Sunday was a great day to visit the State Capitol in Austin. The weather was warm but not oppressive. There were several visitors, taking pictures with recognizable backdrops. The building was stately, the grounds beautiful and welcoming – and the Capitol police were present in good numbers and well armed with assault rifles to deal with any immanent insurrections.
Signage regarding concealed carry visitors were again in evidence much like we had seen at previous capitols on our trip. Not a big deal.
The Capitol police were quite sociable, and were a touch amazed that we would travel all the way from Canada to visit on motorcycles. Not a lot of motorcycle tourists in Texas I suppose. One of the troopers was planning to visit Banff in the next few weeks so we bestowed what modest suggestions we could muster as to highlights to visit while there. In the end he seemed most concerned about how cold it might be and to ensure he had the right clothes.
The Texas legislature session was closed (and it would be otherwise quiet on a Sunday). The house was open for visitors, but the Senate chambers were closed. One thing for sure is that headwear is not tolerated. Upon entering the House chambers we were instructed by a local intern to remove our hats.
A stroll around the grounds revealed many furry denizens for whom the trees and foliage provide them a home.
The Capitol gift shop was closed while were there, so we took a short trip to the nearby Bullock Texas State History Museum to purchase a seal or decal as a momento of our visit. We parked within view of the infamous tower at the University of Texas – Austin where the infamous tower shootings took place in July 1966. On that sad and tragic day 14 people were killed and 31 people wounded by the assailant. An event that was a grim predictor of numerous violent shootings since then.