So day one was to Las Cruces, NM and day two started with a ride to White Sands National Monument, NM. Day three was a not too long ride to Fort Stockton.
We stayed at White Sands hiking and sledding until after lunch then got on the road toward Fort Stockton, TX. The first hour or so was backtracking through Las Cruces again to get back to I-10, then it was a major traffic jam in El Paso (18-wheeler broken down in the middle of 5 lanes). They closed the lane he was stuck in for one mile before you got to him and 1/2 mile after, plus both lanes on either side of the one he was in. What a mess! But it gave us (the kids and me) a chance to discuss the differences in economy, politics, and lifestyle in Mexico vs. the USA. The kids could see first hand houses on one side of The Rio Grande and shacks on the other. They were surprised at what they saw.
Finally, the traffic broke and we were off again. Uneventful all the way to Fort Stockton.
We checked into our hotel, Quality Inn, and were disappointed in everything about it. Since I covered that in a previous post, I won't repeat myself. As a follow-up though, Choice Hotels did reply to my complaints with two letters I don't believe telling me how seriously they were taking my complaints...blah, blah, blah. Show me the money!
We slept and departed in the morning for San Antonio, TX and The Alamo! The road from Fort Stockton to San Antonio was very west Texas. Oil fields, wind fields, fairly barren, and then we hit trees and humidity again. We were happy to get off the road and to our hotel. The hotel was better than the last and we swam until dinner, ate, went to bed to get an early start downtown.
Now I've been to The Alamo before (basic training at Lackland's town pass). I even have some pictures somewhere to prove it, but I still don't remember all the lush vegetation! If you've never been, I can see your impression being brown, dusty, in the middle of the desert. The movies feed that myth. And myth it is. The Alamo is in the middle of San Antonio. San Antonio and The Alamo are in (according to the guide) a sub-tropical environment, and The Alamo's been there for hundreds of years so not only is there jungle type plantlife, it's BIG! And there's lots of it.
The famous front of The Alamo houses the Shrine to the lost and some historical displays. The actual mission rooms have been converted into a history museum with each room dedicated to some ascpect of the famous fight. The courtyard is just a luscious, green, garden. The centerpiece of which (for me) is a huge, rambling Live Oak. It's beautiful. The final building houses the expansive gift shop that also has some intricate dioramas.
After a brief Alamo walk-around, we got on our tour bus to go see some missions. There are six in the immediate S.A. area and the tour was supposed to include four. Ours only led us to three because the tour bus got behind schedule when a train blocked our path. Just as well. The kids had seen enough old church buildings with forts around them. So we headed back into the city proper and visited The Alamo a little more in depth. They now know who Davy Crockett was and who is credited with the Bowie knife.
Then it was off to Riverwalk. Riverwalk does follow the natural path of the San Antonio River, but the level and flow is controlled upstream to prevent flooding and provide consistency for the boat operators. It's a nice shady respite filled with shops and restaurants of all flavors. We chose Hard Rock Cafe for our lunch, then a local place for ice cream and it was off to visit the relatives in Katy, TX.
That's where I'll leave you today.
pictures of road to S.A., San Antonio, and The Alamo
We stayed at White Sands hiking and sledding until after lunch then got on the road toward Fort Stockton, TX. The first hour or so was backtracking through Las Cruces again to get back to I-10, then it was a major traffic jam in El Paso (18-wheeler broken down in the middle of 5 lanes). They closed the lane he was stuck in for one mile before you got to him and 1/2 mile after, plus both lanes on either side of the one he was in. What a mess! But it gave us (the kids and me) a chance to discuss the differences in economy, politics, and lifestyle in Mexico vs. the USA. The kids could see first hand houses on one side of The Rio Grande and shacks on the other. They were surprised at what they saw.
Finally, the traffic broke and we were off again. Uneventful all the way to Fort Stockton.
We checked into our hotel, Quality Inn, and were disappointed in everything about it. Since I covered that in a previous post, I won't repeat myself. As a follow-up though, Choice Hotels did reply to my complaints with two letters I don't believe telling me how seriously they were taking my complaints...blah, blah, blah. Show me the money!
We slept and departed in the morning for San Antonio, TX and The Alamo! The road from Fort Stockton to San Antonio was very west Texas. Oil fields, wind fields, fairly barren, and then we hit trees and humidity again. We were happy to get off the road and to our hotel. The hotel was better than the last and we swam until dinner, ate, went to bed to get an early start downtown.
Now I've been to The Alamo before (basic training at Lackland's town pass). I even have some pictures somewhere to prove it, but I still don't remember all the lush vegetation! If you've never been, I can see your impression being brown, dusty, in the middle of the desert. The movies feed that myth. And myth it is. The Alamo is in the middle of San Antonio. San Antonio and The Alamo are in (according to the guide) a sub-tropical environment, and The Alamo's been there for hundreds of years so not only is there jungle type plantlife, it's BIG! And there's lots of it.
The famous front of The Alamo houses the Shrine to the lost and some historical displays. The actual mission rooms have been converted into a history museum with each room dedicated to some ascpect of the famous fight. The courtyard is just a luscious, green, garden. The centerpiece of which (for me) is a huge, rambling Live Oak. It's beautiful. The final building houses the expansive gift shop that also has some intricate dioramas.
After a brief Alamo walk-around, we got on our tour bus to go see some missions. There are six in the immediate S.A. area and the tour was supposed to include four. Ours only led us to three because the tour bus got behind schedule when a train blocked our path. Just as well. The kids had seen enough old church buildings with forts around them. So we headed back into the city proper and visited The Alamo a little more in depth. They now know who Davy Crockett was and who is credited with the Bowie knife.
Then it was off to Riverwalk. Riverwalk does follow the natural path of the San Antonio River, but the level and flow is controlled upstream to prevent flooding and provide consistency for the boat operators. It's a nice shady respite filled with shops and restaurants of all flavors. We chose Hard Rock Cafe for our lunch, then a local place for ice cream and it was off to visit the relatives in Katy, TX.
That's where I'll leave you today.
pictures of road to S.A., San Antonio, and The Alamo
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