After our visit at the Alamo, we walked down to the Riverwalk. Upon arrival at the waters, we noticed a boat tour taking people along the water. Deciding to spend $30 for the 3 of us ($12 per adult, $6 for the kiddo) we climbed aboard and set sail. Actually, it didn't set sail as it was an electric motor. We learned the history of the town as we cruised the canal passing modular hotels, octagonal sky-scrapers, locks of love, beautiful bridges, and spectacular sculptures. We really enjoyed our short amount of time in Texas's oldest municipality and would love to return if the opportunity becomes available. San Antonio proved to be a fascinating town and I think it has made it to the top of my list of favorite cities. We would love to return someday to do a lot more exploring.
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After a fabulous visit with family in Hondo, Texas, we made our way into San Antonio to see the famed Alamo. Originally built in the early 1700s as a Spanish Mission under the name Misión San Antonio de Valero, it was given its current name after Mexico gained independence from Spain. From a USA Today article, "In 1835, a band of 200 Texas volunteer soldiers drove the Mexican soldiers out, and several months later, Mexican General Santa Anna sent back an army of 6,000. Led by Jim Bowie and Davey Crockett, the defenders held on for 13 days before eventually being defeated. Six weeks later, an army led by Sam Houston defeated the Mexican soldiers at the Battle of San Jacinto and Texas' independence was won."
While visiting the Alamo, we opted to do a self-guided tour of the grounds for free but there are options for an audio tour, or guided tour as well. Neither of which were very expensive. We attended a period rifle demonstration and walked through the museum. The architectural beauty and history of this monument draws millions of visitors every year. It was easy to see why. A beautiful oasis outside of San Antonio became our resting place for the night on our way to Hondo. This gorgeous redrock canyon in the middle of the grasslands of Texas was a welcome park for our overnight in the area. We didn't take much time to explore but all agreed that we could probably spend many weekend trips investigating what this park has to offer. The wildlife in this campground was definitely used to human interactions. First of all, a flock of wild turkeys hung out with us while we were eating our dinner. Then, as we were getting in the van to take a drive to the end of the road to explore, a deer walked right up to us... like close enough for us to reach out and touch (we didn't of course, but could have). That night the night sky was so clear and bright that Dylan and Will spent as much time outside watching the sky before the skeeters got them. Lastly, the next morning, we woke to the songs of what appeared to be dozens of coyote calling back and forth to each other in glee. This park presented itself with some very cool animal encounters and a lovely backdrop to fall asleep in Reddy.
WHAT? Like, really - WHAT? As we pulled up to the ranch we had no idea what to expect, except that it was on Google's list of must dos in San Antonio.
This place is a small piece of oddity. The fact that someone took the time and energy to "plant" a dozen old cadillacs in the ground, on an angle, in a straight row in the middle of a huge agricultural field was one thing - BUT - they then opened it to the public so that each visitor can spray paint them to leave their own mark. The paint was in every spot, on every car and about 3 inches thick. The disturbing part was that there were 1000's of spray cans strewn all over the ground as well. Odd - but a fun side trip on our way through this huge state. |
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April 2019
AuthorCarolyn and Will Bollwerk share their adventures with their 5 year-old daughter, Dylan. |