Enchanted Rock State Park

 January 27, 2021

Today we are going to Enchanted Rock State Park to hike

You can see the actual dome of Enchanted Rock above the sign.

Vegetation is plentiful on the bottom, but its almost bald at the top 

Here we are at the beginning of the Summit Trail.

Of course it is uphill.

One of us looks more excited than the other to being go uphill again.

Me with Turkey Peak in the background in my Run 4 Nuns tee shirt.

It's crazy to see still rocks that will slide down, eventually

"Two unique species, fairy shrimp and rock quillwort, thrive in vernal pools. In fact, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area is home to most of the world's rock quillwort population and the best place in Texas to study fairy shrimp up close."

"It's hard to believe that a vibrant ecosystem can emerge from bare stone, but small depressions in the rock set the stage for a dynamic process known as succession. Called a pioneer community, the beginning stage occurs as tiny plants and animals struggle to survive in shallow depressions in the granite. A pioneer community like this small puddle seems like nothing special but one day it will transform into an island of life."

"Over time, soil builds up in weathering pits and eventually a vibrant and diverse ecosystem emerges. Here at Enchanted Rock, tiny versions of the bluestem grassland dot the top of the granite rock. These island ecosystems of grasses and other vegetation provide shelter and food for wildlife - creating a refuge on the harsh rocky top"

These rocks have broken off but haven't slide off quite yet.

These wing shaped ones really seem tenuous.

Over the side is a mixture of rocks that have shed off and some vegetation seems to be sheltering them.

The view is as vast as Texas.

We descended the summit and the vegetation greatly increased.

We headed off on the Echo Canyon Trail, it was rocky, no surprise there.

On the Moss Lake Trail

Which of course led to Moss Lake.  It's quite small.

From here we went to the Base Trail.

"Known as an exfoliation dome, Enchanted Rock continuously "sheds" its outer layers of rock as it contracts and expands. The result is large curved sheets of rock that break up and can eventually slide down the rock."

"Exfoliation slabs range in thickness from less than an inch to several feet. Regardless of their size, these granite fragments can be pulled down the rock by gravity or held in place by friction."

We summited Enchanted Rock and the hiked around it, these guys climbed up the side.

Enchanted Rock has several trails up this side for rock climbers.

View from the Turkey Pass Trail

And logically Turkey Peak from the Turkey Pass Trail.

Frog Pond, even smaller than Moss Lake.  No frogs spotted today.

And a reward at the end of the day, a Mai Tai flavored Kona Ice from a truck that is permanently set up here.  It was tasty and refreshing.

In summary, we started with the Summit Trail took that to Echo Canyon Trail to Moss Lake Trail to Base Trail to Turkey Pass Trail to Loop Trail.

Another good day.

January 28, 2021

Well today we waited for the locksmith to come and code a new key for the new truck (it only came with one key and we are more comfortable with two keys).  He did not come today.  Hopefully he comes early in the day tomorrow.  The day was not wasted we scheduled out more campsites and are now booked through the middle of May.

And I got a walk in at the campground.

I am inside the trunk of a live Cypress tree on the banks of the Guadalupe River.

This one shows how large the gap in the trunk is.

January 29, 2021

Called the locksmith, not coming until Monday.

Jim has been frustrated with the internet speed so he bought a and wifi booster and some suction cups to stick it on the inside of the window.

Most private campgrounds have internet but it usually is weak, this will boost a weak signal.  The best wifi we had was at Falling Creek Falls a Tennessee State Park when the wireless transmitter was right by our site but other than there it is usually weak.

The cell phone booster and a flag pole that holds an antenna for it.

Yes, we will bring the pole when we travel.

Okay now its time for some Texas Barbecue.

Rated the best barbecue in Ingram, Texas per Trip Advisor

and recommended by the Visitor Center in Kerrville.

Here are the 40 year old smokers that make the magic happen.

"Bill’s Bar-B-Que is the oldest BBQ joint in Kerrville. Our pits have been seasoned for over 40 years, giving our meat the most distinctive taste newer restaurants can’t reproduce. We use Texas sourced fresh meat and make everything else from scratch."

It's Bill.

It's an eclectic look inside, dollars on the ceiling, photos on the back wall (including one of Bob Hope)

Jim ordering by the two deer heads.  No venison here, pork ribs, beef brisket, pulled pork.

They also have turkey and chicken which we did not try.

Outdoor seating was available but

we took our 3 meat plates back to the campsite.

Ribs, Brisket, Pulled Pork with potato salad and coleslaw, pickles, onion and sauce.

Yes, be jealous, it was delicious!!  So tender, so good.

Time for a stroll.

And we encounter the grackles who also live here.  They "sing" like this daily.

Later on in our stroll after chatting with a couple on their way from California to San Padre Island based on the route he recently found that he and friends did when they graduated from high school.

And you thought we were crazy.

 We  ran into our neighbor Larry who was out fishing.  Here he is bringing in a footlong catfish.

The hook was really in there so some pliers were put into action.

Ultimately, the fish was released back into the river, normally Larry normally brings fish back for his dinner but he only caught one and didn't feel liking cleaning just one fish.  Good luck for the fish.

And yes, fellow fishermen he used chicken livers for bait.

January 30, 2021

Sunny and 70 degrees today.

While enjoying the good weather we booked campsites thru July 8, 2021 that leaves only two more months of places to book and then we can just start enjoying them one at a time.

January 31, 2021

Sunday, so we attended church via the internet.

Then Jim serenaded me on the guitar while I kept at booking campsites.

I am pending 4 sites getting back to me, hopefully on Monday and hopefully all with "yes we have a site for you."  Then I have to book the month of August.  This route determination and booking sites is hard work, I will be glad when they are all in place and I can just enjoy the destinations.

And that was our January.

Another good month.