I'm writing this blog on October 28th, 2020.
After I got back from my solo trip through Far West Texas earlier in August, Jess was overdue to enjoy some adventures of her own. I decided to take her to some spots that had been on my radar for many years. When heading out west from San Marcos (often for work), I travel through Sisterdale/Kendalia and on to Comfort to either hop onto I-10 or continue driving deeper into the Balcones Canyonlands. This stretch of FM 473 is one of my favorite roads in Texas with beautiful live oak savanna landscapes and cypress lined creek bottoms. Near Comfort I always drive by three things. The Cartoon Saloon on the side of the road, a sign for Old Tunnel State Park (8 Miles in the wrong direction), and a sign for the James Kiehl River Bend Park. Jess didn't know anything about these places (I didn't know too much) so it was going to make for a fun and relaxing day of discovery.
After I got back from my solo trip through Far West Texas earlier in August, Jess was overdue to enjoy some adventures of her own. I decided to take her to some spots that had been on my radar for many years. When heading out west from San Marcos (often for work), I travel through Sisterdale/Kendalia and on to Comfort to either hop onto I-10 or continue driving deeper into the Balcones Canyonlands. This stretch of FM 473 is one of my favorite roads in Texas with beautiful live oak savanna landscapes and cypress lined creek bottoms. Near Comfort I always drive by three things. The Cartoon Saloon on the side of the road, a sign for Old Tunnel State Park (8 Miles in the wrong direction), and a sign for the James Kiehl River Bend Park. Jess didn't know anything about these places (I didn't know too much) so it was going to make for a fun and relaxing day of discovery.
James Kiehl River Bend Park is a Kendall County Park on the Guadalupe River. There are no fees and it has beautiful access to the river. With some snacks, drinks, and goggles in tow, we found a nice quiet and shaded spot on the river and just basked in the shallow waters on a hot summer afternoon. We dawdled in the current while taking photos of each other and the things around us. It was exceptionally pleasant and rejuvenating.
If you don't see any animals at a given moment you probably just need to adjust your scale and look for the small things. There is bound to be something! That's how I felt about the little fish and damselflies hanging out with us. It's much different taking underwater photos when the water isn't crystal clear like the San Marcos River but I was still happy to find and capture a couple native species. I'm certain one species is the Blacktail Shiner, aptly named by its black spot. The mating damselflies were entertaining as well. This reminded me when I was a little kid and heard that dragonflies would zip your mouth shut! Now I know better and appreciate any dragon/damselfly willing to rest on an idle hand or foot.
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From the river park, we drove north a few miles to Old Tunnel State Park, the smallest state park in Texas at only 16 acres. Viewing the bats is free and there are optional paid tours at certain times. The tunnel is an old train tunnel that ran to Fredericksburg and closed in 1942. It became a state park in 2012 and was formerly a Wildlife Management Area beginning in 1991. 3 million Mexican free-tailed bats spend their summers here at this tunnel and disperse every evening to feed over a 60-mile radius area, devouring over 25 tons of moths per night! (Source: TPWD). It's always a treat to see bats streaming into the sky. As soon as we parked they were over our heads but the direction of the stream constantly changes. Who knows how they decide which way to go but they do it in large clumps. 'Clouds' of bats, like schools of fish, or flocks of birds are fascinating in their movement and synchronization.
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It was after seeing enough bats or the stream began to slow, we headed to our last stop of the trip, the Cartoon Saloon. "The Cartoon Saloon is The World Headquarters for JP Rankin, The Cartoon Cowboy - Cartoonist Extraordinaire". As far as I can tell, this is an open roadside hangout intended to be the home and studio of the aforementioned artist. At the time we were there, the "studio" wasn't setup so I don't know how things have or will change once the artists begins having galleries and sales. We had the place to ourselves but there was a cooler of beer when we got there which I'm not sure if it was provided or forgotten. There aren't any instructions or rules, it's just a cool hangout where the best of human nature prevails. There are countless little vignettes and they're pretty entertaining. We took our look around, enjoyed some more drinks and snacks (Jess is the snack queen and never fails to prepare the best spreads), and pondered the good times we were having. A day well spent in the Texas Hill Country.
Thanks for reading. Here's to happy times!
-Stephen
-Stephen