Lady Bird Lake
I mentioned the hike-and-bike trail around Lady Bird Lake in an earlier post, but I spent so much time walking it (and took so many photos) that I’m writing about it again.
Lady Bird Lake is really a reservoir on the Colorado River. It was created in 1960 as a cooling pond for a power plant. The power plant is now defunct, but you can still see remnants of it. The lake was called Town Lake until 2007, when it was renamed in honor of Lady Bird Johnson. She had chaired the committee to beautify the lake in the 1970’s, but declined to have it named in her honor while she was alive. What a sweet story.
The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail is named after the mayor who spearheaded the beautification efforts in the 1970’s. The trail is a 10-mile loop that winds its way around (and sometimes on) the lake.
There was always plenty to see along the trail and out on the water. What was once an eyesore is now an asset to the city of Austin.
