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SOJOURNS^ Up, Up and Away in New Mexico^ Exploring Texas Hill Country

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3tos by James Richardson

Canyon of the Eagles Resort, nestled in a private nature park, is an idyllic launchingint for water-related activities, wildfiower viewing, cave exploring and wine tasting

ery few places can compare in scenery with the Texas Hill

/Country in the springtime, particularly when there has been afavorable winter season with early spring rains. The country-

side is blanketed with bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush, and atmany points along the roads, vehicles are stopped white admirersphotograph the wildflowers. Few places in the country can compareto this state's springtime visual show.

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There are plenty of excellent placesto enjoy nature's display in the HillCountry. One that is off the beatenpath, yet a gem of a destination forRVers and nature lovers, is Canyon ofthe Eagles Nature Park and Resort. Asthe advertisement says, "Where theroad ends, the adventure begins!" This943-acre nature preserve and resort islocated on Lake Buchanan at the end ofa rural road about 15 miles northwestof Burnet and 45 minutes west ofAustin. Don't know Burnet? Burnet(pronounced "burn it") is about 35miles west of Interstate 35 along StateHighway 29. Three miles west of Burnettake Farm Road 2341 north to its end. Itdead ends at the Canyon of the EaglesResort. Now for the adventure.

Canyon of the Eagles gets its namebecause American bald eagles maketheir winter home in the surround-ing area, and the "canyon" refers tothe steep cliffs of the Colorado River,which was dammed in 1938 to formLake Buchanan. One of the six lakesformed by dams managed by the LowerColorado River Authority (LCRA], LakeBuchanan at 22,000 acres, has thelargest area at normal pool of all theLCRA lakes. The other lakes — Inks,LBJ, Marble Falls, Lake Travis and LakeAustin — along with Buchanan, makeup the region called the Central TexasHighland Lakes. Some references notethat a seventh lake, Lady Bird Lake,is part of the Central Texas Highlandlakes, but all are managed by the LCRA,

(Top) Lake Buchanan is a great place for allkinds of water recreation — boating, fishingand sightseeing. (Above middle) Favorablesoil and climate make an excellent combina-tion for wineries in the Texas Hill Country.(Above) Habitat for good bass fishing can befound in smaller lakes of the Hill Country.

26 TRAILER LIFE March 20U

FTEXAS HILL COUNTRY GEMwhether it is six or seven.

The resort and nature park are maintained for the floraand fauna of the area with the developed portion occupyinga small percentage of the 943 acres. There are 14 miles ofhiking trails throughout the property, providing close-upopportunities to view its wildlife and wildflowers. The parkis situated on a bluff overlooking Lake Buchanan and itsvantage point affords some beautiful sunsets, so much sothat there is a vista called Sunset Point.

Amenities at the resort include 61 guest rooms, anoutdoor swimming pool, an excellent eatery called theOverlook Restaurant, a gift shop, meeting facilities, a parkstore, 34 campsites from rustic to improved, 24 RV siteswith full hookups and an amphitheater. There is also a boatdock with 3 miles of lake frontage. One unique attraction atthe resort is the Austin Astronomical Society's Eagle EyeObservatory. A section of the park's 943 acres is set aside toaccommodate two large telescopes. Once a month the AustinAstronomical Society has a public "star party" for viewingthe nighttime sky. The remoteness of Canyon of the Eaglesmakes an ideal locale for this facility. Guests at the resorthave access to the observatory, and they can even bring theirown telescopes.

One of the resort's campgrounds, Tanner Point, has 10primitive wooded campsites with views of Lake Buchanan.Another is Chimney Slough, which has 24 improved sites

Lake Buchanan has excellent striper fishing. For best results, hire anexperienced local guide.

in a well-shaded woodland setting. The RV park can ac-commodate large rigs and trailers up to 45 feet in length.Some of its 24 sites have lake views, but all have 30/50-ampelectricity, water and sewer. Only the RV site renters mayutilize the resort's amenities, such as the swimming pool andrecreation room. All campers have access to the restaurant,hiking trails, and to the camp store and lake. The resort ispet friendly but pets must be on a leash while on trails and inpublic areas.

Programs at Canyon of the Eagles include guided edu-cational hikes and talks, reptile demonstrations, sessions

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28 TRAILER LIFE March 2014

with a cowboy poet, Owl Prowls and movies under the stars.Birdwatching is a popular pastime since the endangeredblack-capped vireo and the golden-cheeked warbler makethe area their home. At the park store on the shore of LakeBuchanan, one of the local concessionaires, BuchananAdventure Tours, provides rental kayaks, paddle boards andcanoes, and offers guided birdwatching and geo-cachingtrips, hiking and fishing.

Within an hour's drive of the resort many other activitiesare available to visitors to the Hill Country. Whether it iswater-related activities like fishing or boating, sightseeingor wildf lower watching, cave exploring, investigating restau-rants and wineries, or shopping, there are plenty of thingsto do. The nearby towns of Burnet, Marble Falls, Bertram,Lake Buchanan Dam and Tow have a multitude of activitiesto discover.

Exploring Lake Buchanan is one of the most popularactivities of the area. The Vanishing Texas River Cruise dockis a short drive from Canyon of the Eagles. The two-hourcruise aboard the double-decker boat Texas Eagle takespassengers into Lake Buchanan and through the canyonsof the Colorado River when the lake levels are high enough.

(Right) Longhorn Cavern is a day-use-only park, and is just a shortdrive from Canyon of the Eagles. RV camping is also available atclose-by Inks Lake State Park.

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The route passes sheer cliffs andwaterfalls, the most notable is FallCreek Falls. Wildlife may be seenalong the banks, and shore birds andan occasional osprey or eagle couldmake an appearance. If the waterlevels are too low for an excursioninto the canyon, then a unique oppor-tunity may present itself. Before the

lake was formed, there were a coupleof communities forced to relocate tohigher ground. One of them was theBluffton community. Remains of partof the original town are visible on anisland exposed during low water in thelake. The cruise (reservations recom-mended) will make a stop for visitorsto get a glimpse at Old Bluffton if lake

levels prevent the Texas Eagle fromgoing upriver through the canyon.

Fishing for striped bass, largemouthbass or catfish is another popular wayto enjoy being on Lake Buchanan. Aboat ramp is located at Burnet CountyPark, but not at Canyon of the Eagles.Experienced fishing guides are availableto make for a more profitable andrewarding excursion on the lake. Duringthe spring season, the striped bass geta lot of attention from anxious anglersand their guides. Two of the best guideson Lake Buchanan are Ray Williamsonand Clancy Terrill. Both are experiencedand know the lake and the quarry.

Within the resort much of thelandscape is prime wildflower country.But the route to Canyon of the Eaglesalong FR 2341 is also excellent blue-bonnet viewing. Indian paintbrush,Indian blanket, white prickly poppy,larkspur and phacelia may also appearduring the spring wildflower season.But just about anywhere in the HillCountry, wildflowers are prolific if thegrowing season has been to their liking.

Burnet is considered one of the bestplaces in Texas for viewing wildflowersand has been designated by the Texasstate legislature to be the "BluebonnetCapital of Texas." And because of thetown's location and designation, an

(Top left] Many legends are attached toLonghorn Cavern. (Top right) The OverlookRestaurant at Canyon of the Eagles is aptlynamed — it sits on a bluff overlooking LakeBuchanan. (Left) A visit to the Texas HillCountry in the spring is doubly rewarding —great weather and bluebonnets.

annual Bluebonnet Festival is held onthe second weekend of April. It drawsan average of 30,000 visitors.

For visitors wanting to go deeperinto the Hill Country and Texas stateparks, the Longhorn Cavern StatePark would be a good place to begin.Longhorn Cavern is located southof Burnet in Burnet County and isclassified as a scenic park. The cavewas formed by the downward action ofwater on the limestone dissolving it andcreating underground streams, overthousands of years, which cut throughthe solid rock beneath the limestone.The unique result is the LonghornCavern, which has many legendsassociated with it. Among them is onethat suggests that the outlaw Sam Basshid a valuable cache of stolen moneyinside the cave. Another says that TexasRangers rescued a kidnapped girl fromIndians in the cave. But the cave hasbeen used as a shelter since prehistorictimes. Cherokee Indians used the caveand Confederates made gunpowder in

the cave during the Civil War.The state park offers guided tours

lasting approximately one hour and 25minutes. They occur at regular intervalsin the constant 68-degree cavern. Thehike is a l^-mile round trip. Much ofthe stone work at the park was done bythe Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)and there are displays about the CCC inthe original administration building.

The Overlook Restaurant at Canyonof the Eagles offers a wide assortmentof special dishes in addition to itsviews of Lake Buchanan and colorfulsunsets. While exploring more of theTexas Hill Country, be sure to drop in atsome of the local restaurants in Burnetand other small towns around LakeBuchanan. At the southern end of thelake is the town of Buchanan Dam, andthe Tamale King restaurant is noted forits great Mexican dishes. It is locatedwest of Burnet on Highway 29. MarbleFalls, south of Burnet on U.S. Route281, has a wide variety of restaurantsand shopping opportunities. It sits on

another of the Lower Colorado RiverAuthority lakes — called Lake MarbleFalls.

There are some 30 wineries in theTexas Hill Country, mainly becauseof the favorable soil and growingconditions. Fall Creek Vineyards firstopened in 1975, making it the oldestwinery in the Hill Country. It has award-winning brands and offers wine tasting,tours and hosts special events.

Another Hill Country winery islocated south of Burnet near InksLake. Perissos Vineyard and Wineryboasts theirs is 100 percent Texashome-grown and also has wonnumerous awards for its wines.The name is not a family name, but"perissos" is a Greek word foundin the Bible that means "exceedingabundantly, beyond what is expected,imagined or hoped for."

For the extreme athlete to thecurious outdoorsman, the ReveillePeak Ranch has much to offer guestsand visitors. The ranch covers 1,300

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March 20U TRAILER LIFE 31

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY GEMacres with the dominant feature of theLandscape being the granite ReveillePeak. Outdoor activities include 62miles of diverse trails for mountainbiking, running and hiking. Visitors canstroll through the Texas wildflowers orwatch for ospreys or painted buntings,or fish in the private lake for black bassand bream. The ranch hosts groupevents and individuals. The RV park isreserved for participants in events.

Reveille Peak overlooks Inks Lakeand Lake Buchanan and the view fromthe top of the granite peak is a widepanorama of the Texas Hill Countryand these two lakes. Visitors will bepleasantly surprised at the landscape ofthe ranch with its incredible display ofspringtime wildflowers.

Other opportunities for outdoorrecreation are available throughoutthe Texas Hill Country. Canyon of theEagles Nature Park has 14 miles oftrails through its predominantly live oakand juniper woodland with a scattering

of grassland areas. A "Guide to theHiking Trails" booklet is available at theresort and gives good detail of the trailsin the nature park. In addition to traillength, the booklet provides informationon the endangered species that maybe spotted along each trail. However,some trails may be closed during partsof the year due to the protection ofendangered species.

A visit to Canyon of the Eagleswill provide guests a great place tostay while exploring the Texas HillCountry, particularly during the springwildflower season. But anytime duringthe year there is something goingon at the resort. The attractions andoutdoor recreational opportunity on andaround Lake Buchanan will add to theenjoyment of a Hill Country visit.

Getting to Canyon of the Eaglesis easy. From Burnet and Highway29, take FR 2341 north for about 15miles and at the end of the road, theadventure begins. *P

IF YOU GOBuchanan Adventure ToursSan Marcos, Texas, 512-353-3946www.buchananadventuretours.com

Canyon of the EaglesBurnet, Texas512-334-2070,800-977-0081 forreservationswww.canyonoftheeagles.com

Fishing GuidesRay Williamson, 512-825-8746www'.raysst riperguideservice.com

Clancy Terrill, 512-633-6742www.centraltexasfishing.com

Longhorn Cavern State ParkBurnet, Texas, 877-441-CAVEwww.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/longhorn__cavern

Reveille Peak RanchBurnet, Texas, 512-755-4417www.rprtexas.com

Vanishing Texas River Cruise800-4-RIVER-4, 512-756-6986www.vtrc.com

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