I was tempted to take some back roads to avoid Houston morning traffic, but wound up heading south on Interstate 45. Actually the traffic wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and by taking Interstate 610 around the west side of the city we avoided the downtown.
A couple of things about Texas roads. First, I have never seen so much road kill per mile. Everything from deer to possum to armadillo to squirrels. It’s all there. Second, trucks must come to Texas to lose rubber off their recaps. Third, Texas has the best roadside rests we’ve seen so far. Every one is like a visitor’s center. Nice big buildings, with clean restrooms and well kept landscaping.
I am a little disappointed with two things so far, no longhorn steers and no oil wells. What gives?
Barb got us a motel right in the middle of the action in San Antonio. And she got it on points. We’re seven blocks from the Alamo and four blocks from River Walk, plus close to lots of restaurants and shopping. No driving tomorrow.
After checking in we picked up a map from the motel and headed for the Alamo. Quite a place. Although much of it is not original, it is sufficient to give a clear picture of what transpired in 1836. Defending the Alamo during the 13 day siege was a small group of Texans, including well known frontiersmen James Bowie, Davy Crockett and William Travis. In the end, the estimated 182 to 260 defenders could not withstand the assault of over 2,000 Mexican troops under General Santa Anna. The few survivors that surrendered were immediately executed, an act which was not forgotten as Texans moved forward toward independence from Mexico.
On the way back to the motel we took the steps down to River Walk, which is a network of walkways along the San Antonio River one story below street level. Having its beginning after a flood swept through San Antonio in 1926, it slowly developed into the major tourist attraction it is today. Shops and restaurants line the walkway today and boats offer tours of the waterway. We stopped at one of the restaurants and sipped a cold beer from a table overlooking the river. Looked like a good menu, so we made a 7:00 reservation for dinner.
After a little rest at the motel, we headed back to the restaurant and got a table with another great view of the water. For dinner were shared excellent chicken fajitas. And the margaritas were great too. Or two. Back at the motel Barb did a little laundry and looked up the history of our motel. Turns out it has been around since 1878 and was a jail until 1962, when it was remodeled. Executions were carried out from the third floor, with the drop being down to the second floor. Glad we are on the fifth.
Tomorrow we will do a little more exploring around town and take a boat tour on the river. 244 miles today.
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