Nathalie has posted all the pictures below, in the French version of the story. I won’t restate everything she’s said. Basically, we drove over to Enchanted Rock today, which is mostly west from Austin, over north of Fredricksburg. The town was named for in honor of a Prussian prince. Mom described Main Street as a place for retired women to go shopping, eat lunch with their friends, and maybe bring home some bric-a-brac. Kitsch is originally a German word after all.<\/p>\n
I learned one thing on the ride out there. Texas is so big that a regular state road map does not even show you the two lane highways, let alone the little local roads. On the sketchy map in the guide book, it looked like 620 touched 12 around Lakeway. Nope. In fact, you jog west on 71 over to 3238 at Bee Cave. 3238 takes you to 12, which takes you to Dripping Springs. I should have looked at Google Maps before we set out. I see CR 201 now, which looks like an alternative route over to Johnson City.<\/p>\n
Once over past Johnson City, we finally saw bison. Diane was happy. Scroll down to the next entry for pictures from across the road.<\/p>\n
Enchanted Rock looks like what a huge granite boulder ought to look like to an ant. Only when you start getting close do you realize its color is pink because the whole hillside is exposed granite. What vegetation has managed to cling to the surface must exploit the few indentations made by long term water digging away at the stone.<\/p>\n
You nevertheless find a tree at the top. We wondered how that tree ever managed, as we were buffetted by incessant winds a top the enormous boulder-like hill. We read the place is called enchanted because of the noises the rock makes at night when the temperature stress on the rock causes it to creak.<\/p>\n