Found myself in Georgetown one day with some time to kill. I came across Blue Hole Park and thought, why not. The hike started on the pavement, but the South San Gabriel River was beautiful here.
The South San Gabriel River rises in the Texas Hill Country near the town of Burnet and flows thirty-four miles to its junction with the North San Gabriel River within the city limits of Georgetown Texas. In my previous post about the dams on the San Gabriel and how they came to be the South San Gabriel was promised a dam, but it never materialized.
Blue Hole is a swimming area but it is chilly today so that ain’t happening. It has a really neat picnic area tucked up in among the cliffs.
I wandered on through the park and came upon this…….
Now this is more like it! The Pickett Trail is only 1/2 mile but almost every step is rugged.
The Pickett Trail was named for Bill Pickett an early rodeo cowboy born in Williamson County, near the town of Taylor. He was the son of former African American and Cherokee slaves. Pickett developed and introduced the rodeo sport of bulldogging; the rider rides alongside the bull then jumps off his horse grabbing the bull by the horns and twisting its head to bring it down. Pickett starred in Buffalo Bill’s Show and also took the stage with Will Rogers. Bill Pickett enjoyed a brief movie career.
At the age of 18 Pickett and his brothers started the Pickett Brothers Bronco Busters and Rough Riders Association, a horse breaking and cowboy services company.
While rodeoing Pickett had to claim that he was 100% Cherokee Indian as blacks were not permitted to participate. He is the first African American to be inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
The trail runs along the top of the bluffs along the South San Gabriel River. It became quite rugged the longer I went.
The trail ends at Chautauqua Park a small park in a neighborhood. So, I have to retrace my steps or street walk back to the car. I pick the former, walking neighborhood streets is no fun.
A lucky find to kill some time and surprisingly rugged for an urban hike.
Old Man Wandering 