HOT Hike

True to it's form, mid September and the weather has not cooled off in the least, matter of fact, it feels more humid and muggy than usual. I don't mind heat, but I abhor humidity.

Still didn't stop Toby and I from taking a hike around the Town Lake (a.k.a Lady Bird Lake) this week. We poured sweat but it was a nice hike. Luckily most of the trail we were on was in the shade.

I never bore of the city...

 

And we came upon this "artistic" bike display. It was interesting......

 

Every year we like to do at least one family movie at the theatre together.....one we ALL would enjoy. This year we chose the movie IT. Even though I would rate the movie as only okay, the new recliner seats at Tinseltown made the 2 hour experience tolerable. I'm not one to sit still for that long, but I swear I could have fallen asleep in those nice comfy chairs. Made me want to go out and buy myself one for home.

Lost Creek - Revisited

Yesterday we decided to go back to Lost Creek to do more exploring. This time we were lucky enough to get the place to ourselves for about 30 minutes before another couple arrived.

Even though the day was not a scorcher, we had generated enough body heat on the hike there that the falls felt really good when we dipped in. Matter of fact, it felt like heaven!

This is just on the other side right before the water flows over the dam, from calm to a raging water fall...

There's a rock formation you can see if you look to the far left of this picture that shaped just like a sofa. Toby and I roosted there for awhile and watched the waterfall like it was a television...

Here's a little youtube video I made to give you a better visual....
https://youtu.be/tynJPEh7yU0

We also did a little exploring on some of the side trails. Most of them didn't lead to much except to parts of the creek that were not really that accessible.

At the beginning of our hike Toby noticed there was a rainbow ring around the sun. I've seen rings around the moon before, but I don't recall having ever seen a ring around the sun. I wish my camera had been able to capture the actual rainbow colors....

This is the actual part of the creek you have to cross to get to the falls. You definitely need some sort of water shoes or your bare feet to cross....

I enjoyed this trip to the falls better than the last one because we got to dip in the water and had the place mostly to ourselves.

Here was our evening sunset at home....

Lost Creek

A few years ago Toby and I went in search of the Lost Creek Falls Trail, and although we found some falls and a trail, it wasn't the one we were looking for.

The other day one of his co-workers mentioned she had gone there so it got our interest sparked again.

This time, with proper directions, we managed to locate it.

Not far into the path we came to the creek you have to pass over to get to the actual trail that leads you down to the falls....

The hike to get to the creek is about a mile and a half, but it's a shady, dirt path that's really easy to maneuver....

Lots of beauty berry along the way....

We reached the falls....

We hung around the falls for awhile, until some moms' with a hoard of kids showed up. Even though the kids put an end to the serenity of the falls, I couldn't be mad because they were having a blast. I thought how lucky kids are that get to grow up in a city with so many outdoor amenities.

We decided to explore around in search of some other more private areas. We took a trail that hugged the side of a cliff....

We came upon some other swimming spots with rope swings....

...and upon another small waterfall.....

Toby and I regretted we didn't wear our swimming attire. The day was absolutely beautiful, and it turned out a lot warmer than what we thought it was going to be. The water was also not as cold as it is closer to the springs, so it felt really nice.

Lost Creek Falls is worth the hike.

This Week

This week we were supposed to be on our annual vacation to Corpus Christi, but Hurricane Harvey put a halt to that. I was really disappointed as I had a nice bucket list of things to do there we had never done before. Hopefully, things will be up and running there by next August.

I had even thought about re-scheduling our end of the year vacation to Dallas, but with all the un-informed, panic ridden gas hoarders, I'm a little paranoid to make a long trip where I'll have to gas up. Not really wanting to spend my vacation in long gas lines with idiots. Also, it seems hotels are doing a little price gouging since Harvey.

So, for now we stay put.

Whenever Toby and I are at a loss of what to do on his off day, we both always agree on downtown.

Our first stop was lunch with our animal friends....

After lunch, we took a walk around. I had the urge to take my pics at a different vantage point...you know, just for fun....

Gotta love Texas.....

Although it had started out cool in the morning, the day heated up pretty quickly so we stopped into the Driskill to get some cool air. I love the Driskill because you can go in there and lounge or walk around without anyone looking at you like you don't belong or asking you questions....unless you are homeless and dirty, that is....

After we sat around cooling off and people watching in the Driskill, we came across a homeless guy sitting outside the Subway. He asked us if we would buy him a sandwich, so we did. I'm not into giving people money for drugs or alcohol....after all, I have my own bad habits to support, but I certainly would never turn down someone asking for a meal.

I loved the way Toby did it. Instead of going in and buying it for him, he took the guy inside with him and told him to order what he wanted. He wanted the guy to feel human and like he was a part of life. It's been said you can judge someone's character by the way they treat someone that has nothing to offer them. Toby has always been one of those guys, and his genuineness is a big part of why I love him so much.

I stood outside and watched guard over the guys dog. Not that he needed to be watched, the poor dog seemed like he was a reflection of his human master....sad, hopeless and lonely....

This was taken the next day after the hurricane left our area. We had not seen the sun in a few days, and this particular day the sun shined all day and the weather was cool, so I enjoyed me an adult beverage out on my patio and enjoyed the sunset I had not seen in awhile....

Skye found a hummingbird that had apparently fell out of it's nest early. I suspected the cat had something to do with it. She nurtured it until it was ready to fly and then we took it out back and let it fly out into the greenbelt. The song by Seals and Crofts, Hummingbird came to mind so I sang at as she flew off.....

It was so cool to see one up close and personal. I have a ton of Turk's Cap and Salvia in my yard, which keep the hummingbird's coming back every year. They're so use to us that they'll feed with us standing right there next to them.

Toby and I have a hike we've never done planned for next week. I'm looking forward to it.