The World is Our Canvas!: Enchanted Rock

Welcome to Hill Country!

When we got to Texas we were so excited about this new prospect of exploring! What a different world it was compared to our adventures in Pennsylvania. We set out through Hill Country to go hiking at Enchanted Rock a little ways past Fredericksburg, TX. Our drive through Hill Country - We had never seen anything like it! All around us were rolling hills with huge open ranches scattered throughout in the middle of nowhere. The ranches were vast, rugged hills with much more vegetation than what I had initially imagined to be flat desert land. There were prickly pear cactuses and dry Texas live oak trees for miles and miles. Now I understand why a friend of mine from Houston whose family owns a ranch said that they go hunting there every year. When I first heard this, I created an image in my head of the hunter crouched behind one large, lone cactus and the big old white tailed deer standing alert out in the open wondering where he should hide from this crazy person. I shrugged to myself and assumed it worked out somehow. What do I know about hunting??

Starting up the Summit Trail

A while later we passed through Fredericksburg, TX, a cute, quaint little town with a street full of small boutiques, cafes and wineries. We had lunch at the local hot spot, Wheeler’s, for some hearty American/German food...not exactly my style, but it was the busiest place in town so we figured we’d try it out. Soon we were on our way again and back into the middle of nowhere when we finally came upon the sight of a huge, dome shaped rock a few miles ahead of us. Enchanted Rock! Enchanted Rock was named for many different reasons, but many of them revolved around old native american folklore about enchanted spirits living at the top making creaking and groaning noises, or for the way that they could hide from enemies at the top without being seen. Also, the rock apparently has a green-blue halo that surrounds the mountain after the sun sets. Today, they have found that the noise that is heard is likely from the way the rock heats during the day and contracts at night while it cools. The glow is apparently a fact, although we unfortunately did not notice it when we visited. The rock is a large, rounded, pink granite formation and they say it is like a huge solar battery that gives off energy after it has been heated all day. It’s real nice to imagine that we were standing on a radioactive rock...Oh well, maybe that’s why my old cell phone that landed on the top of Enchanted Rock and cracked the screen still worked for over a year afterwards. Regardless, it was a great day and a beautiful hike. It is amazing that after all of the traveling we have done across the country, we have discovered so many different types of landscapes and rock structures that exist in the varying areas and climates. Here’s a little taste of our day on the rock for you...I have been excited to work with my photography on my new Lightroom 3 software! Enjoy :)