BOU AVENUE
Pedernales Falls State Park, Stonehenge II And Garner State Park
On 5 April 2024, Zosia Zgolak and I started our day by visiting Pedernales Falls State Park just west of Austin, Texas.  Surprisingly, the staff member manning the entrance kiosk asked us if we had made a reservation even though the park appeared to be deserted.  We replied that we had not, but he let us in anyway after I presented my recently-purchased Texas State Park annual pass.  In any case, we did not spend much time here.  The falls along Pedernales River were not boisterous given the lack of water flow, and we did not feel inspired to explore the river bedrock beyond the tourist viewpoints.  Before leaving, we drove to the south end of the park near the main entrance and thrashed through some light bush to tag the park's viewless high point since it is listed on peakbagger.com.  One of the posters in peakbagger.com even mentions that the high point is known as "Lone Mountain" by locals.
Meh. Pedernales Falls are relatively quiet on this day.  For a comparison, check out this video of the falls on 8 May 2019.
There's a "summit" somewhere in there? Zosia points to the high point of Pedernales Falls State Park somewhere on the bushy rise behind her.
Yeah, whatever! Sonny and Zosia huddle under a tree on the presumed summit of unofficially-named Lone Mountain (374 metres), the high point of Pedernales Falls State Park.
No, he's not dead; he's pining for the fjords!

A yellow warbler appears to have died of boredom at Pedernales Falls State Park.
From there, Zosia and I drove to Ingram, Texas to check out Stonehenge II, an imitation of the real Stonehenge in Salisbury, England.  This site would be in the path of maximum totality for the upcoming total solar eclipse, and being in a public space with no reservation requirements, Stonehenge II was very high on my list of potential eclipse viewing sites.  However, the weather forecast for Ingram did not look promising at this point, and coupled with the knowledge that it would be a circus here with heavy traffic on eclipse day, we both felt it was prudent to abandon the idea of watching the eclipse from Stonehenge II.  In any event, we enjoyed a short tour of the site as well as the nearby Hill Country Arts Foundation visitor centre.

Not the real Stonehenge...duh!

Zosia stands in front of Stonehenge II in Ingram, Texas.

 

Seems legit... Sonny tickles the chin of a fake moai at the same location as Stonehenge II.

Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
That's some bad hat, Harry! Zosia sizes up yet another fake moai at Stonehenge II.
Meow! Sonny hangs out with a "cool cat" inside the Hill Country Arts Foundation visitor centre.
Too bad we would not be viewing the eclipse from here! Inside the visitor centre hangs this quilt made in anticipation of the upcoming total solar eclipse over Stonehenge II.

Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
Our third destination of the day was Garner State Park located west of San Antonio, Texas.  This park was another potential eclipse viewing site I had in mind, but by now, Zosia and I had no illusions of getting into any Texas State Park on eclipse day.  Untroubled, we enjoyed a nice loop hike starting from a parking lot (29.58227, -99.73327) near the park store.  We first climbed Old Baldy, a prominent summit overlooking Frio River, and from there, we followed Foshee Trail to the northwest to connect with Bridges Trail and subsequently Crystal Cave Trail.  After a short detour into Crystal Cave, we dropped down to the main road and crossed it to hike Madrone Walkway back to our car (pedestrians are forbidden from walking along the road).  As a bonus, we were able to enjoy a free shower after our hike at the nearby campground before exiting the park.
Feels hot today for a change! Zosia begins her hike through a campground in Garner State Park.  Visible behind the trees in the background is Old Baldy.
Pleasant hiking here! Zosia follows a good trail up Old Baldy.
Doesn't seem very high above the campground... Partway up Old Baldy is this nice viewpoint overlooking the campground.
Always nice to see blooming cacti! Cacti are blooming on Old Baldy.
World's largest summit cairn? Zosia stands on the summit of Old Baldy (566 metres).

Good day to go for a swim!

Below the summit, Zosia gets a comprehensive view of Frio River.

 

The yellow rose of Texas? Zosia finds more blooming cacti on Old Baldy.
Looks ancient like Hadrian's Wall... Zosia passes an old rock wall while walking along Foshee Trail.
Not bad for vertically-challenged central Texas! Here is a look back at Old Baldy from Bridges Trail.
Hardly The Cave of Caerbannog! Zosia peers into Crystal Cave.
Probably don't even need a head lamp for this one! Zosia carefully enters Crystal Cave.
She actually spotted some creepy bugs! Zosia tries to spot the quartz crystals from which the cave derives its name.

Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
Has the hallmarks of grander parks elsewhere but is charming in its own small way. Total Distance:  4.9 kilometres
Round-Trip Time:  2 hours 38 minutes
Cumulative Elevation Gain:  183 metres

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