enchanted
rock
Enchanted
Rock---a giant granite dome over a thousand feet high--- is the second largest individual rock in the world. The largest
is way out in the outback of Australia.
Located
about 100 miles west of Austin, this is a prime spot for hiking and camping.
Two of the state's Bed and Breakfast capitals are nearby, with Llano (pronounced
'lano' and not 'yano', as one might think) about 20 miles to the north,
and Fredricksburg (home to a fabulous German biergarten) a similar distance
to the south.
Enchanted
Rock was considered sacred ground to the Comanches who lived here before
they were 'displaced' by Texan settlers. Halfway up the rock, there is
a plaque commemorating a fight where one lone Texas Ranger held off a band
of Comanches. I suppose it is possible, given the commanding view a person
can have from the dome. I have read recently that this story might be apocryphal---
but no, I think it is indeed true. If it's not, well, it should be.
It's
hard to get an idea of just what a huge scale we're seeing in these photos.
This is my daughter, aged nine, standing before an average sized boulder
on the rocks' face. There is also a narrow passageway, you could hardly
call it a cave, but it is possible to travel though the inside of the Rock
from near the summit to the base. I climbed part way down into this 'cave'
and saw the nests of 'grandaddy long-legs' in there and said NO THANKS!
All text and photographs
1997,
Randal P. Dean
E-mail me at
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