Early morning on the Colorado River, Austin, Texas

The Colorado River (Texas) is the longest river in Texas that has both it source and mouth within the state. It begins in the plains of Llano Estacado south of Lubbock, Texas. Llano Estacado, often translated as \”Staked Plain\”, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas and is one of the largest mesas on the North American continent. The Colorado begins at an elevation of about 5,000 feet and then drops almost uniformly at about 10 feet per mile until it empties in the Gulf of Mexico. The river is not connected in any way to the larger and better known Colorado River which created the Grand Canyon.

As the river flows southeast through the Texas Hill Country, several reservoirs including Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, and Lake Travis in the Austin area have been created. The River runs just south of the downtown area where it has again been dammed to create Lady Bird Lake which adds to the beauty of the city.  Our travels usually include finding the best trails to run or hike and these in Austin, while are pretty much flat if you are near downtown, or really wonderful and scenic.

In most areas the trail is well maintained crushed granite and follows along both sides of the river for miles. Several scenic brides span the river allowing easy access to both sides. My pictures, taken with Iphone before 7 AM don\’t do the trail\’s beauty much justice but at least I captured the peaceful moment before the big city started bustling.

I\’ll write more about Austin as I\’ve been there many times and find it to be a great town that I would really enjoy living in. If you are there find a way to hit the trails or one of the area lakes and you will not be disappointed.