History, Jalapenos and Painted Piles

December 7-11, 2018
San Antonio, Texas

This hasn't been a season of week-long stops for us, but San Antonio has a lot of places and (as it turns out) people to see. We even end up extending a few days.

Our drive from Corpus Christi is a rainy and dreary 2 hours to a park along the San Antonio River. Referenced by Laurel (Raven and Chickadee), we set up at Traveler's World. With FHUs, open sky for satellite, and clean, level gravel sites, this is a nice park for our stay. Even with a power outage during 30 mph winds we like it here. The only ding are all the bright lights at night, but it's not unusual in an urban park.

Saturday is cold and cloudy, a good day to spend in a heated Jeep while checking out some local history. Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site includes the "Texas White House" on one of nine large ranches owned by Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson. I laugh at the letters framed at the entrance to the small visitor's center - two from teachers scolding the President! One for use of bad grammar in one of his speeches, and another for fireworks at the ranch when a local troop was having a camping event nearby. 

At 41 degrees it's way too cold to wander around outside so we drive the scenic loop to see what we can see. Due to health and safety "issues", the tour of the home is only the exterior - so nope!

Multi-tasking tower.

A friendly yellow farmhouse peeks out of the gloom.

Closed today, the small farm works the land like they did 100 years ago.

Schoolhouse where the Johnson children attended classes.

Homestead of Samuel Johnson, Lyndon's father.

Moss-covered snake fence blends into the old growth trees.

We never see any of the famous long-horn herd, but there are dozens of deer in the park.

Johnson's Air Force One, a Jet Star, now sits in a hangar near the ranch house. The larger 707 he used for most air travel was too heavy for the small runway on the ranch. 

Lots of beautiful Austin Stone buildings.

Pretty church across the river.

While there is a lot of agriculture and livestock here, there is also a lot of environmental conservation that Johnson made a priority in his ranching. 

Sometimes a burger is an event. That's the case at Alamo Springs Cafe not far from the state park. Quirky interior, fun wait staff, honor-system beverages, and delicious eats - a good option on this cold December day.

The "Cover Burger" (famous for being on a magazine cover) on amazing jalapeno buns. We share a half order of rings.

Sunday we watch our games then head out in the evening to visit a good friend of Bill's and his family. Keith and Michelle came here eight years ago with their two kids, and have just moved into their newly built home. We pick up pizza on the way.

Fluffy Dog Heaven!

Poor Tessa has such a hard time getting comfortable....

Keith and Bill

Keith, Bill and Michelle (and fluffy bomber) 

Sigh..

Keith is working seven days a week with a long commute right now, and we're really happy we got a chance to catch up with them. Such a great family.

Monday is one of the those "sleep-in-and-still-take-a-nap" days with a visit to the historic Alamo in between. Although the site is in the city's downtown, the grounds are lovely, and impeccable restoration means getting to walk through original buildings. There's so much to see for free that we don't bother paying to see the inside of the church. A 17-minute movie does a nice job of covering the 300-year history of the Alamo. The sun comes out and we enjoy a comfortable afternoon, including a short section of the famous River Walk.

The River Walk downtown is a lovely way to see part of the city.

We plan to return and take a boat tour, but never make it back - next time!

Sadly there are several of these dead evergreens along the water.

One of many sad and inspiring places in our country's young history - more than Texans "Remember the Alamo".

The original barracks now house a small museum - note how thick these stone walls are!

Santa Ana refused to allow the Americans a proper burial, and instead had all their bodies burned at the site.
"From the fire that burned their bodies, rose the eternal spirit of sublime heroic sacrifice, which gave birth to an entire state."

Sculptures and engraved names remember the fallen.

 A pretty spot along the river. 

Clouds are back on Tuesday when we explore the King Williams Historic District. There's an informational tour on line with a brief history of the sites (most are on the national historic registry). Tasteful Christmas decor adds to the beauty of these vintage homes.

Need a little project? 

As is often the case for those of us who travel the country full-time, the surprises we find on the way to something planned are every bit as wonderful. I catch a glimpse of some painted piles under a highway bridge and turn around to check it out. I'm so glad I did! I read later that 16 artists are displayed here, each with their own wrap-around mural. They're planning more around the city, and I'll definitely look for them when we return.

Project Sponsor 

We still have a few days of catching up with old and new friends, and more to see in this interesting Southern Texas city.