Concan TX, Day 2, Garner State Park
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| Field and Sky at the Visitors Center |
We planned to tour Concan and Leakey TX in the morning and spend most of our day at Garner State Park, near Uvalde, TX. We got to the park a little after lunch and drove through to get the "lay of the land." Check in was easy, and we got a map of the hiking trails and bird watching blind.
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| Small cabin by Visitors Center, probably used for storage |
We got to the bird blind, and sat for a while to see which birds might pass by. We waited what seemed like a long time (20 minutes) and saw one bird -- a sparrow. We decided it was time to hit the trail.
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| Sign marking the beginning of the Frio Canyon Trail |
We got to the beginning of the Frio Canyon Trail, and started on the way. This trail is a hiking/biking trail, and it appeared that trucks used it too. We walked for a while and began to think we were lost.
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| As we started the 2 1/2 mile walk along the Frio Canyon Trail |
About an hour or so into the hike, we saw a small bridge off to the right on what seemed to be a much better trail. All we were seeing on this trail were tire tracks and telephone poles. So we skipped over to this new trail, which we later learned is the Nature Trail, and started back in the direction of the Visitors Center.
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| Jan on the bridge of the Nature Walk Trail |
When we got back to the center, I was sure that we had hiked the full 2 1/2 miles, but we weren't even close. But we did have a great time and there will be more to explore next time. So we got in the car and drove to the Frio River and Old Baldy. Old Baldy is the centerpiece mountain at the park. There are big posters of it in the gift shop, and they have every right to be proud.
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| Old Baldy and the Frio River, Garner State Park |
We got to the park just as the sun was setting behind Old Baldy. I immediately got to work taking photos of the river, the cypress trees, the park itself -- pretty much anything that caught my eye. It was a feast for cameras!
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| Frio River looking upstream from the paddle boat docks |
The Frio River was true to its name -- very cold, clear and very inviting. I'm told you can make coffee with water right from the river and it tastes like ambrosia. I don't doubt it. The sounds of the water over the dam were so relaxing, I could have stayed a long while just listening.
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| The Frio River water is very kind to the cypress trees along the shore |
I think from the photo above you can tell that the cypress trees are very tall along the banks of the Frio. Jan is standing in front of the rock just to the right of the base of the tree. It is amazing the heights these trees attain! And with the fall foliage they are truly beautiful as well.
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| Jan and Mike in the Hollow Cypress |
While we were walking along the banks of the river, Jan noticed that one of the cypresses was hollow. So we took photos of both of us in the hollow of the tree. There was lots of "we were here" type graffiti inside the tree, but we didn't pay much attention.
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| Parking area and playground, Garner State Park |
The day got more and more clear as it went by, and by the time we left there was hardly a cloud in the sky. Very beautiful and so worth the trip to see this wonderful State Park. We highly recommend it!
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| Our last view of the Frio River as we left the park |
The photo above was our parting shot of the beautiful Frio River. We would see it again at the cabins, but it was hard not to take just one more, just one more....
Hope you enjoyed the photos. And I hope you get to visit Garner State Park, if you haven't already.
All the best,
Mike Z
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