Wimberley and Beyond

Yesterday was full and fun. Once we got up, we went straight to a playground. Mal had been disappointed because the park where we considered eating in Blanco (and moved to the courthouse because of the mosquitoes) was just a walk-and-contemplate park) didn't have one. Morrow Park is buried behind the old entrance to Jacob's Well, and we had to drive over some gravel roads to get there, but Mal ended up meeting a few kids and having a great time. 

Since we were in the area, we went to Jacob's Well, also. Not familiar with the new setup, we made the mistake of parking in Lot A. Pro-tip: Lot C is a lot closer to the well, see? The walk wasn't long, but it was across a mostly-unshaded prairie, which I thought was lovely but Mal thought was hot and purposefully knee-hurty. We made it to the well, but he was unimpressed. He thought it would be a wishing well. Unfortunately, it was only a 140-foot cavern under pristine water. Bummer.

 

I think it's a lot prettier and more impactful from the lower level, but, again, the layout was different than when I went when I was expecting Malcolm, and we weren't pressing our luck to do anything other than get there and leave.

I'd had left-over pizza for breakfast so wasn't hungry yet, but we went by Shamrock Tacos (which is inside a Shamrock gas station) for James, and then went to Cypress Creek Nature Preserve so he could eat them. They had a little playground! And it was right across from Monster Treats, which serves Amy's Ice Cream. So we did.

On the way back for an afternoon regrouping (it really was getting toasty out), we went to Pioneer Town. Kitschy little western movie set. 

Much-needed rest over, we ventured back out as the sun was getting ready to set. First, we visited EmilyAnne Theater. It's closed, obviously, but has a series of gardens, including an interactive music area that Mal loved.

Then we went basically across the highway to Old Baldy. It's a hill you reach by ascending 213 steps. There are encouraging painted rocks along the way, and I'd tried to prepare Malcolm for the adventure. He did great! He even had energy to spare once we got to the top!

We hung out enjoying the panoramic Hill Country views for a while before descending. Then we went back to the cabin to finish up the pizza.

This morning, we packed up and made our way northeast. We got breakfast at Sugar Shack Bakery (James had the Sunrise Hash and I had a terrific chicken salad sandwich), and ate it near the playground at Blue Hole Regional Park. Mal made some more friends and played for an hour or so. Then we drove over to look at Blue Hole. It's so still and pretty when no one's swimming in it.

Later, I'd pulled over to get a picture of a giant slice of pie in Kyle, when Mal noticed "a REAL wishing well!" So apparently, this is what he thinks a wishing well looks like.

Yeah. A fountain. I won't tell him if you won't.

Then, man, was this the highlight of our trip? We saw... THE WORLDS LARGEST SHOVEL.

It's made from items that were in a landfill. And, really, what can you possibly see that might top the World's Largest Shovel?

How about a fairly large pecan-loving squirrel wearing a COVID safety mask? Ser kurt.

And, at long last, we arrived at our final destination: Hyatt Lost Pines Resort. It's a very nice hotel, and has lots to do. Since we got here at 3, we've relaxed in the room, gone swimming, ridden on the lazy river, Mal made a friend on the "beach" at that pool entry, we locked ourselves out of our room by exiting through the patio and not remembering that I had the safety lock engaged on the actual room door, had an AMAZING dinner, and roasted s'mores while listening to a guy playing campfire songs on his guitar. Mal made more friends at the fire pit, and we're supposed to meet them at the alpaca feeding tomorrow.

 

 

Now, I'm super tired and my computer is about to die! Night!