Barton Creek (with water)

Barton Creek is a recurring theme in Austin. It winds its way through the southern part of town, providing shade, rocks, and trails for walkers, bikers, and dogs. In prior visits to Austin we had done some hiking through a mostly dry canyon. This year we visited while the spring run-off still ran. It was nice to see the change. This shot kind of sets the scene. There are lots of pools, as well as burbling brook sections.

This cliff had lots of cactus hanging over the lip.

It also had evidence of climbing activity (more later).

This day we started off downstream from the Route 360 entrance, toward a portion we had hiked from another vantage point. The trails are dry now, but the creek sights are still pretty,

both upstream and down.

During this wet season there was a lot of active plant life.

If it doesn't happen now, there won't be enough moisture for it later.

This was one of my favorites. It looked to me like a bug with fuzzy eyes on stalks, giant, lavender ears, and legs with bends.

As we ended our hike we were back by the climbing area in time to see someone scale a bit of the wall.