We may have accidentally taken one of the best Texas road trips.
The plan was simple. Dallas to Austin. Austin to San Antonio.
But then we heard a rumor. “You may see bluebonnets while you’re on your way.”
Bluebonnets. Oh.
Shortly on the road, I began to notice small patches of blue and orange. And curiosity got the best of me. Bluebonnets. The state flower of Texas. Native to the Texan prairie/hill country. Peaks in the spring in April. Bluebonnet capital and bluebonnet trail and bluebonnet festival located in Ennis, Texas.
It was April. We weren’t too far from Ennis.
I looked at my husband, Eric. “Wanna take a detour?”
Driving the Bluebonnet Trail in Ennis, Texas
Step 1: Visit the Ennis CVB to retrieve a map of the bluebonnet trail.
Step 2: Drive.
Step 3: Exalt the beauty of nature.
It isn’t too often that we happen upon fields blanketed in blue and purple and orange. Every other turn along the trail resulted in an audible gasp of “Wow!” or “It’s so beautiful!” or most likely, “Pull over for a photo!”
The trail twisted through the fields and passed along homes and neighborhoods. I wondered if the locals loved being in the thick of the bluebonnet trail or secretly cursed the flowers for bringing ogling tourists, cameras in tow, to take photos of their private property
You know how they say, “wake up and smell the roses”? In this case, I’d say get in your car and chase the bluebonnets. Too often we take the standard road and avoid the detours. I forget to chase the flowers. Until the flowers flash their brilliance and lure me into their fields like a musician led by a muse.
Thank you, bluebonnets, for waving me over. Thank you for waving me over when I had no plans at all to encounter you.
I think that’s my favorite part about traveling: the serendipity of it all. The chance of being at the right place at the right time to witness something beautiful, albeit as simple as a field of bluebonnets.
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