Calendar

Upper Barton Creek Hike – Saturday, April 14, 2018

Outing Leaders: JanB & JennyF

RSVP on MeetUp please

What: Upper Barton Creek hike including ‘The Hill of Life’

When: Saturday, April 14, 2018 @ 9:00 a.m.

Who: everyone, including guests and well behaved dogs on a leash

Distance: approx. 6 miles roundtrip (out and back)

Difficulty: mostly moderate (rocky, roots) to moderately difficult (rocky Hill of Life incline)

Time: approx. 2.5- 3 hours

Scenery: Barton Creek, waterfalls if the water is flowing

Cost: free

How to reach trailhead: From MoPac, take Loop 360 exit and head west on Loop 360. Turn left at the light at the intersection of 360 and Scottish Woods Trail. The road on the other side of 360 from Scottish Woods is called Westbank. Drive down Scottish Woods Trail until you get to a T in the road. Park along the road on Scottish Woods Trail because the other roads in this area are much narrower. The entrance to the Barton Creek Greenbelt is just to the right of the T intersection of Scottish Woods Trail and Camp Craft Road on Camp Craft Road.

Please be advised this is a residential area and respond accordingly.

Bring: water, suitable shoes (rough terrain), snacks, sun protection and possibly trekking poles.

Trail map: www.texasoutside.com/bartongreenbelt.htm!

Please sign up on Meetup.

Thanks and hope to see you on the trail!

The J Team

Leader: MarshaK

Distance:  4 -5 miles at a very brisk pace

Difficulty:  moderate to difficult; these hikes are not for beginners and are fast paced.

Meet at Marsha’s house before 7:30 am and will depart promptly at 7:30.  Late arrivals will be left behind.

Group will finish before 9:30 as Marsha needs time to prep for church.

Water is required as well as good walking shoes.  Sticks are also helpful.

Dogs must be on leash.  Prepare to pick up your dog’s poop.  Furnish water for your dog.

Contact MarshaK via email by Saturday evening if you wish to walk with her.

“PEOPLE OF THE PECOS” GALLERY AT THE WITTE MUSEUM 

Day Trip to San Antonio

Friday, April 20

RSVP by midnight, Monday, April 16, and tell *where you will meet our group for this trip* and if any other people will accompany you to Marilyn  or Carrie  to participate in this outing.

Overview: Lacy Finley, member of the Board of Directors of Shumla Foundation, will be the speaker at our June 26 TOWN meeting. Shumla is the research and education organization dedicated to preserving and studying the Lower Pecos Indian Rock Art in West Texas. In this day trip carpool to the Witte Museum in San Antonio, which now houses the collections and research on those prehistoric stories in stone that are “unmatched in North America.” If she’s available to accompany us as she intends, Ms. Finley herself will enhance your learning experience with stories of Shumla’s work and latest insights.

We’ll spend about 3 hours at the museum. Then we’ll drive to the Japanese Tea Garden (3853 N. St. Mary’s Street), have lunch at their cafe (Jingu House), and walk the paths of the Garden. Departing from the Japanese Garden as your driver decides, probably by 3PM.

What:  Day Trip to the Witte Museum in San Antonio, followed by lunch and a walk through the Japanese Gardens

When:  All day Friday, April 20

Where: When you RSVP let us know at *which place* (below) you’d like to meet for carpooling & how many people:    8:30 AM at the Walmart in Buda on Old San Antonio Rd., SW side of parking lot near Jaliscos (Walmart is behind the HEB on Main St. & IH35)

OR

—> 8:30 AM Southpark Meadows shopping center (9500 IH-35 South Austin, TX 78748) in front of Super Target

OR

—> 10 AM at the Witte Museum, (3801 Broadway in Brackenridge Park, San Antonio; Free parking is available in the Brackenridge Park Parking Garage on Avenue B).

Who:  TOWN members and guests are invited

What to Bring:  $11-$12 museum admission, your lunch money ($7-20), your share of gasoline cost to be offered to your driver, plus personal snacks as desired, a hat for midday walking in the sun, sunscreen, sunglasses.

Why:  On June 26 Lacy Finley with the Shumla Foundation will be speaking at our monthly meeting on their latest findings and methods of investigation on the Pecos Indian Rock Art. The Foundation has revealed scientific insights on the people who painted their stories on rock. If you have been to Seminole Canyon or one of the Paint Rock Preserves, you know the importance those sites bring to our understanding of first nations and their lifestyles.

About the exhibit:

Kittie West Nelson Ferguson People of the Pecos Gallery – (the main focus of our visit)

You will travel back in time thousands of years in this gallery where the focus is on the prehistoric hunter-gatherers of Texas who embraced their bountiful natural environment.

Spanning the entire second floor of the New Witte, the gallery provides a unique look at a fascinating culture.  Explore the sheltered overhangs in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands that provided a way of life for more than 9,000 years and an artistic record unmatched in North America. See projected images of rock art that span nearly 4,000 years of artistic expression and visual narratives of ancient stories.

Two labs, Lifeways and Nancy Smith Hurd Rock Art, will provide interactive opportunities for families to experience ancient lifeways.

To read about the other exhibits, check out their website: https://www.wittemuseum.org

Leader: MarshaK

Distance:  4 -5 miles at a very brisk pace

Difficulty:  moderate to difficult; these hikes are not for beginners and are fast paced.

Meet at Marsha’s house before 7:30 am and will depart promptly at 7:30.  Late arrivals will be left behind.

Group will finish before 9:30 as Marsha needs time to prep for church.

Water is required as well as good walking shoes.  Sticks are also helpful.

Dogs must be on leash.  Prepare to pick up your dog’s poop.  Furnish water for your dog.

Contact MarshaK via email by Saturday evening if you wish to walk with her.

Monthly meetings are held on the 4th Tuesday of the month. The location is the Northwest Recreation Center at 2913 Northland Dr, 78757. Enter the front doors, look left, and you will see and hear us.

Tonight will be a different type of meeting.  We will host A Celebration of Judy Loving.  Because Judy has been so ill, we decided to celebration her contribution to TOWN-Austin.

Please join us.  Jacque

Time for kayaking!

Lifejackets/PFDs are mandatory for this outing!

We meet at the Rowing Dock on the s. shore of Lady Bird Lake, behind Zilker Park (www.rowingdock.com) between 5:30 and 6, planning to be on the water by 6 pm in the sleek new boats with great seats and working footpegs.  $15 (cash preferred) will rent your boat, paddle, and lifejacket as we head upstream toward Tom Miller Dam, or downstream to admire the skyline and downtown buildings.

If you are new to TOWN or haven’t been out with us in a while or have an afternoon open, you can’t find a better way to enjoy the heart of Austin than on a cool, leisurely paddle on Lady Bird Lake.  Two hours of scenery, sights, and enjoyable chatting to your fellow-TOWNies and their guests, followed by a social hour enjoyment on dry land at venues such as Shady Grove, Maudie’s, Rudy’s Barbecue . . . and the Four Seasons.  Not kidding, but not usual, either.

If you have your own boat, you can put in behind the Rowing Dock at no charge.  We will help you tote it from your car to the small dock.

Leader: MarshaK

Distance:  4 -5 miles at a very brisk pace

Difficulty:  moderate to difficult; these hikes are not for beginners and are fast paced.

Meet at Marsha’s house before 7:30 am and will depart promptly at 7:30.  Late arrivals will be left behind.

Group will finish before 9:30 as Marsha needs time to prep for church.

Water is required as well as good walking shoes.  Sticks are also helpful.

Dogs must be on leash.  Prepare to pick up your dog’s poop.  Furnish water for your dog.

Contact MarshaK via email by Saturday evening if you wish to walk with her.

CANCELED

Please RSVP to Meetup:   https://www.meetup.com/TOWN-Austin/events/248027436/
Host:  KayS
Email:  KayS with questions

What: Camping, hiking, fishing

When: Friday May 4 – Sunday May 6

Where: Huntsville State Park
565 Park Road 40 west, Huntsville, TX 77340
https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/huntsville

Who: Townies, family, guests and well-behaved dogs

Details:
Huntsville State Park- Beautiful park with lots of huge trees, wildlife and a lake for fishing. The trails are for hiking only. I will lead a hike Saturday morning at 9 Am. There are free fishing rods to be checked out. So our Townie fisherman might enjoy this park. I have Coloneh campsite area with electricity and water. There are 14 sites available with water and electricity as of 2/21/18. Make your reservations here: http://texas.reserveworld.com/

Things to do in the area:
Texas Prison Museum
Gibbs- Powell Home Museum
Heart Veterans Museum

On Saturday Nite, at 5:00, we’ll have a Cinco De Mayo Potluck. Bring anything to go on tacos. I’ll bring Tortillas and Taco meat. Brave souls can do the Mexican hat Dance with me.

• What to bring
All the usual gear, something to share for Cinco De Mayo potluck Saturday night.

• Important to know
East Texas Pineywoods, short drive north of Houston, in the Sam Houston National Forest.

NOT A TOWN-AUSTIN SPONSORED OUTING

American Botanical Council Herbal Talk and Plant Sale    http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/Calendar/1493871518?view=Detail&id=119483

Leader: MarshaK

Distance:  4 -5 miles at a very brisk pace

Difficulty:  moderate to difficult; these hikes are not for beginners and are fast paced.

Meet at Marsha’s house before 7:30 am and will depart promptly at 7:30.  Late arrivals will be left behind.

Group will finish before 9:30 as Marsha needs time to prep for church.

Water is required as well as good walking shoes.  Sticks are also helpful.

Dogs must be on leash.  Prepare to pick up your dog’s poop.  Furnish water for your dog.

Contact MarshaK via email by Saturday evening if you wish to walk with her.