Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Very sorry we are so late getting the report out this week but we ran out of hours in the weekend before we ran out of things to get done. I went out two of our Ranch Roads this morning, RR 152 and RR 2323, and they were pretty. When turning onto 2323 there are lots of bluebonnets and a few paintbrushes mixed in close to the storage complex. It is safe pulling into the storage area and getting out to take photos, just watch for snakes. Head on out about 6 miles to 6-Mile Cemetery and take a left, drive slowly, and there are lots of wildflowers between the road and cemetery. Get out and take a walk around the old head stones and enjoy. There is major road work being done past the cemetery and not a lot to see, so I would turn back around and head down Hwy 71 to Slab Road, Co Rd 307. That will take you into Kingsland and is a beautiful drive. Take 1431 to hwy 29 back into Llano. Turn left at the light, Hwy 16/71, and head to Main Street and turn right. This will take you to Castell and another pretty drive. The grass is just about to take over what bluebonnets are out so the sooner you get here, the better it will be, The flowers just aren’t as thick this year but what we have are really pretty. Stop by the Chamber and Visitor Center and we will give you a detailed map of where to go. While the bluebonnets aren’t the best in 2021, it looks like the reds, yellows, whites, and purples are going to be good through early June.
Monday, March 29, 2021
We were really hoping to have a better report today but so far we are just not getting a lot of growth this year. I went out Saturday morning up Hwy 16 and there are some bluebonnets beginning to grow but not anything like we normally have. Baby Head Cemetery had 3, yes, 3 bluebonnets inside the fence and maybe a few more on the outside. Hwy 29 to the east of Llano is getting a little better but still no heavy growth anywhere. Same way on RR 152, which last week I took another person’s word that it was good, after visiting it myself on Saturday, it is still needing a little more time. There are a few patches that look good but just not consistent at this time. The best area so far is RR 1431 from Hwy 29 into Kingsland and on the way out towards Marble Falls. Hwy 71 heading out of Llano towards Marble Falls is also getting better by the day with a few very thick areas.
If you like to take photos there are some great places inside Llano. By the dam at Badu Park, photo below by Derrlene Smith, the Llano Depot Garden located in the train depot just outside the Llano Visitor center, and of course, the Llano Cemetery. We home that we will have some blooms coming in the next few weeks but we are getting a little concerned now. The freeze in February may have done more damage than we thought.
Photo courtesy of Derrlene Smith
Llano County Historical Museum
Llano Depot Garden
Briley’s secret stash, but he will show you how to get there
Monday, March 22, 2021
We went out to the usual early spots on Saturday and things are beginning to look up. Along Hwy 29 East towards Fuzzy’s Corner, RR 1431, there were a few patches but nothing to really get excited about just yet. When we drove to Lake Buchanan it was pretty much the same, a few poking up but no where was there an abundance of flowers. A big surprise was Board Branch Cemetery, usually a hot spot, but there was not a single bluebonnet yet, although the yellows and purples were beginning to come out. On Sunday morning we visited the Llano Cemetery, a beautiful place to visit on any occasion, and finally we saw the state flower beginning to blossom with some abundance. RR 152 is also beginning to get some new growth and a couple of spots were looking really nice, mainly along the road, none in the fields yet at all. We are still way early in the 2021 season, probably at least 2 - 3 weeks before peak season hits. We have rain predicted for today, Monday, March 22, more rain on Wednesday, and warmer weather, so they should start producing pretty quickly.
It’s beginning to feel like spring
While there is no significant growth at this time there are more bluebonnets springing to life every day. We will give it another week to start the road by road reports throughout Llano County. Photographers would love being here right now because there is plenty of room to lay down for those amazing belly shots and macro photos. I am posting a few photos that I’ve found taken this week and one from last year that will the same area this year has twice as many blooms in.
Spring membership Drive
Our membership varies across the spectrum with businesses all over Llano…
We started our spring Membership Drive on Monday and will be holding it through March 15, 2021. The Llano Chamber of Commerce has gone through some major obstacles over the past year but remains strong with 330 plus members. Our membership varies across the spectrum with businesses all over Llano and the Texas Hill Country, and each membership is important to us. Over the next couple of weeks, we will highlight some of our benefits as well as long time members, such as The Llano News, who we work with very closely discussing community events and happenings. The Llano News has been a member of the chamber since our beginning in 1919, 102 years ago in February. Here are our first two benefits that we offer:
FREE BUSINESS REFERRALS! The Chamber handles hundreds of calls each month from folks looking for a service or business. We refer our callers and visitors to Chamber members.
Facebook Shares and Posts! We share our member's Facebook Posts to nearly 8000 “Likes” and Followers on our Llano Chamber of Commerce Facebook Page. These post also go to nearly 700 followers on Instagram and our latest endeavor, on Twitter.
Call us at 325-247-5354 or drop by our office located in the Llano Visitor Center, 100 Train Station Drive, in the Rail Yard in Llano. Working together, we can make Llano the best…Briley.
They Are Beginning to Show
It’s getting time, 2021 Bluebonnets
The Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 108, 67th Legislature, Regular Session (1981), named Llano County and Burnet County as the Co-Bluebonnet Capital Counties of Texas. We have been blessed with some of the prettiest highways the past few years and invite you to come visit Llano. Beginning March 15, 2021, we will update this blog at least once a week highlighting our wildflower drives throughout Llano County. We are also attaching a downloadable file with some of our county roads that have some of the best photo ops in the area.
The Llano Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center is open Monday - Friday, 9-5 and on Saturday from 10 - 4. If you don’t feel like getting out of the car to come in, give us a call at 325-247-5354 and we will bring a prepackaged bag to your car in the parking lot telling about Llano and the best places to go.
A few things we like to mention, the county roads are public thorough fares but all the property is private, so please, just stay on the road. This is also Texas, and we have lots of critters that like to hide in the grass and wildflowers, such as rattle snakes and cottonmouths, so be very careful out there. Lastly, we ask that you take only photos and leave only memories, Keep Llano Beautiful and no littering.