Ah, Austin

When we checked out of the hotel this morning the weather was undecided, but we had only one day in Austin and we were determined to make the most of it.  We decided to check out Zilker Park while it was still dry. 

We started at Barton Springs Pool.  Man oh man do I wish I had known about that pool because I would have come prepared to swim laps! 

Basically, Barton Springs Pool is the result of dams and cement banks with the resulting pool being fed by Barton Springs.  So, it has cement sides, stairs, ladders, even a diving board, and depths of up to 18 feet with a bottom of natural rock and sand.  The water averages 68F year round.  It is enough to make me consider relocating.  You can read more about it here.

Just downstream from the pool

It started drizzling after the pool.  We walked along Barton Creek till it emptied into Lady Bird Lake. 

I think Austin's waterfront is easily as beautiful as Portland's

Even with the inclement weather there were so many people out on the trail and active.  We continued along Lady Bird Trail until it we reached a large grassy part of the park.     

If you're happy and you know it jump for joy!

After exploring the outdoors we went to the Bob Bolluck Texas State History Museum and learned a lot about the lone star state.  For example. the lone star motif may have come from old French coin used in Texas that had Louis XIV's trademark sun emblazoned on them.  The museum traces the history of Texas from before the Spanish arrived until the present day.  There was so much information we spent 4 hours there, hurried ourselves through some of the exhibits, and still ran out of time and were kicked out.  What I liked best about the museum was that it told the story of Texas, and Texas has such a great American story. 

Long Live Texas!