OMG

Last weekend Eric and I went to "Bat-fest", a small arts/crafts/live music festival located on Congress Avenue Bridge, the famous home of North America's largest urban bat colony. Although we didn't stick around to see the 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from under the bridge at sunset, we did get a chance to view some local photographers' work and learn about Hamilton Pool Nature Preserve. This place is absolutely gorgeous! I might have to say that it tops the Fern Grotto in Kauai, where Eric and I got married. We really had a hard time believing our eyes. The colors seem like they're from another world. The water is a mix between jade and sea-foam green; the 50 foot water fall is quite impressive as it spills over limestone outcroppings into the box canyon pool. The pool is open for swimming all year round and maintains a 62 degrees temperature. Although it was quite a bummer that the pool was closed to swimming due to high bacteria levels, it was nice not to have to worry about swimmers sporting Speedos getting in my shots. We'll definitely go back when the water is safe to swim in.

The history of this place is quite impressive. Cultural remains date back over 8,000 years. Prior to the 1800's Tonkawa and Lipan Apaches lived in the area. In the mid 1880s, an immigrant family from Germany bought the property to raise sheep and cattle. Legend has it that their 8 year old son discovered the collapsed grotto and they soon opened it for public use.

Eric and I spent a few hours hiking along the Hamilton Creek until it eventually spilled into the Colorado River (of Texas). We had a wonderful time and not to be corny but we both felt as though the experience was fairy-tale like. It sort of reminded me of the forest that the Wood Elves habited in The Lord of the Rings. If y'all ever visit us, this is a must see!