Monday, January 23 - Riverwalk & Alamo

It was cool, low 50's, cloudy and windy this morning. We drove into San Antonio, about a 20 minute drive, to see the Riverwalk and the Alamo. There was a little sun, but glimpses of it were brief. 

The start of our walk along the river.

Lots of interesting water features.

I'll forgo comments on these ducks. It was cute watching them eat.

Not many  people there when we first arrived. 

An old bridge, I can't help myself, it was great.

The old style truss with rivets, rods and big pins was awesome.

An interesting column supporting a stairway.

The Alamo. We didn't go inside the church. We went through it when we were here in the 70's. We did stroll around the grounds. Note the 2 Rangers near the center of the photo. They were in that same spot when we entered and when we left. They  must provide security.

This oak tree below has an interesting story. In the early 1900's a San Antonio resident named Walter Whall, a retired English seaman, started a business moving mature trees. With just simple tools he would dig them up and use a block and tackle setup to load them on a wagon. Mules pulled the wagon to the where the tree was to be replanted. In 1913 this oak tree was estimated to be 40 years old when he dug it up. Mr. Whall moved it to this location on the Alamo grounds. The circumference of the base is now over 12' and its branches sprawl over 50'.

On our way back to the car, along the Riverwalk, we stopped for a very chilly lunch at a restaurant with outside seating. The food was good but it got cold before we could finish eating it. I had to go back up on the street to "feed the parking meter". so that we had time to have lunch.

We parked on the street when we arrived downtown. You had to walk to a kiosk to pay. You got a "ticket" that showed the expiration time. You put it on your dash. There was a guy feeding lots of coins into the machine when I walked up (it wouldn't take his credit care, it cost $3.60 for 2 hours, the maximum time.) He and his wife were parked close to us and on the way back I commented on his Oklahoma license plate. Each year on their way south they stop and spend a little time in San Antonio. They are headed to a campground about 20 miles from where we are going. He told us they always walk into Mexico, at Progresso, when they are down here. He said he would not cross at Brownsville/Matamoros or McAllen/Reynosa. 

When we were down here in the 70's we walked across the bridge at both Brownsville and McAllen. Even then we didn't feel comfortable at either place. We turned around and walked back across the bridge. We did cross at Laredo/Nuevo Laredo and felt very comfortable. We spent several hours walking around the markets. I have read that Nuevo Laredo is now a very dangerous place.

Then it was back to the coach for the rest of the afternoon.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.