San Antonio

Moving from South Padre Island to Mustang Island, near Corpus Christi, did not improve the weather. We had three days of cold, wind and rain-showers . Morning temps were 4C with windchill feeling like -4C ....okay, we don't hear any sympathy; we must be getting soft. The arctic front covering most of North America was here too!  Tried walking the beaches, but the winds were excessive.  So next best thing was driving on the sand of Mustang Island.

It was good weather to go to a movie (highly recommend Interstellar at an IMAX) and we did see the USS Lexington (nicknamed the "Blue Ghost") by the beach of Corpus Christi. This decommissioned WW2 aircraft carrier was taken out of service in 1991.

On to San Antonio area, and much improved, beautiful weather!  Our RV park is near Castroville,Texas, about 15 minutes west of San Antonio. It is brand new and on a great golf course; after 4 rounds of golf in all our travels to date, we have now more than doubled that in our first week at this resort.

Enjoying some "Birdie Juice"

The owners here are extremely friendly and accommodating; they recommended a 2 hour drive along part of the Purple Heart Trail to the north, into what is known as the beautiful rolling "Hill Country". We stopped for lunch in Bandero at OST, the Old Spanish Trail restaurant. Famous for home-cooked Tex-Mex food in a western town setting, where you can eat at the bar seated in saddles, or sit on church pew benches. The walls are covered with photos and memorabilia of John Wayne and other cowboys from duster movies. Like they say, "Everything is bigger in Texas" including their meal portions.







Also had a day trip towards Austin with stops at the Premium and Tangers factory outlets, one of the largest combined outlet malls that we have ever found.

We have heard so much about San Antonio, but it really is far more beautiful than expected. The highlight has been the famous River Walk!  In September 1921, a disastrous flood along the San Antonio River claimed 50 lives. To avoid a recurrence, flood gates and dams were built along the river. The River Walk is located one storey below street level and winds and loops under the bridges as two parallel sidewalks lined with restaurants, pubs and shops.  A guided riverboat ride gave us the history of this unique area. We have walked a few miles on a few days and evenings too!















We toured the other famous landmark in downtown San Antonio, the Alamo. You've probably heard the expression "Remember the Alamo". On February 23, 1836 General Santa Ana led his Mexican army of several thousand soldiers to take back The Alamo, a former Catholic mission, from the Texans.  The Alamo was defended by 200 soldiers of the Texian army.  These soldiers were mostly volunteer including Davy Crockett, the former congressman from Tennessee and famed frontiersman. After 13 days of fierce fighting, Santa Ana's army finally overpowered the Texian army killing all of the soldiers including its commander Jim Bowie (Bowie knife) and Davy Crockett.



General Santa Ana's cruelty during the Battle of Alamo inspired many Texans to join the Texian Army.  Buoyed by a desire for revenge, the Texian army defeated Santa Ana's army at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, ending the Texas Revolution.  During the attack, the Texian soldiers cried "Remember the Alamo" thus becoming a battle cry of such, a way to convey strength and honor in 3 succinct words.

The River Walk and The Alamo are the top 2 tourist attractions in Texas.

Our favorite fast food American chain, "In N Out" Burger, opened its first location in San Antonio, less than a week ago. So enroute into the city we decided to go for a late lunch....huge mistake!  We didn't need the GPS when we got close, as the lineups snaked around streets and parking lots. Police had set up barricades and when we asked the wait, we were informed it was much shorter now and only about 45 minutes for the drive thru!!!  Longer if you wanted to be seated inside! Needless to say we will wait until we get to Arizona.

Not sure how long we will stay here, as it is so lovely and difficult to leave; but we know we need to begin the final leg of this adventure soon. Next stops are probably Seminole Canyon and Fort Davis is West Texas, then up to the Carlsbad Caverns and Alamogordo white sands of New Mexico. Then park the motorhome in Phoenix and fly home on December 11th. Will hopefully post one more blog update.

Enjoying US Thanksgiving turkey dinner