by Stephanie SampsonSeptember 8, 2016
We’ve been living in a bit of a bubble this month, concentrating on unpacking boxes, getting the yard in shape, and starting a major kitchen remodel. This weekend it was time for us to Venture Out. So we hit the road early, coffee and bag lunches in tow, to Pedernales Falls State Park.
The park is named after the Pedernales River, one of several rivers that flow through Hill Country west of Austin and into the Colorado River. Although Spanish explorers in the 1700s named the river "pedernales" for the flint rock found in the riverbed, native Texans like President Johnson skipped the proper Spanish pronunciation and call the river “Perd-n-Alice.” (We are still working on getting the correct Texas twang around place names.)
The park is right in the middle of the vast, verdant Hill Country. Although we are technically in Hill Country even in our own suburban neighborhood, it isn’t until you get a few miles west that one begins to appreciate the grandeur of this ecosystem: 31,000 square miles of rolling vistas green with yucca, prickly pear cactus, cedar scrub, and Texas live oak. To me, Hill Country is a wild yet not too rugged place: it’s everywhere you go here, a constant reminder of the forces of Nature, yet not so showy as to stop you and shout “look at what God hath wrought” like the Grand Canyon or Yosemite. I find myself comforted by it.
Figure 1Rolling hills, low scrubby vegetation, and granite outcroppings are typical of Hill Country.
Anyway, the outing held several surprises. First surprise: early morning fog. The entire trip we drove through a light fog, which gave this photo of a Texas live oak a bit of drama.
Another surprise: zebras! The zebras are one of 80 species on a 137-acre private zoo, Exotic Resort Zoo, about an hour west of Austin. The zoo’s promotional material states that nearly half of the wild animals in the park at one time or another were listed on the endangered animal lists, so I guess they feel they are doing some good….
Third surprise: just how beautiful this park is. The falls themselves are pretty (Great Falls in Virginia is more spectacular but you can walk to the middle of the river here), but it’s the accessibility to spectacular scenery on the river, the swimming holes, and the trails that make this park a gem.
The falls were rather dry this weekend, but there was plenty of water in the lower stretch of the river for kids (and adults) to cool off in. Nature’s free playground!
Stephanie Sampson retired to Lakeway from Arlington, Virginia, in August 2016, after a 30-year career as a writer and editor on health and disability issues. A trip to Europe with her mother when she was 9 inspired a lifelong interest in travel and culture, and she’s looking forward to writing more about the history, food and people of Texas.