Of course we wouldn't be satisfied with that view from afar. So we headed down to the rocky river bed for closer views of the falls that string along this section of the Pedernales River.
Parts of this hike involved jumping over water to get to the next rocky outcrop. Denisa caught Mark in mid-air as he made this jump.
Visitors aren't allowed in the water of this three-mile section of the river because of the turbulent water. We thought that might be a new rule, but the ranger said it had been in place since the 1970's.
With temperatures 15 degrees warmer than usual for January, the water did look inviting even in the winter. But we were content to stay high and dry today. Mark caught Denisa jumping over another rivulet in the left side of the picture below.
It sure feels good to be back on the road, wandering God's wonders again!
We love the Texas state park system--especially this time of the year when it's easy to get a camping site on the spur of the moment at great places like Pedernales Falls! As we continue to show pictures of our rock scrambling along the river, we have to brag on this state park system. After traveling all over the country, Texas is one of our favorite states because of its awesome park system here.
They charge a daily entrance fee at their parks, and normally we wouldn't like that. But we buy the annual state park pass every year, so we don't have to pay that daily rate. At $70 per year, we always get our money's worth out of the pass.
In addition to free passage into all 90 state parks, it also gives us half-price camping on the second night on four different stops during the year. Texas is a big state, so anyone driving through the state will definitely get their money's worth from buying that annual pass if they like state parks.
We pause for a moment, to point out that Pedernales Falls state park also has a nice bird blind. We enjoyed sitting and watching the birds come in to feed and drink one evening.
This is definitely cardinal country, as we saw many of these signature red birds (and their not so brightly-colored females) around the feeders.
We also saw woodpeckers and a titmouse. But while we scatter pictures of birds (and other critters) that we took in the park, we should continue our dialogue about changes that we just found out about in the Texas state park system. Starting in February, things are going to change.
Presently, campers make reservations for a specific date, and are guaranteed a camp site in the park. But they don't have any idea what site will be available when they actually pull into the park. This is great for full-timers like us that show up during the week and get our choice of great camp sites where we can stay through the busier weekend. But starting February 2019, the reservation system will work like the national reserve America (and most other state park systems). Campers will reserve a specific site.
This will make it trickier for wanderers like us that seldom reserve, and much prefer to just show up. Another change is that the annual pass will now give unlimited half-price second nights--rather than limiting it to only four.
So the changes mean good news and bad news for us. But we will continue to buy Texas's annual state park pass, as we have really enjoyed their parks for the last four years. As we wander south for the winter, and then back north each year, there's a lot of Texas real estate to cover. This state has some of the best run state parks we have found in the country!
Things change, but one thing has remained the same for us--it sure feels good to be wandering God's wonders and enjoying the birds and rivers that call this part of Texas home!
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