River Walking!

December 12-16, 2013

 

SIT’s adventure took us to Austin Texas via Laredo and San Antonio. You might be asking why would they go to Austin? Good question but you have to keep reading to find the answer.

We arrived in Laredo on Thursday December 12^th. We were just spending one night there so didn’t really plan on exploring but wanted to give Izzy a chance to be happy. So we found Lake Casa Blanca
State Park to spend the night.

Our spot was next to the water so she could get her feet wet, which of course she did. The fishing pier was nearby which pulled Steve to it. He didn’t fish but spoke with a local fisherman who was hanging out with a line in the water.

Izzy Love's This Place, Guess Why

Smilin' Steve

 

The Fishing Pier near our spot, too bad the fish weren't biting

 

We headed out the following morning with San Antonio as our destination. We arrived at our new spot in the early afternoon which gave us a chance to unwind.

On Saturday the weather was better so we headed to the Mission San Jose which was just one mile from where we were staying.  There is a lot of history with this Mission but the building of the limestone church, with its extraordinary Spanish colonial Baroque architecture and statuary began in 1768 – the peak of this mission’s development. At that time there were 350 Indians residing in 84 two-room apartments. The pictures we were able to take provide a view of what it looks like. The church of Mission San Jose came to be known as the “Queen of the Missions.”

We enjoyed touring the Mission and the grounds which provided us with a chance to take some pictures. Hopefully these will give you an idea of the uniqueness of this place.

The Mission

The Church Entrance

 

The Original Color

The Rose Window

 

The Guardian

The Stairway to the Bell

Inside an Apartment

Apartment Row



The Arches

 

 

Preparing

 

Staying Warm

The Gate

 

More Apartments

The Well

 

The Oven

I found it interesting compared to the missions I visited in California years ago.  The walls of this Mission are actually ten feet as the apartments are within them.

 

 

From here we ventured down to the Alamo. For the history buffs out there The Alamo had thirteen fateful days in 1836. Originally named Mission San Antonio de Valero, the Alamo served as home to missionaries and their Indian converts for nearly seventy years.  In the early 1800s, the Spanish military stationed a cavalry unit at the former mission. The soldiers referred to the old mission as the Alamo in honor of their hometown Alamo de Parras, Coahuila. The rest is history as they say.

Since we were there on a Saturday it was quite busy so it did not lend itself to taking pictures quite like the Mission San Jose did, but for those of you that have not been here you should get the flavor of it. Also the original Alamo structure is mostly gone unfortunately so what you do see is not what was standing in the 1800s.

The Alamo Grounds

The Church

The Shrine

Taking in the Sites

We wandered to the River Walk from the Alamo. Izzy hung out in the truck so she could people watch and take a nap. The autumn colors were coming out along with the Christmas spirit. It was quite nice wandering along the river.

 

The history of the River Walk started with Robert H. H. Hugman a San Antonio native. He conceived his river project in 1929. Construction didn’t take place until October of 1939. Hugman was fired in 1940 but the project was completed a year later, but went largely unused. It wasn’t until 1961 when the city brought in the major designers of Disneyland to determine the commercial potential of the river. The River Walk today is a result of that transformation.

Candles for the Night

The Tour Boat

 

As you leave the River Walk area and wander back toward the Alamo you come across a few sites worth getting their picture taken.

San Antonio Entertainment!

The St. Anthony Hotel

Touring via Carriage

When we finished with this River Walk Izzy and I did another river walk from the RV park. It was a bit windy but otherwise a very nice afternoon. She enjoyed watching the birds and sniffing every inch along the path.

We headed out Sunday for Austin so we could visit our nephew Ian. Ian is a chef at Max’s Wine Dive restaurant in downtown Austin. He had the day off so we ventured downtown so he could show us the sites and of course eat the restaurant. If you are a wine drinker this is the place for you. They know the details of the wines and can describe their taste to a tee!

Ian, Steve and Tory

 

The food is unique in terms of flavor but they make some of the old comfort foods you are used to if you are from the south. Well heck even if you aren’t. Steve was so impressed with the chili dog he had to take a picture!

 

We had a great time seeing Ian and the area. Austin is a busy place and has a lot to offer if you end up here one day.

We left today, December 17^th to work our way to Florida. We’ll cruise through Biloxi Mississippi to see what that’s all about so be sure to come back and check out the next post!

Basking in the Sun on South Padre Island, NOT!

SIT hit the road on Thursday December 5^th to head to South Padre Island which is located on the tropical tip of Texas. We were looking forward to more fishing, enjoying the warmth of Texas since we knew Idaho was downright cold, and I know Izzy wanted to do a lot more swimming.

We stayed at Andy Bowie County Park and it is the place for birdwatchers to hang out. Too bad they were all in their condos staying warm when we were there since the temperatures were low 40's with 20-30 mph winds!  I do have to admit it could be worse!  Sorry Idahoans.......

We didn’t get to see the sun, fish, and no swimming for Izzy since the weather decided to change and make us feel like we were close to Idaho. The wind would rock you to sleep at night, and helped with your hair-do during the day. Needless to say we found other things to do during our stay.

We explored the island and found the end of the road which gets covered with sand. That didn’t deter Izzy from getting her run in!

Running in the Mist Never Stops Izzy!

 

We visited Port Isabel and were able to get a shot of the lighthouse. The lighthouse was constructed in 1852 to guide ships through the Brazos Pass into the Laguna Madre. It was also used for the protection of Fort Polk, once located along the coast where Port Isabel now sits.

Port Isabel Lighthouse

 

We did go to Brownsville one day for a bit of Christmas shopping and dining. Brownsville was involved with the Civil War. Confederate cotton exports left via neutral Mexico from the Port of Bagdad, at the Mouth of the Rio Grande, to evade the Union blockade. Brownsville traders and intriguers prospered as part of the lifeline of survival for the Confederacy. The last battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Palmito Hill Ranch was fought May 13, 1856, five weeks after the Union surrendered at Appomatox. This provides Brownsville with some great history and museums.

The pictures we took of South Padre Island show a bit of the area and you will be able to see how the weather was impacting the gulf waters. Steve went to see if there were any brave souls fishing or taking a boat out and discovered they were smarter than the average bear!!  Needless to say the day we left it was beginning to show signs of improvement.

The Bridge to South Padre Island

The Dunes Move Constantly

The Dunes Attack the Road

The Beach at the Park

Must Find Sun

Supervising Steve

We left on December 12^th to work our way to Austin so we could visit our nephew Ian. We traveled to Laredo, then San Antonio. This part of the adventure is in the next installment!

 

Getting “Giggy” With It

 

December 1 – December 4, 2013

We continued our time in Port Aransas with a bit more fishing and some golf.

No matter what day or time of day you would always see water traffic out of Port Aransas. In speaking with folks that live here year round or are snowbirds they enjoy this slower paced lifestyle but love to be at the park and watch the boats and ships.

Heading Out

The Water Workhorse

 

When you head toward Corpus Christi from Port Aransas you pass by this giant sandcastle with aquatic critters hanging out. We figured we should stop and see what all was here. It is also the side of a very large gift store. We wandered around inside and didn’t buy much which is OK since you do have limited space.

The Sand Castle Store

The Mermaid Guards the Place

Not Quite Swimming with the Dolphins

 

 

We found a very nice golf course to play and headed there on Monday. We started off on the back nine. It was fun but still a change in playing the courses in this part of the country since the grass is a Bermuda grass. I won’t complain though since I finally got my golf mojo back. It left me for the past six months so I was happy. !!//**^^!! = happy dance

Watching us Golf

 

Steve did some night fishing one night and talked to some locals while waiting patiently for the really big fish.  After that night he decided we should check out the best way to get some flounder for this time of year.

I being the rookie at fishing said OK why not. Well then he went on to explain that you are out at midnight, standing up at the bow of the boat with a 14 foot pole with a pitchfork type of thing at the end. Well, I am usually fast asleep at midnight, but what the heck. This is an adventure isn’t it?

We headed out Tuesday evening at 9:30 and traveled the waters to various areas the guides use to get the mother-load of flounder. We saw a really small one right away but then didn’t see any. I did however see tons of shells I wish I could have reached down and take, tons of crabs scrambling around, and many other fish.

Oh yeah forgot to tell you about fishing for flounder with a pole that is not a fishing pole. It is called flounder gigging and it is in essence fishing with a spear as was done a long time ago. This was a new experience for both of us. I was unsuccessful at getting any fish and Steve was able to get a fish and we did end up with a very nice sized founder.

The beauty of fishing late at night or in the early morning hours with lights shining on the water is the dolphins come hang out with you since you’re lighting up their food. I wish I had a camera that would have worked well to take pictures at night as we were mesmerized by them playing, swimming, fishing, and hanging out with us just five feet away. The pod had a small young one too. They were probably teaching it the tricks of the trade when there is a boat with lights.

We motored past the shipping channel to our last spot they thought we might find some flounder. Well we found the spot but we also ended up in a thick fog within five minutes. Needless to say the captain and his first mate were figuring out where we were and the best path back to the marina. Steve and I remained calm since what else could we do. I got a kick out of the two bantering back and forth about where we were and what the lights off in the distance were and where was the lighthouse and the FEMA dock. Regardless we made it back to the marina at 1:30 AM.

The fish were cleaned, loaded in our ice chest and we arrived at home with Izzy already in bed. We followed suit.

We headed out Wednesday afternoon to play the front nine of the course we played the other day. We didn’t quite play as well. I am betting it was the lack of sleep and sore backs from standing for four hours holding a fourteen foot steel pole!!

Thursday we loaded up and headed down the road. We are now at South Padre Island and hoping for some calmer weather during our stay. The fish are calling!