Mount Bonnell

One of our major cross streets goes by many names, Koenig, Allandale, et. al, but generally the number designation holds throughout the city of Austin: Ranch Road 2222. About ten minutes away along 2222 is a left turn for Mt. Bonnell Way, and in another five minutes a driver will be able to park and walk up a tiny hill to the top of the eponomous mountain and get some nice views of Austin. For those of us that used to take a subway to "our" nearest bar, a quick drive (less in time than Basswood to Sunrise Mall) that takes you to a mountain top overlooking the entire city you now live in is pretty damn spectacular.

Our old pal Tony came to visit last week, and we went up to Mt. Bonnell early on during his visit. That day was cloudy and slightly crappy out, and I forgot the camera, but I just went recently and snapped some pictures that I thought I'd share.

First, I thought it was funny when you have to put up a sign saying what appears to be "No Dynamite Throwing" (probably just fire crackers)...



...but then you see that there is a sheer cliff down to a rich neighborhood along the Colorado River (one of the few Colorado Rivers in the States...)



From the top of a picnic table you can see the skyline of Austin...the tower on the left is the UT tower, where the dude set up shop and sniped a bunch of students in the '70s. The Capital Dome is mostly obstructed, but if you know where to look, it's slightly visible.



Here's another shot of the bend in the Colorado River as it heads towards the heart of the city, getting a name change in the process to "City Lake" before winding away from town and reclaiming "Colorado River" as a name...



And here's one last shot opposite the previous one...the Route 360 bridge is visible in the distance, as well as the rich neighborhood beneath the park that doesn't want to be pelted by rocks, bottles, or dynamite.