do…

and vicious man-eating fire ants.

The winter season can keep some people indoors, but there is still so much to see, even when the leaves are on the ground instead of in the trees. Sometimes it’s noticing the little things that really open up the wonders of nature. And when you do it with your kids, you feel like you’re helping the whole world open up in their eyes.

I’ll give an actual tour of McKinney Falls State Park in the next post, to complete our nature walks. I’m almost caught up!

Nature Walks, Part 2 — Hamilton Pool

Posted on January 1, 2010 by Meredith

After our trip to Westcave Preserve, the boys and I enjoyed a picnic lunch with our friends, then headed to nearby Hamilton Pool for an afternoon trek. The park is about 232 acres located near Pedernales River, and it’s famous for its natural swimming hole formed from a collapsed grotto. We followed the main trail down to the creek below, enjoying a slow pace along the water’s edge until we reached the large pool and steadily flowing waterfalls.

Along the way, we enjoyed turtles, fish, and the occasional butterfly.

The walk seemed short, and before we knew it, we had reached Hamilton Pool itself, where 50-foot waterfalls pour over limestone cliffs into the chilly pool below. The large cavern allows visitors to walk and relax along the cool rocks and boulders behind the falls.

And from the back, the autumn colors seem all the more vibrant.

The sound of the waterfall is loud but not deafening, though my children sure couldn’t hear me when I tried to call to them from a few feet away. Or could they…?

Though the waters were chilly (luckily this was still in November), the boys were tempted to take advantage of the open swimming hole and swam across to the waterfalls. Ok, maybe mom challenged them. And maybe they turned a little blue. But they had fun, even if it meant they were soaking wet on the ride home.

Add this one to your “where to take visitors to the Austin area” list. It’s a treasure.

Nature Walks, Part 1 — Westcave Preserve

Posted on January 1, 2010 by Meredith

The holidays really played a toll on my keeping my posts up-to-date. We took some lovely hiking trips in November-December that I never had a chance to share photos of, so with it being New Year’s Day today, I want to get caught up to start 2010 out right, even if it means backtracking. I’ll start with our trip to Westcave Preserve back in mid-November. This Hill Country wonder is situated near Pedernales River, not too far from Hamilton Pool (which we visited later the same afternoon).

Westcave Preserve is lesser known than the popular Hamilton Pool, though they are only about 5 minutes apart from one another. Perhaps it is because tours are required to hike through Westcave. However, the tour guides are quite knowledgeable and dedicated.

The Environmental Learning Center is impressive, with its solar-tracking exhibit built into its ceiling and floor, its sustainable energy, its exhibits relating the Fibonnacci Series numbers to nature, and more.

Along the upper trails, visitors delight in native woods and beautiful views overlooking the river below.
Though it wasn’t the right season to see one, endangered golden-cheeked warblers sometimes nest in the preserve, using strips of ashe juniper trees and spider webs to build their nests.

Descending down the steep trails along the cable-only handrail, we began to see large slabs of limestone rock, evidence of the geologic changes in the area over many, many thousands of years.

Down in the ravine, a variety of ferns, wildflowers, shrubs, grasses, and trees such as oaks and bald cypress set the peaceful scene along the creek.

Before arriving at the trail’s end, we could already hear the tranquil sounds of the 40-foot waterfall, but the beauty of the waterfall backed by caves and fern-covered travertine walls drew our breath away. The water wasn’t a massive flow, as it was still affected by the area’s drought, but happily it still dropped into the pool below.

Sunlight streamed into the cave, providing backlighting for glistening water drops and shining upon the moistened moss and ferns. The almost fantastical scene seemed perfect for little gnomes, fairies, or elves.

Just outside, a water moccasin basked in the sun at the base of a giant bald cypress. Can you spot it below?

Near the larger cave was a smaller one, and inside we could see geological formations in the making. Though human visitors had wreaked havoc on the caves stalactites and stalagmites in the past, we could see new ones that had formed slowly over more recent decades.

It amazes me that I’ve lived in the Austin area since 1987, and this year is the first year I’d ever even heard of Westcave Preserve. But I’ll definitely be taking friends and family to visit it for years to come.