Remember The Alamo..... And Riverwalk!
Trip Start
Oct 11, 2010
1
19
89
Trip End
May 17, 2011
San Antonio, Texas
Monday, February 28, 2011
We think we can visit both of the sites that make San Antonio a popular destination today since they are located within blocks of one another. They are the River Walk and, of course, the Alamo. We get directions and a nice map from our hosts here at Traveler's World RV Park and off we go taking surface streets all the way.
Downtown San Antonio is really unique. The old two, three and four story brick and stone buildings reside amongst the modern high rise structures. Downtown San Antonio has a rather small footprint but the city limits spread out what seems like forever, just like Los Angeles. Unlike L.A. within the city limits of San Antonio lies vast areas of undeveloped property. We find a parking lot just a couple of blocks from the Alamo, leash up the kids and off we go.
We pass over a portion of the River Walk on our way to the Alamo. The San Antonio River runs right through the middle of town. In 1921 a major flood killed 51 people here. From that day forward plans were made to build the Olmos dam upstream, divert the river just west of downtown and convert the river bottom running through town to a covered sewer much to the chagrin of the San Antonio Conservation Society. So an architect by the name of Robert Hugman came up with plans to build River Walk. The Great Depression stopped construction, but in 1939 funding was approved under the WPA. In 1946 Huffman's project was tested by nature and it proved a viable solution to the flooding problem.
River Walk is really unique. The river meanders between the downtown buildings. Walks on either bank are intermittently connected by pedestrian bridges. Bridges that support vehicular traffic cross above this wonderland. Numerous cafes, bars and restaurants are located along the waterway. It's so picturesque that it reminds one of something Walt Disney would have built.
The Alamo is literally a Texas Shrine. When entering the what was once a mission church, now a museum, one is asked politely but authoritatively to remove ones hat. After all, this place represents more than a military battle, it represents the independence of the State of Texas and was the mission church. Everyone familiar with American history has read about the battle of the Alamo.
The construction of the Alamo began in 1724 and was named Mission San Antonio de Valero. It served as home to missionaries and Indian converts for nearly 70 years. In 1793 Spanish officials secularized San Antonio's five missions and distributed their lands to the remaining Indian residents. The Indians farmed their land, once belonging to the Indians, then the missions but now their own once again, participating in growing the community of San Antonio.
The Battle of the Alamo took place between February 23 and March 6, 1836. Ironically, we visit on February 28 which would put us right in the middle of the historic event had we been here 175 years ago. The Mexicans had been driven out of Mexican Texas and 100 Texans were garrisoned at the Alamo. The Mexicans returned under the command of General Santa Anna, 1500 strong. Reinforcements arrived under the commands of Jim Bowie and William Travis but the Texans were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of Mexican troops. All were killed but two. Amongst the dead was the former Tennesseean Davey Crockett.
The Mexican American War overshadowed what took place at the Alamo. It gradually became known as a battle site rather than a former mission. It was purchased by the Texas Legislature in the early 20th century and the chapel was designated as an official Texas State Shrine. The Alamo is the most popular tourist attraction in Texas.
I discovered a serious safety issue when I walked around the coach this afternoon. The right rear wheel had a big crack in it. What the heck, I just checked the entire coach before we left Austin! I replaced the tire/wheel combo with the spare. I rolled the bad wheel/tire over I see how serious the problem really is. Two out of four welds have broken between the rim and the wheel insert. Total failure of the rim was not far off. I called some businesses that specialize in wheels. None of them have a chromed wheel that will match the broken one. Right now I will take what they have as long as it meets specifications. I will purchase the replacement in Corpus Christi tomorrow.
Prepare yourself for some Gulf of Mexico cuisine as tomorrow we are off to Corpus Christi!
