[amc] Church Picnic, Saturday, July 31st
- From: "Eva Owens" <eowens@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "'Austin Mennonite Church'" <amc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 15:44:27 -0500
Hello everyone:
The fellowship committee got together a few weeks ago and decided it
would be great to host a church picnic potluck. We would like to invite
you all to a picnic/cook-out at Krause Springs on Saturday, July 31st,
2004 from 12 p.m. on. Krause Springs is out west on 71 West about 35
minutes away from Austin. It's a great place for families and everyone
alike. It's got two swimming options. One is a regular pool with shallow
and deep end that's spring fed and then another natural spring pool
(pictured below) with lots of rocks to lie on and a big waterfall to
swim under. There's lots of grass and picnics tables and shade. The
fellowship committee will provide hamburgers, hotdogs, etc. and we
thought everyone else could bring sides, dessert, and such.
We hope you can take some time out of your busy weekend schedule to come
to the picnic. I'm sure it will be loads of fun for all. Please RSVP to
me, Eva, (eowens@xxxxxxxxxx) at some point so we can get a head count
for food.
The price of admission for Krause Springs is $2.50 for children 4 to 11
and $3 for those 12 and older. There just happened to be an article
about the place in the Statesman last week. I pasted it below.
Take care,
EO
Krause Springs
Picture-perfect swimming
By Pamela LeBlanc <mailto:pleblanc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, June 25, 2004
<http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/swimmingholes/lhs_Krause_Spr
ings_2.html>
Laura Skelding/AMERICAN-STATESMAN
(enlarge
<http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/swimmingholes/lhs_Krause_Spr
ings_2.html> photo)
Andrea Yeric, 9, lets the water fall around her at Krause Springs.
Swimming holes map
Swimming holes
(See articles for driving directions)
1.
<http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/swimmingholes/swim_krause.ht
ml> Krause Springs, Spicewood
2.
<http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/swimmingholes/swim_bluehole.
html> Blue Hole Park, Georgetown
3.
<http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/swimmingholes/swim_hamilton.
html> Hamilton Pool Preserve, southwestern Travis County
4.
<http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/swimmingholes/swim_others.ht
ml#bullcreek> Bull Creek District Park, Northwest Austin
5.
<http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/swimmingholes/swim_barton.ht
ml> Barton Creek Greenbelt, West Austin
6.
<http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/swimmingholes/swim_others.ht
ml#montopolis> Montopolis Bridge, East Austin on the Colorado River
7.
<http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/swimmingholes/swim_others.ht
ml#mckinney> McKinney Falls State Park, southeastern Travis County
8.
<http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/swimmingholes/swim_others.ht
ml#fivemile> Five Mile Dam (Dudley Johnson Park), Blanco River just
north of San Marcos
MORE ON THIS STORY
Related stories
*
<http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/swimmingholes/index.html>
Introduction: Rain has filled our favorite swimming holes
* Let's
<http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/swimmingholes/26swim.html>
teach 2,004 kids to swim safely this summer
_____
YOUR SWIM MEMORIES
Got your own favorite Central Texas swimming hole? Tell us where it is
and what makes it special, and send us photos from your swims there.
Words and photos should be sent to readerphotos@
<mailto:readerphotos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> statesman.com by Friday, July 2 for
posting.
_____
Pull into the grass parking area, pay your entrance fee to 81-year-old
Elton Krause, who sits under an umbrella at a table by the gate, and
make your way down the shady path to the spring-fed swimming pool.
It's cold and it's clear, but the real jewel lies just beyond - down the
25 or so stone steps that lead to the natural pool. Clamber over the
wide limestone bank, spread out your towel and hop in the water.
A waterfall spills over a cliff so lush with ferns it looks like
something out of Jurassic Park. Paddle under the downspout and retreat
into the shady, water-filled grotto behind it. Or plop down in the
trench the water has carved in the rock off on one side and let the
stream rush around you. Or climb onto the Volkswagen-sized boulder next
to a towering cypress tree, grab the rope hanging there and swing out
over the pool and into what's quite possibly the area's best swimming
hole.
Krause was born just 3 miles from here, and bought the property in the
1960s. In the 1970s, he turned it into Krause Springs, a public park
with stone picnic tables and restrooms. The site, once a campground for
Native Americans, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Julie Yeric brought her children and their cousins here recently because
they prefer their swimming without the chlorine and chaos of the
neighborhood pool. "It looks like a movie set to me," Yeric said. "It's
not Kauai, but it's got a unique look. We love natural beauty and this
is God-made or nature-made, and it's just beautiful."
Andrew, 28, and Gina Miller, 27, picked Krause Springs for their wedding
last August. They returned recently, sprawling out on slabs of
sun-warmed limestone. "This is my favorite spot to swim, and I've been
coming here for 12 years," Gina Miller said.
If you go ...
Krause Springs is 34 miles west of Austin in Spicewood. Take Texas 71
west to Spur 191. Turn right, go about a mile, then turn right again
onto County Road 404. Krause Springs is about a half-mile down on your
left.
Admission is $2.50 for children 4 to 11 and $3 for those 12 and older.
No pets. For camping reservations, call (830) 693-4181.
-----Original Message-----
From: Eva Owens [mailto:eowens@xxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 11:14 AM
To: 'rdkoehn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx'
Subject: fellowship committee
Hello Bob:
Sorry its taken me a while to get back to you. It took me a while to
find your email address. Krause Springs is a go. They said as long as
we get there before noon and stake out some space (tables) that we
should be fine. Do you want to send out the announcement or should I?
below is some information and directions for the park.
Eva Owens
Krause Springs, 34 miles west of Austin in Spicewood, is possibly the
most beautiful swimming hole in the state. Situated on a bluff
overlooking Cypress Creek, Krause Springs is actually two swimming holes
in one. As the rolling ranch land begins its rapid descent to the creek
and Lake Travis, the Krause home sits at a high point with the parking
lot. At the next level below the house is the spring-fed swimming pool
and below that is the creek, lined with towering cypress trees and a
waterfall coming over a cliff covered with ferns.
Elton and Jane Krause bought the property in the 1950s from an aunt.
Every year, Elton, his sons, and hired help find more improvements to
add to the privately owned park. They did all of the landscaping that
makes the area look like a tropical oasis and built all of the rock
picnic benches. They used to have wooden picnic tables, but after every
weekend the tables would be clustered together and they would have to
spread them all out again. Elton retired to operate the park full-time
in 1994.
The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was
probably used by Native Americans for centuries before white settlers
arrived.
There are 32 springs throughout the campground, which made it perfect
for the original Native American residents and now benefits latter-day
campers and swimmers. Two springs feed the 70' by 20' swimming pool at a
rate of 70 gallons a minute at a temperature of about 70 degrees. The
springs have never slowed down, even during severe drought.
Over the years, the Krauses have added 24 sites with hookups for
recreational vehicles. The tent camping area is a meadow above the creek
with lots of shade trees. Boaters often put in at the boat ramp at the
LCRA park at the end of Spur 191 and ride around to the campground.
Hikers are welcome to explore the trails on the property, but are
reminded to respect fence lines.
Krause Springs is west of Austin off of TX 71 and Spur 191 into
Spicewood. Take Texas Highway 71 west from Austin, cross the Pedernales
River, drive 7 miles, turn right on Spur 191 at the Exxon Station, right
on County Road 404 and look for a sign on the left directing you to this
private park.
The campground is open year-round and during the summer months for
swimming, 9am-dusk.
Admission is $2 for children up to 11 years old and $2.50 for everyone
else Monday through Thursday; the price goes up by 50cents Friday
through Sunday and holidays. Camping is $3 for children and $6 for
adults with an additional $3 charge for RVs. Pets are not allowed. For
more information or to make camping reservations, call the Krauses at
830/693-4181.
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