McKinney Falls State Park, Texas

This is another of Texas' spectacular limestone falls parks. This one has two falls. We visited the lower falls first. The approach is a limestone plain, full of evidence that it has been part of the flow at times. It is multi-level, with lots of little scoops where water swirled and eroded the stone.

As you get closer to the falls, the river starts to make itself evident. It is quite beautiful, even in a dry spell. Apparently it takes just a couple of inches of rain to make it spectacular.

The river is alive with wildlife. Here is a turtle condo. Plenty are in the water, as well.

There is not much flow right now, so you begin to see little trickles in the deeper channels. They turn out to be all the falls you get.

The pools live on, though. This is the pool below the lower "falls".

There were a few people there, but not too many.

At the upper falls there is a shallow pool at the top.

The same kind of rivulets make all the falls there is here, too.

There is more wear in the limestone, though. There are a couple of spots where people can climb right up from the water through the holes.

Both pools are lined with gorgeous cypresses. We saw these before at Hamilton Pool.

We made a brief stop at the visitor center, where we met a couple volunteering at the park. They turned out to be itinerant RV'ers. It has been their custom for six years to stop off in various parks and volunteer in return for camping there. They stay a couple of months or longer, moving on when the urge hits. The volunteer work is not burdensome, about 20 hours a week each. Since they have a Golden Age Passport, they have many places where they camp inexpensively. They told us about an organization called Escapees. This group helps RV people to get their mail. They also run a few camping spots.