After taking the three weeks in San Antonio we only had a couple weeks here before heading off to a couple of weeks with dad in Shreveport, Louisiana on the way back to doctors and friends in Columbus, Ohio. We also had to stop here because I had purchased a compact point and shoot to use on the Amtrak Great Train Adventure and was having it delivered to Chris here in Austin. Most of the photographs below were taken with the new camera and I was rather pleased with the image quality although I did lug the old system to the Asian New Year Festival shown on this other page.
This year I seem to be getting rather wild with panoramas using the new Hugin Panorama program so here is a much larger version of downtown I showed in the 2007 section. Some of the buildings do seem to be leaning but that is from having only two hand held photographs to compile.
Getting more up close and personal are photographs of a couple buildings I liked the most. We were starting to experiment with using the bus especially when I wanted to wander downtown where parking is an issue. I really wanted to take the light rail system and while we could get a discount fare with a Medicare card, a senior day pass was only available at the downtown office.
Well the big day arrived and look what arrived with it. The buses were running and activated our day pass but when we got to downtown found the trains had all been canceled. They claimed it was a safety issue and I suspect they were mostly worried about cars not being able to stop when the train passed or get stuck on the tracks. The office was also closed and we did not have time to get another pass or take the ride. Near the rail station the Mongolian Grille which is apparently now closed provided a warm place to enjoy a meal before catching the bus back to the motel.
Rush hour can be frustrating but with a little preparation being stopped at the top of the overpass offered another view of downtown. Up north of downtown I just could not resist the pink gorilla. Later on in our travels I will have a pink elephant to add to the collection.
Another panorama experience is the South Austin Pride Mural on the Time Warner (now Spectrum) wall. At 120 feet wide in a narrow parking lot it required eleven photographs to capture overlapping segments. The first problem of course was trying to find a time when the service trucks did not block the view. Processing them all at once the panorama program insisted that they were a full 360 degree view and the two ends were actually connected. Trying to merge two sections of six it just choked. I finally managed to merge blocks of four photographs and then merge the blocks to show you the whole mural.
On one of the nicer days Chris took us on a hike to the Barton Creek headwaters with the falls flowing out of the spring and forming a crystal clear swimming hole popular with the local residents. Not far downstream the whole creek drops underground and does not reappear until close to Lady Bird Lake. On a later visit I'll show the dry creek bed and the side of the gorge popular with local rock climbers which our oldest is rather into big time.
We arrived in Austin the last week of 2007 specifically to join our friend Chris at the wonderful New Years Eve First Night parade. We got a good rate for the first two weeks at a motel in the northwest so we stayed for another two and the helpful manager talked us into another two days to get us to a monthly rate. One of the nice surprises was finding that by staying over 30 days we were entitled to a refund of the Texas state motel tax which improved the rate even more. In several states 30 days is the break point between temporary motel living and being classed as an apartment. We have also found motels going to great lengths to avoid making the distinction and the extra paperwork required to give the customer a break. The Never give the customer and even break.
policy is very much alive and well.
Much of our January was focused on exploring the many parks and hiking opportunities in the Austin area. Out to the northwest of Austin is the Balcones Caynonlands NWR covering over 27,000 acres but only a very limited portion is open for hiking. What it lacks in length is made up in height and while the trails are relatively easy they tend to go up and up and up until you get to these beautiful overlook views.
Commons Ford Ranch Park sits along Lake Austin which is the reservoir between the big Lake Travis barely seen from Balcones and the downtown Lady Bird Lake shown under 2007. Along the lake it is a nice flat if rather boring hike. A stream flows down the hill near the cabin and was advertised to have a waterfall. The occasional heavy rains have carved a rather steep gully and we found where the waterfall would be if there was some rain. After climbing up one side looking for the waterfall and crossing the stream we found there was no good way back down the other side and again it was getting close to dark and we were lost in the woods again. That handheld gps was becoming more and more attractive.
On the north side of Lake Georgetown is another beautiful canyon trail leading from the housing development on top of the ridge down to the lake. With no rain there were no falls
but it was still a nice if steep hike. I found all of these hikes on a local website describing hikes within two hours of Austin. I don't know what happened to it but I have not been able to find a link to add here.
2007 started and ended with Austin. We arrived right at the end of 2006 to join our friend Chris at the wonderful New Years Eve First Night parade you can get from this link or the Attractions tab above. This was so much fun we had to come back for the 2007 parade which I think was even better. Unfortunately, this was a point of economic decline and funding became increasingly scarce all over the country. The parade has been inconsistent since then.
One of the great things about Austin is the number and size of parks available combined with wonderful weather that is only refreshingly brisk in January. We actually visited St Edwards with this cliff rising above the water last year. Chris also took us to McKenney Falls SP with a nice waterfall even in the winter.
Looking for a high point both for an overview and to capture a sunset, Chris sent us to Mt. Bonnell Park with views here of both the city and Lake Austin which is just one of several reservoirs holding back the Colorado River. Here is another case of name confusion since most of us link Southwest and Grand Canyon to the Colorado River, but Texas has it's own.
All that above was January but now it's December and another great time in Austin. Again a great part of Austin is the the huge park system combined with the weather that allows them to be enjoyed all year long. Here in Walnut Creek Park it's getting dark and close to white knuckle time. Covered in tall juniper bushes that have been tromped through so many times there are very few recognizable trails, the power lines can be one of the few landmarks available. This is about the time I decided a hand held GPS would be nice.
Even in the downtown area Lady Bird Lake has a lot of trails in addition to the shells here, kayaks, paddle boards, and more conventional watercraft. From here be sure to click on this First Night tab where I've added the 2007 version of doing a fabulous job of keeping Austin Weird.