Krause Springs is another great swim hole near Austin. It was open for swimming when we visit but no one did because it was November I guess. It was bit cold for swimming.

However the small water fall and the swim hole surrounded by the huge trees made a really beautiful scenary.

We saw a water snake too. 

Then we left to The Oasis near lake Travis for lunch (Food was not that great. There weren't many choices. The location was good though).
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Hamilton pool preserve is a must to witness if you visit Austin. It is in dripping springs and takes less than 1 hr to drive there from Austin. It includes a beautiful waterfall and a swim hole.

The swim hole was closed when we visit due to bacteria content. The river area also was closed because of flooding damage. Still, the waterfall was amazing. You could walk behind the fall and it looks like a water curtain if the water level is high.

After spending as much time we want, we left the pool to visit Krause Springs.
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Zilker botanical garden is located in the middle of Austin city. We entered the park right before it closes so we didn't have much time to look around.

We visited the rose garden, children's garden and we saw ponds full with water lilies too.

There was lot more to see but it was getting dark and they were about to close the park. Wish if we arrived little more earlier.

Again we had to stay inside in day 7 too but day 8 was totally free. So we decided to visit Hamilton pool that day.
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Austin zoo is actually an animal sanctuary. It is not that big and not built in an attractive way. However they do have lots of animal varieties and what they are doing is great too, helping the animal in need.

Another interesting activity was to feed deer and goats by hand. They provide food at a cost and we can feed them. The also offer a small train ride to see landscaping in the area.

We could see peacocks everywhere. They have a kangaroo too but it was really hard to spot him. The animal cages are really big (which is good) and also they are double netted. That's why it's so hard to see through them.

 However we enjoyed the visit.
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We booked Habitat suites in Austin because we preferred a suite as we were going to stay there for a week.

It was a nice hotel. They had a big garden full with tropical plants, like banana, pomegranate and orange. It really is beautiful but the only drawback was lack of natural light inside rooms. Inside the suite, there's a kitchen, living room, bed room, bath room, 2 TVs. The kitchen utensils were minimal but adequate.

They provide a good quality breakfast too. Also, the staff was nice and friendly.

Day 4 and 5, we stayed inside because Saliya had to be in the conference all day for those 2 days. Next day, we got time in the afternoon so we payed a visit to the Austin zoo and Zilker botanical garden.
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Turner Falls park is located in Davis, Oklahoma. We arrived there by noon. It's kinda big park including many camping sites, two swim holes and waterfalls. The park was beautiful and attractive even in the Fall.

The swim holes were closed for the season and the fall area was closed for construction. Otherwise it would have been a nicer experience. Still, we could hike on many trails and see the beauty of nature.

This is a really great park for camping. We saw many tents near streams, bushes and inside the forest too.
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Fantastic Caverns is located in Springfield, Missouri. It is the only ride through cave in USA. They offer a tractor ride inside the cave.

The cave was really pretty. It's not a big one like Mammoth cave, TN but it is really fantastic. Looked magical with the lights.

It was 4 pm when we arrived there and it was there last ride. They had only our family for that ride but still the guide/driver did a really good job explaining the things. We felt like the cave is all ours :)

We stayed at La Quinta in Claremore, OK that night. The hotel was newly built and super clean. The staff was fabulous too.

Our next day plan was to visit Turner falls and arrive in Austin.
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Saliya had to go to SC conference in November 2015. It was held in Austin, Texas. We had never visited Texas so we all thought to drive and stay there for the week of the conference.

We drove via Springfield, MO and Oklahoma and returned via Arkansas. Following map shows our route.




We started the trip on 13th Nov and planned to stay in Claremore, OK for the night and to visit Fantastic caverns on our way
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Anderson Orchard is located in Mooresville, Indiana. It offers apple/raspberry/plum picking in their seasons. We visited there in late August 2015.

We only visited Apple patches but I think raspberry picking also was available at the time. They provide bags in different sizes at a fixed cost and we can fill the bags to take apples home. Also, we are allowed to eat as much as we want while we are there.

Picking different kinds of fresh apples from the trees was a nice experience, specially for kids.

We had lunch from Mumbai grill in Greenwood, IN and headed back home. 
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In early August 2015, we went camping in Wax camp ground, Kentucky. We visited Mammoth cave in the morning (this was our 3rd time in Mammoth cave). We took domes and dripping stones tour (former new entrance tour) and it was our 2nd time.

Then we arrived in the camping site by afternoon and setup the tents.

The camping site was just ok. There was a small lake nearby and we had a bath too. There were good bathroom facilities available. I wish if the site was more primitive/natural though.

We spent one night there and left next day. It was our very first camping trip. We'd like to do another one somewhere else someday.
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