Tuesday, May 7, 2013

McKinney Falls State Park

Stop # 4 on our 2013 summer tour was McKinney Falls State Park in the southeast corner of Austin, Texas.
 
We had visited this park last year at about the same time of year and were eager to return.                 
 



We found two lovely campsites close together so Willis, Rebecca and Blayde were our backdoor neighbors for a week.
 











The park is named for the two picturesque
waterfalls on Onion Creek that lie within its territory.








 
The Upper Falls cascades down into a quiet little pool below the path and overlooking rock cliffs and then gently trickles on down toward its destination.
 
 








We discovered that this is National Wildflower week, and the entire park seemed to be celebrating.



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The beauty of the open fields was beyond description as we hiked from one falls to the other.  Words cannot describe the glorious colors and varieties of wildflowers we saw as we walked..
  

 

Indian Blankets
 
Rain Lily
 
Pink Evening Primrose

Lantana
 
Prickly Pear Cactus Flower
 
Bluebonnets
 
Wild Onion
We felt drunk with color and aroma by the time we reached our destination, the Lower Falls.
 

Lower Falls
Oh, and a PS: on our way to McKinney Falls State Park, we experienced a unique "Texas thang" which was new to us.  We stopped for lunch at Buc-ee's, a Texas chain of enormous "convenience stores" that stock everything from tee shirts to fresh fruit and sugar-free candy to outdoor barbeque grills.  But they have no "sit down to eat" area.  So we picnicked out in the parking lot between our two rigs!
 See ya' again around stop #5!