Waco to Austin 125 miles. 1st November 2025.
Returning to the hotel last night we noticed that many of the local roads had been closed and barricaded off. When we enquired with reception the reason for this, we were told that the Baylor homecoming parade would be taking place at 7.00am on Saturday. At first we thought that this would be too early for us but after due consideration decided it was too good an opportunity to miss. So we rose early this morning and made our way to the downtown area where crowds had already began to surround the streets.
Many families had come equipped with chairs, flasks of coffee and other breakfast items. Many of the children carried buckets with them, I thought full of sweets from last nights Halloween rounds.
The parade started a couple of blocks from where we stood and we could hear the familiar sound of a marching band leading the way.
Following the band were representatives of the various departments of the university in an assortment of vehicles and some on foot.
Many were throwing sweets to the children as they passed and the kids were running into the road to retrieve their bounty and put it in their buckets. That was what they were for!
I’d heard of homecoming from songs and movies but hadn’t really known what it was about, apparently it’s when former students return to university to catch up with old friends. It is also linked to the big football game that was taking place on Saturday morning. The homecoming King and Queen passed in a horse drawn carriage and it was also interesting to see former homecoming queens represented as well.
A lovely sight on an early Saturday morning but I don’t understand why it was on so early, it would have been better in the sunny afternoon.
After returning to the hotel we had a warming breakfast and loaded the car. One of the sights we wanted to see in Waco was the Mammoth National Monument and took the opportunity on the way to Austin. The site houses the remains of 24 Colombian Mammoths and is especially important as it is the only place that has the remains of a nursery herd. It was discovered by accident in 1978 when two teenage boys saw what they thought to be a human skull near the river. As most boys would, they dug it up and realised far from being a human bone it was the femur of a much larger animal. Subsequent research by Baylor University identified it as a Colombian mammoth and a formal dig was organised.
The dig is still continuing and more fossils and bones are still being discovered. A very articulate and well informed guide described the events that are thought to have lead to the demise of these creatures. A most stimulating and interesting stop, I’m so glad we made it.
The journey to Austin took us down the I35, a 3 to 4 lane motorway on which the speed limit was 75mph. Most of the trucks that passed us must of assumed that this was a MINIMUM speed not a maximum. After telling someone this morning how much I enjoyed driving on Texan roads, my opinion was changed in a few short miles. Never mind not much more driving to do now!
We passed a Buc-ees on the way so made the mandatory stop, this one was much smaller than the one in Amarillo but twice as crowded.
We are in Austin until Tuesday, time to explore the State capital, before flying back home.