Exploring the Pedernales River

After exploring Hamilton Pool, we decided to make the hike down to the Pedernales River. It was a HOT day, and the trail was narrow and rocky. I thought for sure that the kids would whine and complain every step of the way, but luckily there were enough intersting things along the trail for them to get excited about.

 

 

 

Along the way, we discovered more lush vegetation, searched for the elusive Golden-Cheeked Warbler (that's a bird for you non-nerd types), we pointed out monocots and dicots, compared nectar guides on flowers and climbed a lot of rocks. Just as the kids were starting to lose interest in all the nature talk, we saw the river in the distance.

 

  

Squeals and giggles soon followed, and after jumping into the refreshing water, we all agreed that the long, hot hike was worth every step! The water wasn't freezing like we expected, it was just right.

 

 

It was late in the day, all of the rowdy crowd had already crawled back up the hill and headed home, so we had the run of the place. We explored a bit and built a pretty sweet water slide out of some large, flat rocks. We did some lounging, some diving for treasure (rocks) and even followed a frog for awhile. Mostly we relaxed, talked and enjoyed being together in a cool new place.

 

 

This was totally my kind of vacation...learning new things, exploring new places, no long lines or expensive amusements. Go ahead and ask me if I missed going to Disney World this summer.