My first day on the road started with a work site in Bandera County (a strategic piggy-back to efficiently fit work and vacation together) on my way to Seminole Canyon State park in the afternoon. Temperatures were scorching, at least 106°F and I knew there wasn't any escape from the heat in the State Park so I moseyed around the nearby Pecos River Bridge to clock a little more AC-in-the-car-time before going into the park.
I woke up before dawn to pack up my campsite, wash up, and gear up for a bike-hike along the Canyon Rim trail. I knew this was the only reasonable and safe way to see this landscape at this time of year because I didn't want to get caught in the midday summer heat. My mountain bike got me to my first destination in a heartbeat. The Presa Canyon overlook. I was totally impressed. Presa Canyon is a beautiful canyon that pours into Seminole Canyon before it all reaches the Rio Grande River. The overlook gave a great view looking up and down Seminole Canyon and this confluence with Presa Canyon, these bluffs were about 100 ft tall. There was a pool of water at the confluence and wonderful echos of the Canyon Wren.
I wrapped up my bike-hike by taking the quick jeep road back and spent an hour in the visitor center reading and learning about the history of exploring and settling this region. It was all thanks to the windmill and the railroad.