:: Austin Outdoors

Chisos and Me at Turkey Bend

The ‘hood went camping last weekend to celebrate Suzanne’s birthday. We occupied the tip of the peninsula of Turkey Bend. Lake Travis is about 30 feet below where it was the last time we were there. Nonetheless, the dogs found the water much to their liking. They frolicked in it for hours. We watched them play, played washers and horseshoes, and dodged the rain as best we could.
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Tags: camping, campsite views, children, dogs, jeff, jeff's dog chisos, Jeff's Friends, lake travis, lakes, turkey bend

Just a couple of photos from yesterday afternoon’s romp in Zilker Park, including some time beside the Barton Springs pool spillway. Chisos played with the other dogs, splashed around in the water chasing tennis balls, and even went swimming.

Chisos Goes Swimming, TX09-0705-0040J, Austin, Texas | Chisos Wading in Barton Creek, TX09-0705-0041J, Austin, Texas | ©2009 Jeff Blaylock

Tags: barton creek, creeks, jeff's dog chisos, reflections, water

On Sunday, I took advantage of the nice weather (sunny, breezy, upper 60s) and hiked a couple of trails in nearby Buescher and Bastrop State Parks. Both parks preserve some of the so-called “Lost Pines,” the westernmost stands of loblolly pines more typical of East Texas’ Piney Woods. Here among the expected trees and scrub of the Post Oak Savannah, the towering pines are a surprise, but well known to folks who pass through Bastrop and Smithville.
Buescher State Park is the lesser visited of the two parks. Naturally, it was my focus. I arrived around 10:15am as the clouds departed, leaving bright sunshine and cool breezes. Most of the park’s facilities surround an unremarkable 25-acre lake. Most of the park’s land is north, and west, of this area and is bisected by a single hiking trail, unimaginatively yet appropriately named the “Hiking Trail.”

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It’s been a hectic couple of weeks here in April, as work has been a steady rush and I’ve been camping the last two weekends. This past weekend was Chisos’ first time to go camping. We joined the neighbors and other friends for a lazy weekend at Grelle Recreation Area, a Lower Colorado River Authority park on the south shore of Lake Travis, about an hour away. The week before that, I camped at Palmetto State Park and attended a gathering of Big Bend enthusiasts in San Antonio.
Chisos did really well for her first time camping. She spent most of her time playing with the four other dogs and five children, occasionally checking in with the adults. A couple of times, she wandered too far away and didn’t return when called, so she spent a fair amount of time tethered to a mesquite tree to keep her out of trouble. She got many a burr stuck in her long fur from running around. She went swimming for the first time, and spent two long sessions splashing around in the lake and rolling around in the shoreline mud.

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This is the kind of weekend that Austin is all about. Most of it was spent in the company of my neighbors and friends, and the portion that was not was spent getting ready for a cookout for the neighbors at my place. We gathered at Walter and Suzanne’s driveway for beverages and talked about the local real estate market. One of the houses a few streets over is for sale; the owners are asking nearly $400K for it. We all hope they get it. Other houses are selling for considerably higher prices than they would have been when I bought almost two years ago. It was also a celebration of sorts, for baby Kennedy had gotten her ears pierced and was sporting her first bling.
Saturday was the JB (no relation) & Sandy Beach Party at Carlos and Charlie’s on Lake Travis. It’s an annual concert featuring a variety of folks whose music must play on JB & Sandy’s radio station, which I don’t listen to. Anyway, the concert was little more than an excuse to tie a couple of pontoon boats and floating toys to the jetties for the day. A football was thrown around, some of the guys played King of the World with the big float, burgers and brats were thrown on the grill, and, at times, some live music was playing from the stage onshore. It was unmemorable music, but, then again, the concert was just an excuse to get everyone together. The other Jeff brought his dog Saku, whose life vest came complete with a luggage handle, and he swam most of the day. The sun set, and eventually we headed back across the lake to the marina.
Today, I hosted a cookout for the neighborhood. I grilled shrimp, beef kabobs, and beer-boiled potatoes. Salad and cookies bookended the main course. The sounds of KVET filled the house and patio, and the Spurs game silently followed the NASCAR race in high-definition. I meant for us to watch the last Sopranos episode, but time slipped by us, so we’ll have to watch the sudden non-ending ending another time. Steph brought all the photos she’d taken at the lake yesterday, playing them in a looped slide show on a laptop.
I’ll close this 300th blog entry by saying, we’re glad to be here in our friendly little neighborhood in the live music capital of the world.

The last couple of weekends, I’ve found some time to visit a couple of Central Texas’ outdoor recreation gems and spend an afternoon on a refilled Lake Travis. Last weekend, I drove out to the Doeskin Ranch area of Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is a scattering of protected lands within the ranchlands of the Hill Country, located in Burnet County south of FM 1431. Several miles of loop trails explore the recovering native prairie, pond, Doeskin Branch of Cow Creek, a small waterfall and restful pool, and the balcones which give the area its name.
Mute evidence of the ranching past of the area is everywhere, from a ruined corn crib to numerous fences, gates, rock walls, and corrals. Though there was cattle being run here as recently as 1992, most of the remaining structures are much, much older, dating back to the late 1800s. Not much is known of these ranchers, except that the going must have been tough. Recent rains fed Doeskin Branch, but it is intermittent, and potentially unreliable as a water source.
The refuge protects valuable habitat for the endangered golden-cheeked warbler and a rest area for migrating monarch butterflies. There were a few wildflowers blooming in the refuge, but the best of the fading blooms were found alongside the highway on the return trip.

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Some neighbors, friends, and I spent the weekend camping at Turkey Bend Recreation Area on the northern shore of Lake Travis. For many of my neighbors, it was the first camping trip of the year, and it was the first camping trip ever for baby Kennedy, my across-the-street neighbors’ infant daughter. She had a blast, enjoying the new sights and sounds, flirting with the guys, and playing with her toys.
About 20 folks ended up spending some time on a peninsula jutting out into Lake Travis, which surrounded our campsite on three sides. The fourth side was a field of beautiful bluebonnets. A couple of folks brought boats, so we got to spend some time on the lake, although the clouds and strong winds kept us mostly on land.

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