Walking Austin, Part 3 -- Sat., Feb. 16

Back on the south side of the lake, we continued to follow the lake to Barton Springs Creek. We turned up Barton Springs Creek trail to Zilker Park.

Skill with sculling.

A mute swan.

The Zilker Zephyr train ride.

Mute swan.

Ooh, must be something interesting in the water below!

Two turtles and a fish. Look how clear that spring water is.

Just a day out fishin' with the dawg.

Bob's walking two feet off the ground!

Late afternoon shadows and silhouettes.

Did I mention we REALLY enjoyed this walk? The day was so pleasant. Next destination on our walk is Barton Springs Pool which is normally open all year; however, it is closed through March 2013 for  much-needed repair work. Barton Springs flows out of the ground and creates this marvelous pool where people love to swim (especially on 100+ degree days!). The water is so clear, but it is chilly. Then there are the people who like to swim here in winter when it is cold outside because then the water is warmer than the air.

Philosophers' Rock.

Barton Springs Pool.

What it looked like "back in the day."

Wowsers! That's a lot of people.

Here's the extent of the construction.

Looking downriver at the pool.

Any time there's water in a dry climate there's bound to be some interesting history.

The line to ride the train.

Stilt shadows.

We turned around at Barton Springs Pool and we are now heading back to Lady Bird Lake. Old people, young people, in-between people, walkers, joggers, bike riders, fishermen, dog walkers: that's who was out today.

Crowds of people out enjoying the day.

As we entered the off-leash dog area, there is a big reminder awaiting dog owners. Another sign in the area says, "Dogs can't flush."

Many reminders for dog owners.

Stevie Ray Vaughn statue.

I love this photo...look at the expression on the dog's face.

Greater scaup.

The new Long Center for the Performing Arts.

And so ended our beautiful day in Austin. From here we headed back to the car and drove south to San Antonio.

Bob had one more trick up his sleeve, though. For dinner, he took me to Magic Time Machine. What a hoot! Don't expect a quiet dinner here. This place is crazy. From the moment you walk in the door you get a feeling this isn't a "normal" restaurant. The waiters and waitresses dress as all kinds of characters: our server was Indiana Jones, we also saw Dracula, Peter Pan, the Red Queen.

Throughout the huge restaurant there are all kinds of rooms and decor. We were in a Mexican-themed room. Some tables were in small, hole-in-the-wall rooms. It's hard to describe, you just need to go if you want a totally different dining experience. And the food was actually good.

Salad car.

Stained glass window room.

And so ended our 120-mile round trip driving day with 12.4 miles of walking and two good meals in restaurants.

The end.

 

Travel Bug out.