Garner-Briscoe Museum, Devil's Sinkhole SNR, River and Friends, June 2, 2016

It has been raining off and on for more than a week here at the Frio River. One day we took a back road into Uvalde and went to the Garner - Briscoe Museum.  Always fun to learn about past Vice Presidents and former Texas Governors!  Texas politicians can sure be colorful!  If you've never stopped here, it is an excellent museum and also free!

Check out these prices from Garner State Park!

No museum tour is complete without a stop for a DQ blizzard!

Another day we got out to take a ride to explore the area where we haven't been before. There are still state parks here in Texas we have not visited.  The Devil's Sinkhole is one of them.  Located near Rocksprings and about an hour drive from the park.

 

The Visitor Center in Rocksprings. This is where you check in to get a tour and watch a movie.

 

It is 1,861 acres and is only accessible by guided tours only. Check in at the Information Center in town.  We were lucky and had our own private tour. It is the largest single-chamber cave in the state and at over 350 feet deep, the 4th deepest.

Peering down into the cavern.

Platform over the cavern entrance. Can you imagine millions of bats flying out? Lots of cave swallows during the day.

Pretty terrain.

Check out the fossil!

Two happy campers!

I have said it before, but the fun thing about volunteering is the good folks you meet.  This is our new friends Roy and Brenda Moore. Susie is in the background. We are enjoying a hamburger cookout at our trailer.

There's a story on these 2!  Wife #1 and #2 and the story is how to get along so great in a blended family!

Check out the size of these eggs from the Farmer's Market!

Then we got roads flooding with all this rain.

And this is how we chill at the end of the day!

Our friends the Gregureks and Lingos came out for a vacation on the river, too!  Enjoy camping with them and sharing good food and fun!!!

Donna and Carol

Ron, Greg and James

Garner State Park Hiking Trails

One of the reasons we have chosen to volunteer is not only to get a free full hook up site, but it is also to stay put in a location and experience the culture and have time to get out and hike, explore, kayak or whatever.  There are 15 trails in the trail system here.  It's been a good 40 years since I hiked Old Baldy and Crystal Cave. So here's one of our goals - to hit all the trails while we're here.

On the Old Horse Trail, I was hoping to see a Black Capped Vireo as this is supposedly a good area to find them.  But I didn't bring binoculars and I didn't have my phone with my bird app that I can use to help me identify bird calls.  So not sure if it was the vireo or a golden cheek warbler.

This trail starts right out of Shady Meadows camping loop.

Several trails will take you to the old original entrance.

A pretty hike up the mountain, listening for the birds.

As the name implies, you are walking on the old horse trail on the side of the mountain. Used to be the only way to get around the Frio canyon.

With a more wet spring, there are still tons of wildflowers out and about at the park.

The view up here is quite impressive, leaving you with a great perspective of the park and surrounding areas. Can even see Mager's red bath house down below that river crossing.

What a view.

The hike up sure gives a person a workout!

Looking down over Old Garner.

The captain, deciding which way to go.

Hey, wait for me!

Looking into Crystal Cave.

Looking at the layout of the river.

The view of the RV parks across the river from the state park.

A view of Old Baldy from the trail

This is a good trail for bike riding. About 2.5 miles through parts of the park you don't realize are even here!

A high view of the river.

Taking a break!

Another view of Old Baldy.

According to my calculations, it has been 42 years since I went up the trail to Crystal Cave. Nice to go there with the one I love!!!!