Austin - Texas State Capitol

We arrived in the Austin area (Buda, TX - about 15 miles south of Austin) and discovered we were next door to a Cabela's store. We had never been to one before, so we spent a few hours. Lots of wildlife and displays.




The store is complete with its own mountain and bush plane!

The next day was cool and rainy but that didn't dampen our spirits as we explored Austin, Texas' Capitol City.

One of the funnier statues is this one built to honor Angelina Eberly. Seems the Republic's President Sam Houston did not care for Austin as the seat of government. After unsuccessfully trying to move it, he decided to steal in, take everything and let the nay-sayers complain later (ala the way the Colts took everything out of Baltimore in the middle of the night). But Mrs Eberly saw what was happening and fired a cannon to alert the citizens. Seems she blew a large hole in the Land Office building in the process.



We toured the State Capitol - the largest in the country.

Behind the Speaker of the House's Chair is the flag that flew over the Texans at the Battle of San Jacinto, the final battle of the War with Mexico where the Texas Republic became secure.



A short walk from the capitol is the campus of University of Texas. The centerpiece of the campus is the Texas Tower. Originally built as a library, this was the scene of a deadly afternoon in 1968 when a deranged gunman shot and killed many innocent civilians before being killed by a police officer.



Just off campus is the Texas State Museum. The museum has a wonderful progression of the story of Texas from the very early days to modern day.
At days end, we watched Avatar in the IMAX theater. The 3-D effects were spectacular as was the movie.
Tomorrow, on to San Antonio!