York Creek run near the border of Hays and Comal Counties in central Texas. I-35 crosses it just south of San Marcos and except for the highway sign announcing the crossing, you might not know it was there.

This spot falls into the category of a place I’ve driven by hundreds of times and never stopped to look. Today I decided to stop and discovered it’s quite pretty.

It’s such a small creek that it’s not shown on some maps. Tracing it on a satellite view, I found that it starts near Hunter and eventually flows into the San Marcos River.

I was driving on I-35 and passed it. I doubled back and parked my truck. This spot is just east of the interstate and you can see the highway’s bridge at the far right of the photograph. I was immediately attracted to the bluff on the southern side. There must be at least a 12 foot difference in height between the south and north banks. The large oaks grow right to the edge on the bluff side, but there aren’t large trees on the northern bank.

York Creek

Here’s a view facing east and away from the interstate. I was disappointed by the amount of garbage in and near the creek. I was careful to exclude from these photos, but the poor creek needs help, at least at this spot. It must be because of the nearby highway.

York Creek

While leaving, I spotted this tiny thistle growing flat to the ground. It has been wet and misty for the last few days and it was covered in rain or dew. I had to record it.

Thistle And Dew