Austin Hikes

One thing I love about Austin is all of the hiking and outdoor activities it has to offer! And the weather is almost perfect year round so we can get outside and enjoy! We had a warm weekend, and we were free of activities so we got out and did some hiking! 

Our first stop was to the Blue Hole in Georgetown. We ended up parking at a playground just up the road and then hiking down to the Blue Hole.

There was a paved trail, but we opted for the "rough" trail that wasn't paved. 

We always bring water with us and a snack just in case, and we brought Gabby along! 

There were a ton of people fishing at the Blue Hole and in the summer time, it's an awesome swimming spot! We just haven't been in the summer. But, it's super close to downtown Georgetown and off I35. 

You can park right at the Blue Hole, or you can park at Hat Creek nearby and walk down. I'm actually glad though that we parked at the playground and hiked Pikett Trail. It made us feel a little more "out of the city"

Just on the other side of the river is apartments, which feels a little not so out of the city, but I kept telling DJ that those people have prime access to the river and I was super jealous of them!

We hiked almost 2 miles and then let the girls play at the playground before we called it a day. 

The next day, we decided to go hiking again, and this time we went to McKinney Falls State Park in downtown Austin. You do have to have reservations for this park, which is  why we couldn't go on Saturday. But, it worked out, because the weather was still gorgeous and this time, Gretchen could go too! 

They all went off and left me! I am definitely not a fast walker, but I blame it on my short legs. 

And eventually, I got to walk Gabby which slowed me down more! Ha!. If I'm not walking her, she'll turn around and stop and wait for me to keep up. She's the only one in my family who doesn't ditch me. LOL.

We hiked the onion creek loop is just under 3 miles. It's all paved which is nice. 

We eventually made it around to McKinney Falls, and again, there were lots of people fishing! In the spring and summer this place is crowded with people swimming! 

We let the girls climb around on the rocks, and we sat and just enjoyed the views, people, and taking a rest before finishing the end of our hike. 

In a few weeks, we have a camping trip planned with a lot of hiking, so we were thankful to get out, break in our legs, and hopefully we'll have a little more time and some more warmer weather before going out again.

If you have hiking trails in your area, I'd so encourage you to get out! No lie, I came home and layed on the couch both days afterwards, but it was so fun spending time together, and enjoying the outdoors and sunshine! 

 

Get Out Pass: Mt Playmore

We've had our Get Out Pass for several months, and sometimes we get so busy that we aren't able to use it! The Get Out Pass is available in so many cities and states and it's definitely something your family should check out! You purchase one pass for each family member, and you can each get in free to several events and fun places in your area! You can also use the code ITSELAINEWELTE

Last Sunday the girls were itching for something to do, so we redeemed one of our passes and headed to Mt. Playmore, which is a big indoor playground and arcade in our area. 

We had passes for each of the girls and myself, so we just had to pay for Nana to get in, and the cost for that was less than $3.00. These girls were ready to play! 

After they played for a bit, we gave each of the girls $10.00 so they could play games in the arcade. 

They played for a while, redeemed their points for prizes and had the best time!

I was so thankful to get out of the house and use our Get Out Pass! We are hoping to use our passes a few more times this Fall! Don't forget to use the code ITSELAINEWELTE to save on passes for your family! 

 

Our Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Last Friday, we ditched our school work for a little field trip to the pumpkin patch! The fact that we could go on a Friday when most kids are in school and the farm was less crowded was perfection. The only problem was that DJ had to miss out on our trip :( 

But, we made it a girls day and made the best of it. 

Each year that we've lived in Austin, we've visited a different pumpkin patch. But, I think we finally found "the one." It was a bit of a drive, but Sweet Berry Farm in Marble Falls, Tx was so fun. 

The girls were able to bounce all by themselves and had the best time racing each other back and forth. 

They were living their best lives. 

The pumpkin patch set up lots and lots of picture cut outs all around the farm and the girls took advantage. 

We headed to the kids corn maze and with Gretchen as our guide, we easily found the back of the maze and rang the bell. 

Gretchen heard somewhere to always stay to the left, so that's what we did! 

Addy was so excited to pick out pumpkins but I told her she had to wait until the very end. 

More fun picture cut outs. 

I mean, they could've sat a little closer and pretended like they liked each other. 

Just three girls and their momma. 

We brought a picnic lunch and played with goats. 

The goats were so fun- and so hungry! 

The girls had a little pony ride. 

And made sand art. 

Lots and lots of pictures were taken! 

The farm was divided in to two sections, so after finishing up in one area, we made our way across the street for a hayride and flower picking. 

The little girls rode a train while big sis and I waited. 

Then we hopped on the hay ride! 

There were lots and lots of scarecrow displays throughout the hayride. 

Before we picked flowers, there was yet, another picture spot. I asked Gretchen if she wanted in and she did not- ha! 

The flowers were gorgeous and we easily picked a bunch within a few minutes! 

That view! 

We finally made our way back over, and the girls picked out their pumpkins- they were huge!!! 

This was the first year that all of the girls were able to really handle their pumpkins themselves. I let Gretchen take a wheelbarrow and the girls did all the work! 

They even loaded them in to the car! 

Now that we have our pumpkins, our front porch is finally complete and we'll carve them sometime this week!