San Antonio and Sugar Land

Remember The Family! 

There's nothing like Texans taking you to see Texas attractions. They know interesting must-do activities, which exit to take, where to park, shortcuts through town, and the best places to eat. And so it was that Dave's sister, Sally, and her husband, Bob, were our hosts for our time together in San Antonio and Sugar Land, TX. We are so appreciative of their help planning. AND chauffeuring. AND cooking filet mignon for dinner. AND taking us boating. AND getting kolaches for breakfast. AND, AND, AND! What a wonderful 5 days together!

I had the good fortune to attend an AP Computer Science workshop in San Antonio in 2018. My sisters worked it out so we could be together for that week, and we saw a lot of wonderful historic sites (after workshop hours, of course). However, Dave was not along for that trip, and I wanted him to see The Alamo, among other famous locations. 

Our camping spot was on the south side of Canyon Lake, TX, about an hour north of "Alamo City." Sally and Bob joined us there for 3 nights of camping, with day trips around the area. Our first day's outing was to the Alamo, River Walk, and the Briscoe Western Museum.

The arches, window, and curved top of The Alamo Church are not original.
The horizontal molding was the actual cornice.
The rest was added later.

A common comment upon seeing The Alamo is, "It's smaller than I thought it would be." Yes, the church itself, where the women and children hid out during the 1836 battle against Santa Anna and his Mexican army, is a small-ish building, with several rooms inside. However, the grounds surrounding the mission complex in the 1800s included the Long Barracks building, a low barracks, corrals, ammunition storage, and more. 

Today the area preserves the church and Long Barracks building. The rest of the original 5-acre mission area was torn down or built over as downtown San Antonio grew. Also present today is the Ralston Family Collections Center - a museum with artifacts from the Alamo's 300+ year history as a mission. This museum includes the Phil Collins Collection of hundreds of artifacts he donated from the Battle of the Alamo. Phil also narrates the battle for a lighted diorama display, indicating important locations around the fortified complex. As the 200-year anniversary of the battle approaches, there is a lot of construction around the church. A visitor center opens in 2027, and a bicentennial monument is in the works. We enjoyed seeing all of these on a guided tour of the grounds. I think the guided tour is the way to go when visiting The Alamo, and ours included an augmented reality display in the Long Barracks. 

For an area "smaller than I thought it would be" we worked up an appetite, so we headed to the River Walk for lunch. An oasis in downtown San Antonio, the cool, shady area provided a chance to enjoy some Texas barbecue while we planned our visit to the Briscoe Western Museum. 

The San Antonio River Walk

The museum was also within walking distance, following the River around several bends, past the amphitheater, and back up to street level. Have you ever wondered why there are so many different types of spurs? Would you like to see striking black and white photographs depicting ranch life? What about a bronze statue that transitions from the importance of bison to cattle? Need to see another diorama of the Battle of the Alamo? Or portraits of three of the most famous men who gave their lives for Texans' freedom - David Crockett, James Bowie, and William B. Travis? All this and more awaits you at the Briscoe. If you ever get to San Antonio, don't miss it!

Another adventure with Sally and Bob was located between San Antonio and our campground. Natural Bridge Caverns is the largest cavern in the state of Texas. We  enjoyed the Discovery Tour (a different tour takes you to a separate part of the cavern) and some of the geologic features of the cave. Very pretty stalactites, stalagmites, columns, ribbons, curtains, and even cave bacon! 

The Chandelier

Again, "walking up" an appetite meant going to the little town of Gruene (pronounced Green) to enjoy some German cuisine. Gruene is particularly famous for preserving 19th century Texas culture and buildings, particularly Gruene Hall, the oldest continuously-operating Texas dance hall. Apparently a lot of famous musicians have played there. The wooden floor plus lots of dancing boots must be quite a thing to see - er, hear. However, all of Gruene was experiencing a power outage when we arrived. Since we are flexible, we headed to nearby New Braunsfel for that authentic German food. The Alpine House did not disappoint. 

That night we returned to the south shore of Canyon Lake and prepared for a cold front that was bringing some rain later that night. Dave put canvas chairs in the truck, took down a folding table, and I brought in the awning just in case it got windy. 

Zzzzzzzz💥⚡️💨 Suddenly we woke up to a howling wind shaking the camper! The trailer was violently rocking and shuddering, buffeted by a crazy gale! I was afraid the camper would be blown off its stabilizer "feet" and Dave said he never prayed so hard for our safety. It seemed to last for about 20 minutes, but we were so scared we don't know how long it pounded us. Once the rain began it stopped blowing so hard and I was able to fall back asleep.

The next morning as I prepared to walk Trooper, we noticed a tiny trailer had arrived in the night and parked in the campsite next to ours. Someone's aqua Croc shoe was in our site. A tent had blown across the campground, bent poles and nylon lying in a heap.

A lady exited the little camper and told us they sheltered in the concrete block restroom building because a tornado was spotted on the north side of the lake. When they opened their camper door to run for the shelter, the wind blew it so hard it bent the hinges. Brand new camper. First time using it. (Last time using it?)  By the way, her daughter's other aqua Croc was never found, and another pair of her shoes ended up in someone else's campsite. Quite a wild ride, but everyone in our camping loop was unscathed. 

It was time to head to Sugar Land, Sally and Bob's home town. But Dave and I couldn't resist a quick side trip to Round Top, TX, a quaint antique-y spot with friendly people and good burgers. I found a few stocking stuffers for the upcoming holidays, but rain kept us from exploring all the shops.

Sugar Land was the home of Imperial Sugar, and the old refinery still stands. Bob gave us the grand boat tour of the lake they live on, and we enjoyed the various architectural styles of the homes in the area. Dave and Bob watched part of the Texas A&M football game - the first TV we've seen in 12 weeks. AND Dave caught a fish! 

Sorry, Dave, you have to throw it back.

 
Almost time to head for Ocala, a 2-day drive from Sugar Land, with a stop over in Louisiana. Thank you, Sally and Bob, for a real bed, real shower, real toilet, and really great steaks for dinner.