South Llano River State Park and Turkeys...

Young turkeys crossing the campground headed for roosting area

Junction, Texas is about 2 hours west of San Antonio and we have travelled past it many a time on our way from San Antonio to visit family in Odessa over the past 15 years.  That stretch of I-10 is long, fairly straight and you can go 80 mph for much of it.  But not so in our RV - rather than a 5 1/2 hour drive, it is more like a 7 hour drive. We decided to break up our Christmas trip both coming and going by stopping at South Llano River State Park just 3 miles south of Junction.

Red Oak still in color on Buck Lake

This proved to be a great decision on our part allowing us to have a little quiet time both before and after all the family gatherings and Christmas celebrations.  We were able to arrive well rested and calm and then afterward we had a few days to hike and rest and get that calm back.  The restorative powers of nature are amazing.
 

South Llano River

Prickly Pear Cactus in purple death throws

One of the coolest things about this park is that from October 1 to April 1, a portion of the park is a designated Turkey Roost Area.  As many as 800 young turkeys winter here.  They need  proximity to the river for water and the thick growth of oak, pecan and other trees that extend to the water’s edge for their nightly protection.  During the day the turkeys roam the area and nearby ranches ‘scratching’ for food and then return to the park to roost at night.  

Turkey track

Cardinals in bird blind area

 

There are also several miles of both hiking and biking trails near heavily wooded warbler and vireo habitat.  Besides the turkey roost area, there are two nice bird blinds in the park.  The enclosed blinds have comfortable chairs and benches along with pictures, bird books and lists to help identify what birds are there.  We even saw an armadillo taking advantage of the water feature in one of the bird blinds.  You will only see the turkeys from October to April, but this is a great park for birding year round.

Approaching the 'Roost'

 

 

 

David and Maya enjoying the pecan log bench