I’ve visited a lot of Stonehenges as I’ve driven around the country. There’s a half-size replica cut with jets of water in Rolla, Missouri, a full-size version in Maryhill, Washington (depicting the original appearance of the giant stone sculpture), and my personal favorite, Carhenge in Nebraska. So it only made sense that I’d try to add one more Stonehenge replica to the list, as I drove around the Texas Hill Country.
Ingram, Texas is home to “Stonehenge II”, a replica made mostly of plaster applied to a wire mesh frame. Up until recently, you could find the work of art in the middle of a field alongside scenic Farm To Market Route 1340, just a short distance west of tiny Hunt, Texas.
As far as I knew, it was still there. But after driving for miles along FM 1340, and carefully scanning every field, I ran out of daylight, and had to give up. I later read that Stonehenge II is in the process of being moved to downtown Ingram, as part of an effort to save and preserve it. By the time you read this, there’s a good chance it will already be in place. You can check with the Hill Country Arts Foundation, the group that is raising money to move and restore the faux stones.
But enough about what I didn’t see… let’s talk about what I did get to enjoy:
Much to my surprise, FM 1340 is a very beautiful drive. I wasn’t expecting it to be quite as beautiful as it is, since I hadn’t read about it or seen it marked on any maps as a scenic highway. But, I think I’ll go out on a limb here, and say it’s one of the most scenic drives you’ll find anywhere in the Texas Hill Country.
Of course, it helped that I was driving it at the end of the day, just before sunset, when the surrounding hills had turned golden…
… and the Guadalupe River’s glassy surface created soft reflections of the surrounding trees. FM 1340 repeatedly dips through a series of flood zones, where high water would make the road impassable. Most of the time, though, the road will be drivable, and quite fun, since you’ll pass through countless dips and curves as you crisscross the water.
Most of the surrounding land is private ranchland and farmland, but if you stay near the road, you’ll be able to enjoy some of the area’s tranquil, calm spots.
If you keep driving on FM 1340, you’ll eventually hit a dead-end at TX-41, which can take you back to Interstate 10, for the return to Kerrville. I’m not sure how far I drove out FM 1340, but eventually I gave up on finding Stonehenge II, made a U-turn, and headed back to Kerrville for night #3 in Texas.
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