Bats!

We started the day with a hike to the Upper Falls, which turned out to be a narrow stream rushing its way over a limestone precipice.

Next we hiked a trail to the Rock Shelter, a natural limestone overhang that has been used by people for thousands of years.

The tree I'm passing here is called "Old Baldy"

View from inside the Rock Shelter looking down on Onion Creek

This beautiful butterfly appeared to be having a hard time. It fluttered on the path and then lay still.

This evening we went downtown to walk around Lady Bird Lake and see the great bat flight from under the Congress Avenue Bridge. The hike and bike trail around the lake, actually a wide part of the Colorado River, is very popular with runners, cyclists, and dog walkers. One section is an off-leash area where many dogs were splashing out into the water to retrieve tossed toys. We also saw lots of boaters in the water, including one crewing team accompanied by a coach in a motorboat.

As sunset neared, we made our way back to the bat viewing area provided by the Austin American Statesman. It's a grassy knoll where people gather to watch the bats emerge for their nightly feeding flight. Other folks waited on the bridge. We could hear lots of squeaking, and we could certainly smell the bats. Around 8:20 we started to see a few flying overhead. Unfortunately, by the time the large flock was flying out, it was too dark to see them. The camera view screen showed clouds of bats streaming up into the air, but the unaided eye failed to see any. August is the best viewing time, when the pups are ready to fly. Maybe we'll come back to Austin some August to see them.

Our other major reason for going downtown was the 80,000 square foot flagship Whole Foods Store. When it closed at 10:00 p.m., we were less than halfway through the store. It was amazing, and we'll definitely go back when we're in Austin again.