Paint Rock, Texas

This morning we took the 45 minute drive to Paint Rock,Texas. The population is only 273 but it's the site of hundreds of Indian Pictographs along a rock bluff overlooking a once widely-used Indian campground. The site has been in the same ranching family since the 1870s and was closed to the public for years due to vandalism. However, there has been more interest so the owners have given guided tours for quite a few years now. 

It's amazing to see how well the rock art was preserved from 200-500 years ago. Most are red but there is also black, white and yellow paint. Our guide showed us how the red paint was made from zinc oxide and also gave us tons of history tidbits about the area!

My pictures aren't very good at all but I didn't want to miss a word Bill said and I was also pre-occupied keeping the busy toddler out of ant hills. If you look closely you should be able to see some of the paintings. Many tell stories of hunts and raids as well as some solar markers that suggest the site was once a spiritual meeting place of some tribes.

To the left of this is a river and Bill is certain that the Indians used this bluff in buffalo drives. It was a perfect set-up, with the bluffs and water nearby to aid in the butchering process.

The Campbells also have 2 bison that roam their ranch. We got to see them VERY close up when we drove out. They are huge! The visitor center is chock full of artifacts and antique items, many of which we assumed were family heirlooms. We didn't get to check it all out as much as we wanted but it was super interesting! If you're ever in central Texas I highly recommend visiting! The owners are Fred and Kay Campbell and can be reached at 325-732-4376 to set up a tour.

After the tour the the children were hot and starving so we drove 30 minutes to Ballinger and found an awesome City Park for a picnic! They have mini golf and a pool on site plus lots of playground equipment. After a few hours they were finally ready to head home. Except Ethan, he is almost never ready to leave a playground!

This nice newish playset and.............

............they preferred the old, rickety see-saw :).

A statue of an Indian named "Friend".

I think this was the Colorado River that flowed through the park. We saw several people fishing there when we left. The park also has water and electric hook-ups for only $15 a night. The road in is a little bumpy but here is no low trees to prevent an RV from easily getting in.