Twin Falls and Sculpture Falls Hike

I will attempt to update this page on a regular basis on the water conditions, but if you happen to visit Twin Falls after the date listed above, please share the love and use the comment space below or email Annemarie at bloggeradmin@austintop50.com with an update on the creek conditions!  

This has to be one of my favorite hikes in all of Austin.  It is minutes from downtown, and yet, hiking along the Barton Creek Greenbelt, you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere!

Barking Springs

Ahhh - the first day of summer vacation.  There is no better day in the year :o)

One of the first things the boys asked me this morning is where we were going.  Well, we had a lot of things to do to get ready for summer:  empty and store school backpacks (woot!!), find this year's pair of water shoes, buy $40 of sun block , pack the summer bag.  All of those typical first day of summer chores...  So, we didn't get on the road until almost noon.  Since we wanted to be back in time to catch some of the UT game, we decided to keep it close.

The boys picked Barking Springs, an old favorite.

Dinosaur Tracks in Leander

River Update 5/29/16:  According to a visitor below, the tracks are hard to get to due to slippery rocks and under water right now. But because the water is clear, the tracks are visible.

If you've been to the tracks recently, please leave a comment below and let us know if the tracks are underwater with all the rain!  Thx!

Also, big thank you to Wes for leaving the GPS coordinates in the comments below.

About a half mile west from the 183 bridge that crosses the South Fork of the San Gabriel River is a truly amazing sight!  Approximately 12 (maybe 11) dinosaur footprints are embedded in the rock of the river bed.  

If you haven't taken the time to hike down there, they are really worth seeing!

There is something amazing about looking down and seeing a trail of dinosaur footprints that are over 100 million years old!  

At this site there are no fences, no signs, nothing but a trail of prints on a dry riverbed.  

You can walk alongside them and get a feel for the large size of the dino that walked there before you. 

Based on the shape of the three toed prints, scientists believe they may have belonged to a carnivore called the Acrocanthosaurus. There are also supposed to be some Brontosaur tracks closer to the bridge.  These prints are supposed to look like big circles... but I have never been able to find them.  

Regardless, it is a nice hike on the river bed. Although there isn't a whole lot of water in the river these days, there is still enough for frogs and fish and all sorts of creatures to enjoy.

Tips and Thoughts

* Although there are no fences or signs prohibiting access, please do not step into the dino tracks or they will deteriorate over time, and our next generation will not be able to enjoy them!

* To find these prints, go to Google maps and search for where the South San Gabriel River crosses 183 a little north of Leander. You can also use the approximate address: 601 S Gabriel Dr, Leander, TX 78641.  This will take you to the parking spot (not the dino tracks!)

*To access the prints, you can park right off of 183.  There appears to be two parking areas on the south side of the bridge: you can either park in a small grassy lot in front of a fenced off electrical maintenance area on the south east corner.  There is a path down to the river between 183 and the electrical maintenance area. Or it looks like you can park in the median just south of the river, between the north and south bound road in 183.  Access to the river seems very easy here as well.

* Once you are on the river bed, head west.  The tracks are about (and this is a rough estimate) a half mile west of 183.  When looking back, if you can still see the 183 bridge, you have not gone far enough.  The tracks are on the left hand side of the riverbank.  

* This is a river bed... if it ever rains in Texas again, the river could potentially fill and the tracks would be unavailable.  I'm not convinced we will ever be out a drought, but it could happen.  So keep this in mind!  Note added 1/15/2015: I took my father over the Christmas break.  There was water in the river, but the tracks were on a higher ledge and they were dry. It would have to be a lot of recent rain, I think, to cover these tracks.

* This is not a park, nor a formal location.  This is just a random spot in the river.  So don't look for any signs, expect any restrooms or depend on any water fountains.  But the river is state land, so access is permitted along the river bed.

If you visit and have some additional information to provide, please feel free to leave a comment!

Solar Car Racing at Circuit of the Americas

Formula Sun Grand Prix

What: See solar cars compete head-to-head on the race track!
Where: 9201 Circuit of the Americas Blvd. Austin, TX, 78617
When: July 19th, 9 AM - 5 PM
Who can come: You! This event is free and open to the public.

23 universities are participating, 22 of which are using solar panels made by SunPower, one of the main event sponsors. Students built and will race the cars.

Join us at Circuit of the Americas and keep an eye out for the SunPower table, where Circular Energy will be sharing information about solar and signing up homeowners for solar assessments with a design consultant.

 

Our visit in 2013!!

A really fun event is occurring at the Circuit of the Americas tomorrow: the Formula Sun Grand Prix 2013 and the best part is that public entry is free!

The race - or rayce - as they call it ;o) consists of three 8 hour racing days. The objective is for the teams to complete the most laps within that time period.  The cars charge up their batteries the afternoon before and then run the entire next day on the batteries, as well as any other solar energy they soak up while racing.

Universities and colleges have sponsored teams for the last year to completely design, build and test their prototypes.  And it all culminates in these three days of racing.

According to the webpage, the last two days have been open for public viewing but we had to show the webpage to the security guard and have him talk to his manager before we were allowed in!  They were all very friendly and nice, but we were obviously the first spectators to come!

The cars take around 5 minutes to traverse the entire 3.4 mile track, and there are a maximum of ten cars entered into the race.

Although we went today, the big public viewing day is tomorrow from 9am - 5pm.  

There will be displays and talks about alternative energy as well as a workshop where kids can build a model solar car. 

The teams will be available to answer questions and for autographs!  These are a bunch of college kids, so they are really fun and easy to talk to!

It was really neat to see the various designs of solar cars and to cheer when the UT car went by!  

Here are some of the things we learned:

* An average solar car can run for around 120 miles on just a battery charge, and around 200 miles if it is running in the sun.  

* The maximum speed allowed for the cars is 65 mph, though most cars were going much slower.  The whole project is a balance of energy usage! 

*Teams run from around 15 persons to as large as 100, though most of these teams seemed around the 15-20 person mark.

*Yesterdays winning car completed a total of 66 laps or 224 miles!

Even if you aren't all that into cars, this is a really fun race to see.  

And a great opportunity to see the Circuit of the Americas at its lowest cost: free! 

Although we didn't make it up there, they do offer tower tours for $15 per adult, and $12.50 per child, which sounds like a lot of fun, and a great view!

Check it out!!

Goat Cave Karst Preserve

I have heard about Goat Cave many times, but have never made it over to explore.  

Today, we were looking for an interesting geocache and this place met all the criteria - fun, not too long of a hike, different and near ice cream ;o)


The Goat Cave Karst Preserve trailhead is located along the side of Deer Lane (off of Brodie).  

There is no special parking lot, so just park on the side of the road!

There are some informational signs at the beginning of the trailhead explaining what karst is, how these caves formed, and what wildlife you might see in the area.

The hike is very short (about .15 miles) and has three points of interest.  

The first point of interest, located only steps down the path, is the Wade Sinkhole.  

For us, this was by far the most fun as exploration is allowed here!

The boys and I climbed down into the sinkhole to look around, but the dark and the huge number of daddy long legs encouraged us not to delve much deeper. 

We used flashlights to take a deep look into the sinkhole, which goes back quite a ways!  

The second point of interest is a bit further down the path - called Hideout. 

This one is only open to exploration by wildlife (and teenage boys don't count!)  

It did not appear to go back so far, but that may be because the entrance was intentionally blocked from exploration by some large rocks. 


It was still cool to look at! :o)

The namesake of this trail, Goat cave is a less than 15 minute hike from the road. 

Unfortunately, it is surrounded by a chainlink fence.  So there isn't much to see :o(

I believe the point of the fence is two fold:  first, to protect its native bat population, and second, because apparently the entrance to this cave is dangerous as it open to a 28 foot vertical drop!


In addition to the fun caves, there was still a lot to see in this small nature preserve.  We saw a red shoulder hawk roosting in the treetops, and watched a common garter snake slither its way into the Wade sinkhole.  

The trails goes through fields of wildflowers.  We were a little late in the season, so we saw more seeds than blooms, but I'm betting a month early this field was breathtaking!


If you have a short amount of time, don't feel like walking very far, or have boys that love climbing in and around dark places, this is a great place to go!

Tips and Thoughts
* The mosquitoes were pretty bad around the sinkhold, so bring some bug spray!

* Definitely bring a flashlight or two.  It is really adds to the exploration!

* No dogs are allowed on this preserve, so leave Fido at home!

* The signs indicate that there is a bat population in Goat Cave, so it might be fun to head here around dusk, to seem them emerge!

Veloway

The Veloway, located in South Austin, is a 3.1 mile paved pathway that is only available to bikers and roller bladers.  The path is 23 feet wide - about the width of a two lane road.  This makes it absolutely perfect for children who have just learned to ride a bike.  It is also perfect for adults who have just gotten clips for the first time!

My son, who has been riding his bike for awhile, recently was in a nasty bike accident.  He pulled out onto a street without looking and only then noticed a truck barreling down toward him.  I believe it was the grace of God that threw him off his bike.  The bike was run over and destroyed, but he walked away with minor scraps and bruises. 

However, since then he has been very afraid to get back on a bike again. 

The Veloway was the perfect answer.  He could ride the wide trail without any fear of traffic - get his bike legs back, so to speak.  We could go as slow as he wanted.

The morning we went riding, he was full of tears and fears, but was willing to give it a try.  We put him on his new bike, safely strapped his helmet to his head and got him back on the saddle.  I sent my older son ahead, so I could concentrate on working with K.  No more than 50 feet into the Veloway, K looks back at me and says, "Mom, can't we go any faster???"  and pulled away.  That is the beauty of the veloway :o)

Tips and Thoughts
* Walkers are not allowed on the Veloway.  So if this is your child's very first time riding a bike, you should probably start elsewhere.  Many people will recommend an empty parking lot, like a school during off hours.  My sister, mother of seven and an amazing font of wisdom, recommended starting on a slight grassy hill.  The hill helps them move forward and the grass breaks the fall.  It worked for both of my boys!  Once your child is able to bike around a parking lot, the Veloway is perfect.

* The Veloway is also used by serious bikers training for races.  Most of the bikers understand that we all started out slow on the bike.  Some, well... you know.  Stick to the right (inside of the track) and you should be okay!

* The path is a 3 mile loop.  Around mile two there is a difficult hill for beginning bikers.  However, there are two turnoffs earlier on the loop that shorten the path to 1 and 2 miles. The one mile loop is perfect for beginners.  There is one slight hill, but it is right when you return to the parking lot.

* Bring lots of water.  There is a water fountain on the premises that usually works.  You can buy a bike water carrier for just a few bucks, and it is a worthwhile investment for anyone thinking about biking in Texas!

Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve

Wild Basin Preserve, located off of 360, was founded in 1974 by seven women interested in saving the area as a natural preserve and a nature laboratory.  Its 227 acres wind through typical Texas Hill Country with trails that cross over Bee Creek.

There are 2.5 miles worth of trail in the preserve that are open from sunrise to sunset.  Bikes and pets are not allowed.

The Easy Access trail has 20 natural highlights to check out.  A trail guide identifies typical Texas foliage and rock formations.  Past the Easy Access Trail is the Waterfall trail.  Less than a mile from the parking lot, the trail leads to a secluded pond with a 15 foot waterfall.
Also along the trails are two scenic overlooks that give a great view of the wooded valley with a glimpse of downtown in the background.

One word of note:  This is not a creek crawl hike.  My boys were disappointed, as they had suited up in bathing suits and had all of their frog catching apparatus... only to find very little actual access to the creek.  Much of the natural area was roped off, and the little that was available was pretty minimal. 

However, as a hike, the views are amazing and the small waterfall charming.  I would highly recommend this hike for a cool fall day, or early spring.  Though in the middle of summer, it was pretty hot!

Tips and Thoughts

* Bring lots of water as there is no water available on site

* The preserve has many organized activities including full moon hikes, astronomy nights and guided tour hikes.  Check out their calendar for more details

* There are notes in the parking area recommending you not leave any valuables.  We have visited this place multiple times and never had any problem, but you might want to clear your car of any valuables before you head here for the day

* While the preserve is free, donations are suggested in the amount of $3 per person

Volunteer - at the Capital Area Food Bank

Summer is more than half way over, you've hit all of the regular places, and the kids are so bored they fight with each other just to make some entertainment. 

It's one hundred degrees outside and even the swimming pools seem too hot.

Now is the perfect time to teach your family the value of volunteering!  Let's face it, we all want to teach our kids the value of helping others. But during the year, this can be difficult, as schedules are so much tighter.  Summer is the perfect time to take advantage of excess time!  So make some time during this summer to help out with a local volunteer organization. 

We have helped out numerous times at the Capital Are Food Bank.  With a group of friends it can be a surprising amount of fun!  Slots are available in three hour increments. You can drop in on one of their open volunteer days or schedule ahead if you have a group.  Their calendar has a list of available times.  In the past, we have sorted bread and bakery product, canned goods and a variety of other tasks that help the Food Bank to collect and distribute food. 

At the end of our session, we told the boys that many other kids were home playing video games.  We were then going to explain that while sorting cans may not be as fun as video games, it helped a lot of people in need.  Instead, the boys all said that Yep, this was more fun than video games... Oh well, there goes that speech ;o)  Not only did they learn the value of volunteering, they learned that it can also be a lot of fun!

Tips and Thoughts
* All volunteers must be 8 years or older

* Volunteers must wear closed toe shoes

Camp Ben McCulloch

Camp Ben McCulloch, located in Driftwood, was established in 1896 as a reunion camp for Confederate Soldiers. It hosted the last reunion in 1946. 

These days, it is probably best known for hosting the Old Settler's Music Festival in April. 

However, it is also a great way to spend a morning or afternoon for any child that loves to creek crawl!

This campground is open to the public and free for day use.  Tent camping is $15 per night and RVs are slightly more.

While the grounds are not the most up to date, they do include gorgeous old trees, a playground and a very nice pavilion for large groups (available for rent).

But the highlight of the place runs through the back of the camp - a beautiful section of Onion Creek.
 

We have been here many times throughout the years.  During times of high drought, the river is completely dry, but most of the time, there is at least some water running.  Maybe not enough to swim in, but enough to collect frogs and tad poles and definitely get your feet wet. 

During a wet season, there has been enough water to tube the entire length of the river! 

This year, coming out of high draught, there was enough water to swim in areas and wade in others.  In the deepest section of the river, there is a rope swing.  Both boys decided to give it a try, though it probably would be safer in slightly deeper water.

The boys spent a wonderful couple of hours exploring the river!  They captured frogs and chased lizards.  They used the containers we brought along to collect fish.

And at multiple points down the river, they used all the available rocks to divert the water flow with dams and waterfalls!

Tips and Thoughts

* Defintely suit up for this one.  Although only parts of the river are deep enough to swim, almost any child who comes here is going to get very wet!

* Bring water shoes as you will spend a lot of time climbing over rocks

* There are restrooms on site, but no vendors.  Bring a picnic lunch and some extra water... or head across the street to the Salt Lick for a yummy barbecue lunch!

* My boys loved having their goggles so they could spy on the fish and get close up looks in every crook and cranny!

 

* During times of heavy rain, bring a tube and float down the river!

Zilker Metropolitan Park

Zilker Park, located in downtown Austin, is Austin's central park.  This is the location of many of Austin's outdoor events.  In the spring it hosts the Zilker Kite Festival, in the fall is ACL Musicfest, in the winter is the Zilker Trail of Lights (returning this year, whoo hoo!), and the summer hosts Blues on the Green and the Zilker Hillside Theater production (this year playing Sound of Music).

However, even with no event going on, this park is a great place to hang out and have fun.  Nestled between Town Lake to the north and Barton Springs to the south, there is a plethora of things to keep a family busy.

The south side of Zilker Park has large flat fields that are perfect for a pick-up game of soccer or ultimate, or to settle down for a nice picnic. 

My kids just wanted to take their shoes off and run on the soft green grass :o) 

There is also "rock island" located smack dab in the middle that is perfect for climbing on and around! 

On the very north side of the park the Town Lake trail runs through the park; a ten mile long trail that loops around Lady Bird Lake (mostly loops, hopefully with some cash, it will soon completely loop). 

Barton Springs Road traverses the middle of the park.  Across the street is a large playground, with an old style fire engine, lots of playscape to appeal to all ages of kids.  

A newer section contains musical instruments that children can pound on. 


Running through the whole park is the Zilker Zephyr, a miniature train that rides arounds the perimeter of the park and under two tunnels, perfect for the younger crowd.

Of course, the entrance to the famous Barton Springs swimming pool is located in the park - a wonderful experience you can read more about here.

Outside of the Pool is the free Splash Exhibit, an interactive display about the Edwards Aquifer.  If you have the time, a quick duck inside this free display will be both informative and fun!

Nestled between the Zliker Zephyr, Barton Springs and the playground is the "Zilker Cafe" a nice little snack stand, perfect for getting a cool treat on a hot day.  There are outside seats available to enjoy your snack while watching the pool.

They also sell duck and pigeon food here.  I'd have to say, the $1.75 we spent on pigeon food was probably the best entertainment dollars we have spent in a long time! 

Sprinkle a small bit of seed for the lone pigeon flying in your area, and you will suddenly be surrounded by hundreds of birds. 

Two bags kept my boys entertained for at least a half hour!

Also located in the park is the less famous "Barking Springs".  Just downstream of Barton Springs, the fence line ends and the waters from Barton Springs pour out from the pool and return to the river. 

This small area is perfect for those four legged creatures uninvited to the main pool.

It is also perfect for kids who love to play in the cascading water, and adults who want a slightly less "formal" experience than Barton Springs.  There is no signed entrance to this area, but it can be found just southeast of the Zilker playground.

Slightly further downstream from Barking Springs is the Zilker Park Boat Rentals, a great place to rent a kayak or canoe and get a whole different perspective of the lake!

Also located in Zilker Park is a 9 hole disc golf course.  Disc golf is a game very similar to golf, only use use frisbees and throw them into wire baskets, instead of a ball and club.  You can use any frisbeen, but for a few dollars you can pick up true "disc golf dics" that are easier to throw and direct.

Finally, in the most southwestern part of the park is the start of the Barton Spring Greenbelt trail, a 8 mile trail that runs into South Austin.

Regardless of your age, ability or even number of legs, Zilker Park will certainly have something for you!

Texas Military Forces Museum

While I am all about peace ,love and happiness, my youngest son is going through a stage (let's hope it is a stage), where his interest is war. 

And the Texas Military Forces museum in Camp Mabry is perfect for anyone mesmerized by tanks, guns or battles!

The main exhibit hall contains a variety of tanks, helicopters, planes and more that were used by Texas forces throughout history.  Some of the tanks are still running and are used in reenactments today.

The back hall contains a number of battle scene dioramas, including the Alamo.  It also has various uniforms, canons and other military stuff. There is a jet cockpit the kids can climb into, military uniforms they can try on, and information regarding some of the more recent Texas military involvements.

There is currently a temporary exhibit running through July 15th that is worth checking out.  The artist has rolled up paper for every loss of life in the War on Terror.  It is an unusual and notable memorial for our brave soldiers.



And if that wasn't enough for a battle loving boy, on the grounds of Mabry are a collection of more tanks, helicopters and jets that you can walk through!

Tips and Thoughts

The museum is only open Wednesday through Saturday

To enter Camp Mabry, you need to show an id when entering.  It is very simple to get on base, just pull into the visitor lane, show the man your idea, get directions and move on!

The museum often has group tours with helpful guides providing more information