Enchanted Rock State Park

My elderly cousin, Scott, has been on a long road trip all over the country. When he passed through Texas he did so entering via the Panhandle, driving across North Texas as near to the Oklahoma border as roads permitted. And then he decided the entire state of Texas was boring scenery-wise. He did concede he had not seen very much of the state and so there was a chance something, somewhere in Texas might be something other than flat and boring.

I've seen more of Texas than my elderly cousin, Scott, has. I've seen parts of Texas that are quite satisfying in the scenery department. Enchanted Rock is one such place. Enchanted Rock is a very popular state park. Some days so many people show up you have to wait til someone leaves before you can enter.

Enchanted Rock is a huge pink granite dome. Indians thought it was possessed by spirits, hence Enchanted, due to the noises the rock made when the sun went down. Later, less superstitious sorts realized the noises were due to the rock contracting as the temperature dropped.

Enchanted Rock is in the Texas region known as Hill Country. The route to Enchanted Rock via Austin takes you to the Pedernales River Valley, right by the LBJ Ranch where Lyndon and Lady Bird are buried. During wildflower season this is a very scenic spot on the planet.

To get to Enchanted Rock, via this route, you go through the tourist town of Fredericksburg. It is sort of a German-themed town. It's a short side trip from Frederickburg to Luckenbach.