One day last week I had a long-promised adventure day which didn’t turn out quite like I had planned. But it’s always okay because that’s what adventure is all about, right?
For $2.75 you can buy a one-day bus pass in the city where I live and ride any bus anywhere all day. Not a bad deal! I had planned to ride much more, but ended up walking just as much as riding. Truthfully, the walking came about because I just wan’t patient enough to wait for the next bus that I wanted to catch! Still, not a bad thing as I saw many things that way, too.
My travels took me to familiar places and some new places, too. And, yes there will be some blog posts coming up real soon. Probably another adventure day, too! Enjoy the slide show!
In January 2012 we had attempted to climb Enchanted Rock (click here for the original post ) and made it the edge of the summit before the wind drove us down again. Yesterday we attempted the climb again and this time made it all the way to the summit!
Enchanted Rock is 425 feet above the base level of the park and is 1825 feet above sea level. Climbing to the summit is the equivalent of climbing the stairs of a 30 -40 floor building!
The temperature was just reaching into the 80’s when we started our climb. It was warm, but not blistering hot. We were pleased that there was only a cool, easy breeze at the summit. We noticed that the perspective of the rock seemed to make us think that we were near the top, when in truth we were not. There were numerous small inclines on the way up, each with their own little flat, summit like top. We would reach one, stop and breath, and then proceed to climb the next one.
Sawyer is a rock climbing, adventure loving dog! I was mindful of keeping an easy pace for him, but he never seemed to struggle (like the humans!). On the way down I dropped his leash several times when there were only a few scattered people around us and no dogs in sight. He scampered down the rock like a little mountain goat.
Microhabitats have formed in areas where the granite has worn away faster than the surrounding area. Yes, prickly pear is every where in Texas!
The park offers guided climbs to the summit with discussion about geology, flora, an other topics along the way. I hope to take one of these tours as the geology fascinates me. Enchanted Rock is the largest pink granite monadnock in the United States. But what is visible is only part of a huge underground area of granite that extends for 62 square miles.
The views from the summit are unbelievable! We heard many groups clap and cheer when they reached the top. Others would sit down to rest and appreciate the scenery.
Enchanted Rock State Park is a designated International Dark Sky Park. It is in a rural area where the night sky offers exceptional stargazing – you can even see the Milky Way here! The park keeps night lighting to a minimum and has installed a dark sky monitor to measure the relative darkness of the sky above the park. I’m hoping to visit at night, maybe camp here, and participate in their night stargazing activities.
Yes, the pre-teen is using his cell phone here! He wanted to see if he could get a signal, so he called his Mom!
