Texas History Comes Alive!
San Antonio
April 28-May 1, 2024
Our departure from South Padre Island was delayed by a few hours when Dick noticed one of the camper tire’s pressure was reading very low! Of course, it was a Sunday, so our options were limited - call a mobile mechanic or go to Walmart. Thinking it would be quicker and, undoubtedly, less expensive, we went to Walmart! Dick carries an air compressor with us, so he hooked it up and got the pressure up to its normal 80 psi (from 29 psi!) and off we went to the Port Isabel Walmart, five miles away. I’m not sure it was any quicker, but it certainly was an inexpensive repair. It turned out to be the valve stem that was leaking so it was a matter of getting the tire off and replacing the valve stem. Other people were ahead of us with their own issues for Walmart’s auto center to solve, so we had a two-hour wait before we got our issue addressed. We felt incredibly blessed to have discovered and solved the problem before we were on the road where this could have turned into a dangerous and much more complicated problem.
This was our third visit to San Antonio, so I really didn’t have too many expectations. I had the “been there, done that” attitude and mainly saw it was a fun spot to re-experience a few of our favorites.
I don’t know about you, but there are two locations that come to mind when I think about San Antonio -- the Alamo and the Riverwalk! I remember being a bit underwhelmed when I first saw the Alamo. There really isn’t that much to it, as the city has built itself on top of the ruins of Mission San Antonio de Valero (now known as the Alamo). All that remains of the original mission is the Church and the Long Barrack, which served as quarters and offices for the missionaries.
It turns out that I’m not the only one thinking the Alamo is less-than-impressive. It has been dubbed as “America’s most disappointing tourist attraction”! Well, Texas is about to change that it a big way! $555,000,000 is being spent on putting it closer to its 1836 condition when Lieutenant Colonel William Travis, his regulars, the militia and, of course, Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie attempted to defend the Alamo against Mexican President Santa Anna’s army. The renovation is very controversial among business owners, as it involves purchasing land currently owned by businesses that was originally part of the Alamo. All of this is planned to be completed by 2027. For now, there is a lot of demolition and reconstruction going on there. It appears the final product is going to be a much more meaningful experience when visiting this historic landmark that ignited a fire for Texians to fight for their independence from Mexico. “Remember the Alamo!”
I don’t care how many times I go to San Antonio, strolling the Riverwalk remains a favorite. This time we treated ourselves to a ride on one of the river boats. The boat ride was relaxing, interesting and educational. We learned of Mill’s Crossing (the two feet deep, low point of the river) where cattle were herded across the river, people forded their horses, wagons and buggy’s across, and Teddy Roosevelt trained his Rough Riders! Today it is hard to envision all of this going on there!
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| Imagine Teddy Roosevelt sitting here, recruiting his Rough Riders! |
The mention of Roosevelt and the Rough Riders sparked a conversation with another passenger who recommended we make a visit to the Menger Hotel (located near the Alamo). All he had to say was “lots of memorabilia” and we were on our way there! It turns out the bar inside this historic hotel was a favorite spot for Teddy Roosevelt to recruit men to join the Rough Riders. The bartender even pointed out two bullet holes from when Roosevelt discharged his gun in order to get the men’s attention!
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| I thought Teddy said to carry a big stick - not a gun! |
Another fun bit of history attached to this popular watering hole was from the early 1900’s when Carrie Nation visited the establishment along with her hatchet! This radical member of the temperance movement was on a different type of mission! Convinced alcohol is the root of a lot of social problems, she would run into bars wielding her hatchet to break bottles of booze and destroy the bar itself. All in all, she was arrested over 30 times! It’s really too bad this is what she is infamously remembered for. She did so many great things including helping those in prison, founding a sewing circle to making clothing for the poor, preparing meals for the poor on holidays, establishing a shelter for wives and children of alcoholics… Carrie described herself as “a bulldog running along at the feet of Jesus, barking at what He doesn’t like”. I don’t know if I agree with her word “barking”. Her actions seem a lot more like a bite to me! Usually, a dog’s bark is worse that it’s bite, but in this case, I think the bite sounds worse than the bark. She definitely had her heart in the right place; she just had a bit of an unusual style!
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| The section of repaired bar from Carrie's hatchet job! |
We continued to enjoy the delicious tastes of Texas during our time in San Antonio! My favorite barbeque was at Pinkerton’s, located downtown. The unique feature for the downtown Pinkerton’s is its setting. It’s located directly adjacent to Legacy Park, letting you walk out of the door and instantly be in a park! Now that’s an easy picnic!
We enjoyed another great barbecue dinner at The County Line. The brisket was good, their homemade bread was delicious and the view was incredible! It was so relaxing to enjoy a great meal right on the banks of the San Antonio River - Riverwalk style!
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| Life is good! |
If you consider just the food itself, my personal favorite meal was at Mi Tierra Café y Panaderia. My mouth starts watering just at the memory of this amazing dinner! This authentic Mexican restaurant is located in historic Market Square, so its location is pretty fantastic as well!
Voodoo Doughnut is not an original San Antonio spot, but it certainly is a good place to find unique and delicious doughnuts. Dick found the “Old Dirty Bastard” to be yummy (raised doughnut frosted in chocolate, Oreo® cookie pieces, and drizzled with peanut butter). I’m a little less adventurous when it comes to doughnuts and stuck to my classic glazed old fashioned. I applied the “less is more” philosophy when making my choice!
Visiting the San Antonio missions was another interesting activity. The Alamo, built in 1718, was the first of six missions built along the San Antonio River. Although we didn’t tour the Alamo on this visit, we did spend an evening watching the 2004 movie of it. I needed a little refresher on the details that led up to the battle, the battle itself and the Battle of San Jacinto which gave Texas its independence from Mexico. Super interesting as well as insightful as to the proud, independent nature of Texas that still fills the air today.
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| This acequia was dug over 300 years ago and continues to irrigate the crop fields today! |
Mission San Juan was built in 1731. What was especially interesting about this mission was the fact they continue to use the original acequia! For many of these missions, the very first thing they built was an acequia. This is a lot like a little bypass of the San Antonio River. A ditch was dug starting upstream of the mission that led inland to and along where they planned to grow crops. This ditch then continued down to rejoin the San Antonio River downstream of the mission. It’s really a very ingenious system to irrigate crops! Today, the park continues to grow crops in the same fields originally used. Their harvests are sent to the local food bank that serves the homeless. I love this!
Mission Espada was also built in 1731. What stood out as incredible about this mission was that the buildings that were once used as housing continued to be used as classrooms until the 1960’s!
Mission San José, built in 1782, was considered “The Queen” of the missions. It’s easy to see why, as it continues to be very impressive! As with each of these missions, much of it has collapsed over time and has been reconstructed. For Mission San José, it was the bell tower and dome which collapsed and have been restored. Remarkably, El Camino Real passed right through the gates of this mission!
Mission Concepcion, built in 1731, still has original frescoes visible for visitors to see! I really had the feeling of being in Europe when I was touring this mission! It is the most original of the four missions we visited.
My biggest regret with regard to visiting the missions was that I had not done my homework ahead of time in researching these amazing structures. It turns out that there is a beautiful, scenic, paved trail that connects all of the missions. It would have been a lovely morning of biking from one to another along this wonderful trail. For this time, we had to settle for a short walk along a section of the trail to get a peek at the untamed version of the San Antonio River!
Each of the missions is unique in its own special way. I don’t know which one I would pick if I had to choose one as a favorite. It’s great to know they all continue to be active parishes where Mass is celebrated each weekend!
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| Santa Anna ordered all defenders' bodies to be burned on a pyre and left unburied as a final show of disdain. It wasn't until sometime later the charred remains were entombed. No one knows for sure whose remains are inside this vault. |
Back in San Antonio, we barely made it to San Fernando Cathedral before it locked its doors for the day. We had heard the ashes of James Bowie, David Crocket and William Travis are entombed there. Although we found the spot that is recognized as their final resting place, it may or may not contain their ashes. There are different stories and it sounds unlikely that this is actually where they are. No one knows for sure what happened to their bodies.
Construction of this beautiful cathedral began in 1738 and was completed in 1750 with many additions and revisions done between then and now. Today it’s known for being the longest continuously operating church in the state of Texas with over 5,000 people attending Mass each weekend! It’s also known for having a strong service-centered heart. One example is its strong outreach program which helps many of the poor in the area meet their needs.
Home for this short stay was at the San Antonio/Alamo KOA. After a long day of hiking around all of the missions, we especially enjoyed spending some time at the pool! I did see a new bird to add to my checklist in the campground – the Egyptian Goose! So, I said new bird, not necessarily native bird!
Fredericksburg
May 1-4, 2024
One of the main attractions we took advantage of while in Fredericksburg was the National Museum of the Pacific War. Dick’s father, Verner, served in the Navy during WWII and spent all of his time on an LST in the Pacific. Verner took part in most of the major battles during his enlistment, even witnessing the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima! The museum is very detailed and you could easily spend an entire day there! Admiral Chester W. Nimitz was born in Fredericksburg; hence, the honor of having the museum located in his home town. One key takeaway from the tour was detailed information on how, through the centuries, Japan’s conflict with China, Korea and Russia evolved leading up to WWII. Another interesting display included a Japanese midget two-man submarine that was captured at Pearl Harbor the day of the attack. The Japanese had used five of these subs as a diversionary tactic.
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| Admiral Chester W. Nimitz |
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| Admiral Chester W. Nimitz was born in this humble home. |
Of course, you can’t go to Fredericksburg without spending some time wandering through the little shops on main street. Many of the current stores still have the original signs of businesses from the 50’s hanging above their door. The Pharmacy is no exception. Above their door is a sign “Keidel Pharmacy”. I was rather surprised to find out it’s a coffee shop! I enjoyed a hot café au lait accompanied with a delicious pimento cheese scone there. Definitely not a scone you would find in England! Whoever figured out this combination of ingredients is genius!
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| I scored delicious peaches at the farmers market! |
Speaking of good eats, we felt compelled to eat German food while we were there – so we found ourselves sharing a dinner of jagerschnitzel at Auslander. So good! We also couldn’t resist sharing some apple streusel before heading back to the campground!
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| Becker's tasting room was once a Buick dealer's showroom! |
Vineyards have exploded in this region, as the Hill Country provides a perfect climate for growing grapes. We spent time at Becker Vineyards enjoying a wine tasting session. We planned on going to Grape Creek Vineyard for a tasting, but it turned out you need to be a member if you want a tasting. Oh, well! A trip to Wildseed Farms was a fun alternative! The flowers are so beautiful, it made me wish I could buy some of the seeds! I’m positive the harsh winters of Iowa wouldn’t be someplace they would thrive, so I resisted. Upon arriving, we found a sea of poppies greeting us, along with another field of rocket larkspur showing off its purple, pink and white flowers. Pastel primrose flowers were also making their grand entrance in yet another field. It doesn’t matter what time of year you come, they will have fields of flowers for you to ooh and ahh over!
We really didn’t have great weather during our time in Fredericksburg. It wasn’t terrible weather, but more of an off-and-on drizzle with the accompanying cloudy skies. It seems like so much of the country is lacking for rain, so we were thankful for the earth getting a little moisture and a break from the scorching sun. It wasn’t bad for us either to having our pace slowed down a bit. You know -- slow down and smell the flowers! Right?
Next up:
San Angelo, Lubbock, and Palo Duro State Park, Texas
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