My goal today at Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve was to see the waterfall. I thought it would be raging with all the rain we have had recently, and it did not disappoint. The downside was that the crossings for Bee Creek were also raging and the hiking conditions were muddy in places. A good test for my hiking boots. 🙂
Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve advertises that it has 2.5 miles of trails. I did the outside loop this evening and finished just before a heavy downpour. I trekked over to view the waterfall, then headed to take in the scenic views. Overall, a nice quick hike.
Isn’t it nice when all the neighborhood kids go home for dinner and you have the pool all to yourself? Just you and the sunset, the cool water, the clouds, the birds, and the quiet.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Intense. Insane. Incredibly filmed.
Word. The Renegade Craft Fair was the coolest. My favorite was the plant your own terrarium booth. 🙂
I am new to Traditional Peking Opera, but I think I am hooked. I really liked Yu Ji’s sword dance from “Farewell My Concubine”. My favorite was the back and forth conversation between Yang Yanhui and Princess Iron Mirror as she tried to guess what was troubling him so much in “Mother-Son Renuion”. A super fun day!
Why should I visit the Asian American Resource Center, you might ask. Well, they have many cool events like the Peking Opera performance this afternoon. And if you get there before July 31st, you can see the photo exhibition by Ali Khataw called “Faces of Humanity”. These are some powerful portraits from around the world. If you are not near Austin, then at least check out his website to view his amazing photography.
The Mayfield Nature Preserve is home to the Mayfield-Gutsch Estate, and they take pride in their gardens. In 1971, Mary Mayfield-Gutsch left the Estate to the City of Austin for use as a park. There are several volunteer gardens to see, along with a few lily pad ponds and an old dinner bell that hangs from an archway in the stone wall.
This place is known for its peacocks. They can be found roaming the grounds, wandering out into the street, up in the trees, or on top of the house. They are not very shy and don’t mind posing for a photo or two.
This hike was much more beautiful than I had expected. Mayfield Nature Preserve had a lot to offer in a relatively small place. I found mushrooms, wildflowers, the lake, a creek, a cave, small waterfalls, and plenty of mud to hike around in due to all the recent rains. Too much fun! 🙂
earthrobert 