Commons Ford Ranch is one of my favorite places to go hike in Austin. There is a diverse range of flowers right now and identifying them can be really fun and sometimes challenging. In order here are what I believe are the correct names of the flowering plants below. 1. Thryallis 2. Rock Flax, 3. Zexmenia, 4. Ratany, 5. Two-Leaved Senna 6. Barbara’s Buttons 7. ? 8. Standing Cypress, 9. Bull Nettle 10. Mealy Sage 11. Orange Milkweed 12. Skeleton-Plant
Commons Ford Flowers
Commons Ford Ranch
A few photos from a hike at the ranch. Beautiful day!
Commons Ford Relics
Commons Ford Ranch has to be one of my favorite places to hike in Austin. I shared my first post about it back on December 4th. The other day I decided to try a different trail and discovered many artifacts and relics of this land’s history that I had not seen before. These kinds of discoveries always get my imagination going. Who lived here previously and what were their lives like? I suppose it’s somewhat sad to think that the rusty and dilapidated remnants might be most all there is left of someone’s long-lived life. Tractor implements, a silo, barbed wire, a collapsed building, tires, and what looks like a well, skillfully built with care.
Commons Ford Ranch
The Colorado River as seen from Commons Ford Ranch, with Bald Cypress Trees and a old boat house.
While I was hiking around Commons Ford Ranch today, something happened to me that was definitely a new experience. It’s something that I have often fantasized about and have thought about how nice it would be. Turns out it has happened before at this same location. I’m not alone.
An extremely tame Eastern Phoebe interacted with me in a very forward way. At first, it just came close and I thought, great I can get a pic with my phone. When it flew right up to me and almost landed on my shoulder, I knew this was different. For the next few minutes as I took pictures and videos, the bird nipped at my ears, grabbed at my beard, landed on my phone and head and shoulders, and poked me in the eye. It almost seemed like it was trying to eat me or gather nesting material from my body somehow. Ouch!
After that my hike was fairly uneventful but really enjoyable. The trail map I found online definitely did not show all of the trails. I started at the old barn and followed the wide mowed path towards and along the river. You actually can’t see the river until you get to the end, past a long line of huge pecan trees. Then you come to a large open space with an old boathouse, a line of Bald Cypress trees along the water, people having picnics, and playing with their dogs. This is as far as I usually go. Not this time!
The bulk of the trails meander through dense woods, up and down hills and gullies, and took me almost a mile to the opposite side of the property to a boundary fence. Only saw two people on the deeper trails away from the water, and they said I was the first person they had ever seen on that side. I was impressed by the diverse landscape of the park and wish that I had decided to explore it sooner while living in Austin. Bonus, there is an old log cabin. That seals the deal for me. I’ll be back for sure.
“Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park is a significant cultural landscape in one of the most natural park settings in Austin. Like all the land in Texas, the area around Commons Ford Ranch Park was originally occupied by Native Americans. ”
Looking north from a high trail towards the river. I was happy to find a view without houses.