Brushy Creek Lake Park (Cedar Park, TX) – November 2021

 These pictures were taken the following day from what you just say.  Notice how different the sky looks.  The main Brushy Creek Trail has a particular path which I usually follow, but there’s also a portion which goes down by the lake.  On this visit I decided to venture along the trails which kept me close to the water’s edge, as I wanted to see something different.  The wind was calm today, as you could tell by the reflection on the water.  There were some birds in the vicinity which I took some pictures of, but I stayed back a bit as not to scare them away.

Brushy Creek Trail (Cedar Park, TX) – November 2021

 This was another place I’ve been to so many times I’ve lost count.  I had a couple different walking partners, and this was a pretty central place to meet (plus it was easy to get to).  The day was partially sunny on this trip, so I headed along some of the side trails in hopes to be able to get some foliage pictures.  Okay, I got a couple, but not as many as I wanted.  Still it shows you should go off the beaten path sometimes to see different things.

Great Hills Trail (Austin, TX) – November 2021

I’ve been on this trail many times, as it’s located close to the house.  It makes a nice place to for a walk in the woods, in the middle of urban sprawl (and one that I can walk a reasonable distance to the trail-head).  As I’ve noted before, the trail is Y-shaped with each end being an entrance.  The side I come in on requires me to cross the water no less than six times before I even get to the crossroads.  The rest of the spurs only have one water-crossing on each side.  Honestly, I like the portions better without the water-crossings, as I can get into a nice walking groove without having to jump from slippery rock to slippery rock.

Primrose Trail at Spicewood (Austin, TX) – November 2021

 Getting out for an afternoon hike, I decided to go back to this place near the old neighborhood.  The most noticeable trail access point was by the intersection of Scotland Well Drive and Spicewood Springs Road (thus this was also known as the “Spicewood Valley Trail”).  The place where I entered was off of Evening Primrose Path, because there was a lot better parking over there.  Yeah, when you do the trail you’re going downhill to start with, but that’s fine.  I like it because it’s closer to the great house I had near there, until I was driven out by one of the local Austin megachurches for not being a member of said church (which is a longer story for here).

 Starting the trail at Primrose allows one to “go north” to a less-known portion of the trail where there’s a nice rock face.  Beyond that, there wasn’t much difference on this than other times I’d been on it.  I did encounter someone who was new of the trail (and the area), and we spent a lot of time chatting, as I provided a lot of information about trails in the area.  When on the trail, be open to conversation with friendly strangers.  It’s always fun to share an experience, and to pass along knowledge.

 

St. Edwards Park (Austin, TX) – August 2021

 Yeah there’s a big time jump here because I wasn’t taking pictures of the “same ole places” where I’d been going, or not seeing as many interesting things to take pictures of.  But I had an opportunity to venture back to St Edwards Park midweek, when it wasn’t so crowded (as it normally was on the weekends).  I pretty much stuck to the main trails which paralleled the stream, as the sound of running water was infinitely more soothing.  I enjoyed seeing the small and medium waterfalls, and the bubbling of the shallow streams.  No, it wasn’t anything new, but it was still nice to see that beauty.

Latta Branch and Dick Nichols Park (Austin, TX) – December 2020

 Down in the southwest side of Austin, below the Mopac—290 exchange are two small neighborhood parks pretty much across the road from each other.  I was able to do both of these in morning before lunch.  Latta Branch has some sparse tree cover on sections parallel the main trail.  This winds behind some neighborhoods, and was generally a pretty quiet and easy walk.  It ends at a small office park with notes that it continues on the other side of the road.  I explored that area, and wasn’t able to find any continuation of the trail.  On the way back to the car (which was simply parked on the street), I took some side trails parallel to the main ones.  These were less-traveled and not as well maintained, as there was some garbage and a burned out car back there.

 

Across the main drag (Beckett Road) was Dick Nichols District Park, which was a huge open area with a main trail which circled around the perimeter.  This was also an easy walk on the gravel path, but not much to look at because this was a manicured municipal space.  There were a couple small side trails, which was where I located the rattlesnake signs.  Dick Nichols backs up against Mopac, and the trail continued on the other side.  According to the image I had from Google Maps, there was a major spur which would go south to a place called “Deer Park at Maple Run.”  I was never able to get there, as when I went under Mopac I encountered a gang hideout and was able to back out with a minimum of fuss.  Unlike the aforementioned rattlesnakes, Austin’s gang population they are aggressive and not important members of the natural community.  Honestly, I’d rather encounter a rattlesnake.