Forest Bluff of East Brushy Creek (Round Rock, TX) – August 2020

 For this trip, as part of the Georgetown Running Club’s 2020 Summer Tour, I went over to a place near where I used to live.  Sure it wasn’t a new trail to me, but it had been a couple years since I’d been this way, so it felt new.  I didn’t recall seeing the Bigfoot crossing sign the last time I was out this way, and never recalled seeing any bipedal non-humans in previous years here.  I don’t know if this trail has a specific name.  There’s an access point at Joe B. Freeman Park (off of Forest Ridge Blvd), and another near the Forest Grove HOA Park.  There’s a neighborhood here called Forest Bluff, thus I always called the trail that way.

 The trail started out being tree-lined, so it provided a nice bit of shade as you went west following Brushy Creek.  When it gets near the access point for the Lake Forest HOA Park, the trail opens up and becomes less-shady.  To continue west on the trail you have to go along the bridge on Kenney Fort Blvd, and there it really opens up.  Eventually the trail takes you to the Play For All Abilities Park, which was off A.W. Grimes Blvd.  I crossed Grimes to take a picture of the how the trail continued west, and did a 180 and headed back the way I came.

Link Falls at Bull Creek (Austin, TX) – August 2020

Part of the fun of doing the Georgetown Running Club’s 2020 Summer Tour was going to place I hadn’t been before and seeing new things.  I’d started exploring the area around Bull Creek, once I found the “secret entrance” which brought me to the hidden parking space.  The large gorge at the beginning of the trail-head was interesting to see, and I tried to imagine what it looked like when we’d had those massive rainstorms which would’ve filled the area.

I went further down the trail, after I had to climb some rocks to get down to it.  I hadn’t expected that, but it was fun.  After that, the trail paralleled the creek.  I followed that for a bit, found a spot to cross over, and then came back on the other side.  There were a lot of side trails, and some other access points, so I knew it would take me a few more trips to fully explore this region.

 

Trailhead Park (Austin, TX) – August 2020

 I’d been here back in June 2020 as a new place I’d been to as part of the Georgetown Running Club’s 2020 Summer Tour.  This was a return visit, and I was showing the trails to one of my friends (who’d never been here before).  While the main trail was a “J” shape, I’d figured out how some of the side trails went.  Thus the plan was to go on the less-traveled routes which would bring up to the smaller portion of the “J” so it would be an easy straight shot on the way out.

 The less-travelled paths were far more interesting.  The trail had a lot of tree cover which made it shady, but it also kept the breeze from coming (so we felt the humidity).  It was only when we reached the smaller portion of the “J” did it open up.  The trail loops back here because there’s really nothing beyond it.  Most of the trees are covered with vines and some have spider webs.  I’d commented that I was waiting for the giant spider from “Lord of the Rings” to come and attack us.  The section where the vines and branches draped over the trail (making a short tunnel) was very interesting.