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The Slab
Photo courtesy Chandra Moira Beal |
Llano
is the deer capital of Texas because they are so profuse in the Llano
Basin. It's no wonder when they have the spring-fed Llano
River to help sustain them. 'Llano' means plain. The Llano
River was originally named 'Rio do los Chanas' (Chanas being a
tribe of the Tonkawas) which is phonetically similar to Llano and
eventually changed through misuse. Llano
is home to Llanite, a brown granite with blue crystals and pink feldspar
which is very rare and found only in this area. Rock hunting for quartz,
granite, gneiss, flint, schist, feldspar, limestone and llanite is
a popular pastime.
The
Slab
On FM 3404, 1.5
miles west of FM 1431 in Kingsland.
The Slab is a spot in the Llano
River where the water runs over large granite outcroppings and
sandy beaches have formed. It is a popular swimming, tubing and picnicking
site. The water is perfect for both wading and deeper swimming. The
Slab is open to the public, but not maintained as a city park. Therefore,
there is no drinking water or rest rooms.
Llano County Chamber of Commerce
700 Bessemer
Llano,
Texas 78643
(915) 247-5354
Excerpted from Splash
Across Texas, 1999
Copyright Chandra Moira Beal and La Luna Publishing |
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