Ridiculously Green — Austin’s “Ladybird Lake” Hike & Bike Trail

Kelly started happily back to school Monday.   (Yes, happily — she adores her school.)  And I started happily back to my morning running / walking, buttocks-blasting routine here in good old friendly Austin, Texas — U. S. of A.

I took these snaps Monday and Tuesday along my usual 3-mile stretch of the trail (Click-enlarging seems to really sharpen them.)

(Kayakers afar, not ridiculously colorful waterfowl.)

Yes, this is where I get to walk! For free!!! Any day I want, between Park curfew hours of 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Why is it at a St. Pat’s Day party all that green clothing makes me want to barf, yet the green of nature only makes me happy and happier?   (And no, I don’t mean green beer barf potential.)  🙂

The city runs through our 10.2 mile trail along Ladybird Lake, which used to be called, but a lot of us still and probably forever will call — Town Lake.

This lake is part of a series of lakes formed by dams — lakes which are actually sections of the Lower Colorado River, which is not at all connected to the Colorado River of Grand Canyon fame much further West.   I know, it’s a bit confusing, but stick with me.  Future posts will might explain more.

Notice some downtown buildings and their reflections hiding in the photo below?

Flowers run through our trail too! Tons of flowers.  My totally non-pro camera did a pretty good job of capturing a few blooms, I think.

Trumpet Honeysuckle?

Blue Plumbago

Mystery Flower (some kind of rose?)  It grows on a bush.

Here’s a trail map, which should excite you to no end. (It actually does show super-nice resolution upon a click, and ludicrous-great res with an additional click.)

And below —  a couple of the many park benches you’ll find me and my buttocks on (I hardly ever leave home without them.  My buttocks, that is.  Well, yes, I did once.  Leave them home, but that’s a whole other post.  Or series of posts.)

Ridiculously green, despite a general drought.  Ridiculously gorgeous.  I’m ridiculously lucky.  And blessed.  And happy to be alive.

And back to a school schedule.

I likes our Town Lake trail.  A lot.

And you? Have you hugged your nature lately?

(Zilker Park, beside The Trail.  Much more on Zilker to come.)

Footnote:  Notice I had to add an entire new category for this? … “Just Good Stuff.”   I might even go through my old posts and re-direct a few of them to J.G.S.

Stay tuned for more and more “Just Good Stuff” here in Downtown Funstertown!