DAY 105—Finishing Up Texas & Moving On to Louisiana…

The plan today was to head east from Houston towards Beaumont, TX and then onto Lake Charles, LA.  It was raining pretty well when I woke up and I could see from my hotel window that I-45 north was a solid traffic jam.  That would be the way that I needed to go to catch I-10 East.  I decided to take my time with breakfast and getting ready for the day in hopes that when I left most of the traffic would be gone.  It was mostly gone when I jumped on I-45 with my car shortly after 10am.  I decided to wait until I was out of the Houston area before I fueled up.

About 30 miles east outside of Houston, the price of gas had dropped by ten cents a gallon.  I stopped and fueled up.  There was a guy from Tennessee that was going around to everyone at the pump asking if anyone had any cash.  He and his family were stranded and needed some help so he could get to a location of a job he found.  When he asked me, I told him I was the last person to ask because I was basically living out of my car.  He looked at my loaded up car and then God blessed me.  I’m always wary of giving people like this money because there’s never a way to verify their story.

Photo- Starvin' Marvin's Restaurant .

On down the road I went and a few miles outside of Beaumont I saw signs advertising Starvin’ Marvin’s restaurant.   They advertised that they were the best of Beaumont.  Oh, these Texans love to brag!  Well, it was lunch time and I thought what the hell.  I swung by Starvin’ Marvin’s.  I’m glad that I did.  I sat outside on their wonderful patio area and enjoyed a delicious crawfish enchilada.  Then, I had bread pudding for dessert.  Yummy! 

It was as I paid for my meal that I noticed a credit card was missing from my wallet.  The last place I used it was the gas station.  I went out to my car and looked through the seats and all through the bags and what not where it could be.  I’m getting more and more nervous as I look and it’s not showing up.  I must have dropped it when I fueled up because I couldn’t remember what I did because I got side tracked by that guy from Tennessee.  Normally, I have a system but talking to someone during the process threw me off. 

I turned back on the interstate and headed back to that gas station which was about 50 miles.  The whole time I’m praying to God that someone was honest and turned in my card to a clerk at the counter.  I never had a longer 50 mile drive.  I got to the gas station and waited a few minutes while they contacted someone in the office area of the Flying J.  I described the card and gave them my name.  About 5 minutes later a gal comes down and yells my last name.  I answer and she hands me the card.  She never even asked for ID or anything.  I quickly used the restroom and then was back heading east on the interstate towards Beaumont.

Photo- A festive air in the Fireman's Museum in Beaumont, TX.

There was a Fireman’s Museum that I was hoping to catch before it closed in Beaumont.  I made it with time to spare.  The museum is a free self-guided tour and it was rather fascinating reading about how fireman came into being.  I found it very interesting that Benjamin Franklin had a great influence on the history of fireman.  He started the first volunteer fire company in 1736.   It was also very interesting to see the evolution of the fire truck and other tools that the fireman use change over time.  I had the place all to myself and I took my time going through it.  I especially got a kick out of the HUGE black and white spotted fire hydrant in a courtyard area across from the museum.  It was very much worth the stop.

Photo- A HUGE fire hydrant in Beaumont, TX.

Next, I was heading further east towards Louisiana.  It was interesting watching the landscape change just a little more.  There was more marsh like areas with trees along the interstate.  There was moss hanging in the trees. 

I crossed the state line into Louisiana.   The speed limit on the interstate dropped from 75mph to 70mph.  The interstate widened with another lane and it was a smoother black top that seemed better maintained.  Another 30 miles, and I was going over a long huge bridge into Lake Charles.  I happily found my hotel which was close off an interstate exit.

After getting settled in a bit at the hotel, I went down to the front desk and asked the gal where was a go place to grab a bite to eat.  She asked what kind of food I was in the mood for.  I told her something local that was casual, as I looked down at my jeans.  She directed me to Steamboat Bill’s which was just up the road about ½ mile.

Steamboat Bill’s is definitely a locals place.  I walked in and was the only white person in the place; which is cultural shock after living in Utah.  There were two counters in the place.  One where you ordered prepared food and another on the other side that looked like it had fresh seafood you could take home to prepare.  I walked up to the counter asked if they took credit cards and then ordered a chicken and sausage gumbo with a soda.  The gal behind the counter gave me a number along with my receipt.  They would call that number when it was ready.  I went over to the fountain area, got my drink, and then decided where to sit.

Photo- Good Gumbo at Steamboat Bill's.

Quite a few people were coming in and picking up to go orders.  The place wasn’t very busy.  There were maybe six actual customers sitting down to eat in the whole place.  I got my gumbo and sat at one of the simple tables that have paper towel holders at each end.  The gumbo was wonderful and I wish I would have ordered the large portion instead of the regular.

It was as I was enjoying my bowl of gumbo that an older blond haired man came in.  He looked at me and said,” Awww, I see you got the WHOLE place to yourself.”  I just smiled and nodded at him.  Though, surely he could see that there were 6 other Black customers in the place.  Did they not count in his book or what’s up with that; I thought to myself?  He came over after he got his drink and noticed that I hadn’t done the crawfish which was in season.  “No crawfish?” he asked.  I laughingly told him that I was building up to that.  He asked where in the north I was from after I said that.  I guess he noticed I didn’t have a southern accent.  I said Utah.  “Oh, that’s REALLY up there!” he said.  I chuckled and wondered to myself if he had any idea where Utah was.

Photo- Christmas Lights by the Civic Center in Lake Charles, LA.

It was as I was leaving the restaurant that he asked me how long I was staying in Lake Charles.  I told him just the night and part of tomorrow and then I would head on to Baton Rouge.  He said,” Well, Miss Utah.  You have a wonderful visit.”  I thanked him and left.  I then decided to explore some of the Lake Charles area in the dark.  There were quite a few Christmas lights down by the lake area and by their civic center that were festive.

DAY 102,103 &104- Houston, TX…

In the interest of catching up and because I’ve been in the same Texas city for the last few days, I’m just going to give you the high lights of my time in Houston, Texas.  Houston has been touted as the 4^th largest city in the US.  I’m not sure if that’s land mass or population wise or just a matter of Texans bragging.  They sure have a tendency to brag about how big things are; or how tall.  I wonder if some of that steams from the landscape being so flat in general.  Houston would be predominately a flat city if it were not for all of the vaulted freeways that they seem to like to build.  But I will say that Houston seems to be easier to get around than some of the larger cities I have been around.  The freeway system here seems to be laid out somewhat logically.  But enough of that, let’s get into the highlights of my time in Houston…

Day 102—

Photo- It looks like the Washington Monument but it's in Texas.

Photo- Me in front of the San Jacinto Monument.

 

Visiting the San Jacinto Monument... It was like a mini Washington Monument that was placed in the middle of oil refinery lands.  Off to one side it even had its own reflection pond like the Washington Monument.  It marks the spot that some historians refer to as the birth place of Texas.  This battle that took place after the Alamo was a turning point where Texans won and finally were made into a US state which in turn lead to the Spanish American War.  Anyway, that’s the shortened version that I understood from all the reading I did at the monument.

Photo- The Fred Hartman Bridge as seen from a nearby Marina.

Driving over the Fred Hartman Bridge…This Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that spans the Houston Ship Channel and is 2.6 miles wide.  It’s a rather impressive bridge and there’s quite a view of it from a nearby marina area.

Photo- The Kemah Boardwalk.

Walking the Kemah Boardwalk… This is a cute amusement park with a boardwalk that overlooks the Galveston Bay.  It is southeast of Houston.  It was raining a bit when my friend and I arrived so we had coffee and freshly made beignets.  Yummy!  It was the first time I had ever had one and I was told I had to have one in New Orleans.  I also heard that this is the place of the original Laundry's Seafood Restaurant.

DAY 103—

Photo- The Houston Museum of Fine Arts Sculptural Garden.

 

Visiting the Houston Museum of Fine Arts…Located in the heart of the Museum District of downtown Houston this museum’s main campus has two buildings that are connected by an underground tunnel.  The Beck building houses more traditional type of art and the Law building houses more modern and cultural displays.  The underground tunnel had changing lights and was really cool to walk through.  There was a dance display going on in part of the Law building in the Buddhist –Indian area when we went through.  It was a woman dancing and like telling a story.  It was wonderful to watch.  My favorite section was the Impressionism section on the second floor of the Beck building. 

Photo- The outside of the Menil Collection Museum.

See the Menil Collection Museum…  The actual collection was not as impressive as the outside of the building.  It was very modern with sculpture on the grounds and a louvered like covered entry and covered sidewalks around it’s outside.  There was one room that had famous painter’s paintings where it was a canvas that was all one color or a huge box of black in another color on an almost black covered canvas.  I never seem to get art like this.

Boggled at the CY Twombly Gallery… Across the street from the Menil Collection Museum, this gallery has a very plain exterior and is a bit of an oddity to visit.  You are told there’s no cell phones or photography and to please keep your voices down.  I could see where it might be a good place to meditate.  The interior has large canvas ceilings to diffuse the light on the artwork that displayed.  The artwork?  Well, it looked a little like 20 kids let loose on a canvas to me.  This kind of art I REALLY do not get. Thank goodness it was free to get in but there were plenty of art books by the artist at the front entry way if you wanted to spend some money.

Photo- The unique St. Thomas College's Church.

Seeing the unique St. Thomas College Campus Church…  This church situated in the middle of campus just a couple of blocks from the Menil Collection Museum was something to see.  It looks like a HUGE gold dome that has been cut in half by a black wall that has the three bells and three windows for the Trinity on each side.  The entrance to the church area looks like appears as a white crack in the side of the building that has been cut and pulled back.  The inside is very austere and modern too.  It was just an amazing place to visit.

Photo- A sculpture of Sam Houston in Houston Texas...Hmmm?

Driving through Hermann Park… In middle of downtown Houston as I drove back to my hotel I drove through a large city park that is called Hermann Park.  There are quite a few fountains and a large sculpture of notorious Sam Houston; as should be expected in a city named after him.  It was a lovely park area for people to hang out and relax in.

DAY 104—

Visiting the School of Architecture in the University of Houston… My friend being an architect and having graduated from this school wanted to quickly show me the unique building of the School of Architecture at the University of Houston.  It was a very unique building with classic roman columns on the top and a more modern flavor on the bottom. 

Photo- The Beer Can House in Houston Texas.

Seeing the Beer Can House… Yep, I had to just drive by and see this unique bit of Houston while I was in the area.  It was definitely its own unique form of “architecture”; I’m using in the loosest from of that word.  Beer cans were used in almost every aspect of the outside of the house from the mail box to the fence to the exterior of the house.  An especially unique touch was the inlaid marbles in the driveway.  It’s a $5 entrance fee to go into the interior of the house but I just stuck with looking at the exterior of the house and wondering how many beer parties it must have taken to get all of those beer cans for the outside.

Photo- The amazing Bayou Bend Gardens.

Walking through the Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens…The house and gardens was the former home of a Houston civic leader and philanthropist Ima Hogg (yeah, what a name!).  We walked through the garden area for a mere $3 fee and they are definitely something to see.  The house was built in 1927 in the height of the roaring 20’s and it looks very much like a southern plantation.  There’s an extra fee and reservation to see the interior of the house but I was happy just enjoying the lovely garden area.  They even had a HUGE sculpted butterfly garden area that was fun to enjoy.  These gardens are open year round to enjoy and they even have events in the evenings that can be attended that look festive.

DAY 101- Galveston & Houston, TX…

In the morning after having a waffle shaped like the great state of Texas, I took advantage of the convenient laundry the hotel had down the hall to my room.  I washed a load of laundry while I showered and changed for the day; that’s multi-tasking in my current world.  Shortly after the laundry was done, I was packed and on my way out of Bay City, TX.  I will admit that I drove through town found the post office and didn’t see much else to visit in the area.

I headed north on Texas Hwy 35.  After a while I pulled into a picnic area and ate a bit of a snack.  There’s quite a few picnic areas along the highways instead of rest stops in Texas; no restroom facilities.  You best stop at one of the gas stations if you need that.  This picnic area had two covered picnic tables, a couple of bright blue garbage cans and a historical marker about Texas’ dairy industry.  A lot of people were slowing down and looking at me.  Could they tell I was one of them Yanks?  Or did I badly mismatch my outfit this morning?

I continued on my drive eventually turning onto I-45 to head south towards Galveston, TX.  I started to be driving on a series of bridges and there was a lot less land that was visible until I got near Galveston.  There were tall blue towers on the each side of the interstate bridge with Galveston in bold white letters vertically.  I guess I was in Galveston.  The interstate ended and I was on a main road through town.

Photo- Entering into Galveston, Tx.

I saw the signs for Pleasure Pier and started to follow those out of curiosity.  It ended up being a large pier that had an amusement park on it.  That looked fun but it was looking rather dead.  It was the off season from what I could see.  I drove along the seawall area for a while until it ended and then I turned around to head back down along it.  I pulled over a couple of places and got out to look around and take pictures.  There were statues that were memorials to those that were lost in hurricanes that had come ashore in Galveston; the most devastating one occurred in 1900.  The Gulf was very choppy with white caps.

Photos- Along the seawall in Galveston.

 

Photo- Memorial statue along the seawall area in Galveston.

Next I drove over to the Bishop’s Palace which was one of the few houses that survived the great1900 hurricane that hit land in Galveston.  That hurricane wiped out 3500 homes in the area and over 6500 people died or disappeared.  The ornate Victorian house had been built of stone and railroad ties ended up serving as a sturdy shelter for several nearby residents during that storm.  It was built for lawyer and politician Walter Gresham between the years 1887 to 1893.  In 1923, it was purchased by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston to serve as the Bishop’s residence.  In 1963, the house became a local museum.  It was amazing going through the house with a self-guided audio tour.  Unfortunately, I could not take any photos of the inside of the beautiful house to share with you.

Photo- The outside of the Bishop's Palace that I stole off a historical site.
Darn camera was acting up again!

I next wandered over and around The Strand in Galveston which is their old downtown like historic area.  It’s a block or two away from where cruise ships are docked.  I drove through admiring the old buildings.  It was busy and there were no places that I could find to park.  But I needed to head north towards Houston, get checked into my hotel and meet a friend for dinner.  So, I found I-45 and headed north.

Photos- Inside the Aquarium restaurants.

Later, I had a wonderful late birthday treat of a dinner at the Aquarium restaurant in downtown Houston.  This restaurant had HUGE tanks that you could see in the dining room area.  It was rather great to eat, watch and relax.  We then walked around some of a park setting area not far from the restaurant and I got to see downtown Houston a little more.  Then, we drove through downtown area and I got to see the City’s Christmas lights.  Then, we went Up Town.  Yes, Houston has a downtown and an uptown. We had a quick drink in a nice bar in Uptown and then it was time to call it a night. 

Photo- Christmas in downtown Houston.

 

DAY 100- Sunrise and Never a Sailor…

I got up early in my north Padre Island hotel to watch my first sunrise over the Gulf of Mexico.  It was something unique having never saw a sunrise over an ocean area.  Living in the west, I had seen sunsets over the ocean.  It was still dark out when I was putting my shoes on but the sun was rising steadily as I walked out to the beach with my camera.  I wanted to capture the moments.  I wasn’t the only one out there.  There was another gal in a cowboy boots and hat with a fancy camera.  I said hi and she walked away from me.  Okay, maybe not a morning person that talks; oh, well.  I just watched and enjoyed the silence as the sun rose.  It was beautiful and I’m glad that a friend had suggested that I do it.

Photos- Of the sunrise I watched over the Gulf of Mexico.

Later on, I was heading south on Padre Island for the Padre Island National Seashore which is part of the National Park system.  I got to use my annual parks pass again; bonus!  I’m always amazed at how many National Parks or Landmarks that I just stumble across and am able to use this pass.  It’s the best investment that I could have done during this adventure.

I drove to the visitor’s center after showing my annual pass at the entrance gate.  I walked into the visitor’s center and there was a group with a national parks employee going through a display of unique things that people had picked up along the beach.  I joined in with listening.  The coolest thing I thought that was on the display table looked like a piece of petrified wood but it wasn’t.  It was fused sand from a lightning bolt that had struck the beach.  You could see where seashells were captured in the fused sand.  All kinds of things wash up onto the shore of Padre Island because of its circular coastline and the ocean currents there are thing that come from Cuba, the Caribbean and South America; most of the items on the display table were seed pods, nuts, or coral.  

I walked around the visitor’s center a little more.  They had samples of the Kemp turtles that had been almost extinct but with help from programs and local support they’ve been assisted in the protection of their birthing places and releasing them afterwards the numbers are slowly rising.  They had one of the large Kemp turtles on display but I guess that currently they were releasing smaller ones in the early, early mornings at this time of year. 

Photo- Butterflies and flowers on the way to the beach.

I went out towards the beach area.  On the way, I saw a grouping of yellow wild flowers where there were quite a few monarch butterflies landing and flying around.  I stopped and watched for a bit.  While watching I also saw a small sand crab run across the sand and into a hole.  I walked along the beach for a while.  Down a little ways there was a father and son fishing along the beach area.  I watched them for a bit and then continued walking down the beach.  I saw all kinds of birds and a couple of Portuguese-Man-O-Wars that had washed up on shore.  The day before near the hotel beach I had seen a jelly fish washed up on shore. 

Photos- Father and son fishing on the beach and their catch of the day.

I must have walked a couple of miles and decided to turn around.  The father and son were collecting their gear and as I got closer I could see a line full of fish that had been caught.  I commented on their catch and the father said that it was just the first catch of the day.  There was a campsite nearby where I guess they were staying.  I wished him a good day and continued on.  I went into the gift shop and looked around for a bit.  Then, I figured it was time to head north to Corpus Christi for my next planned visit of the day.

I followed the Google directions to the USS Lexington Museum which is in a bay area near downtown Corpus Christi.  The USS Lexington War Ship is an actual warship that has been permanently made into a museum.  I paid my entrance fee and got a token for the parking lot across the street.  I hung out looking at displays in the Hanger Bay #2 area while I waited for the next film to start in about 10 minutes.  There were a couple of restored planes, some airplane motors that were on display; along with some game like things to interact with.  When they opened the theater a few minutes later, I took the 3D glasses and found a seat.

Photo- The outside of the USS Lexington from the shore.

The movie was focused on air races and restored planes.  It had some cool effects with the 3D.  A row back a woman said she thought that the movie would be about ships since we were on a ship.  Her husband nicely told her that it was an air carrier ship and that’s why the movie was about planes.  Oh, she said.  She still sounded a bit disappointed.  I just chuckled a bit.

Photo- Inside the USS Lexington in the Bay #4 area.

I next went on one of the four other tours where you go through parts of the ship.  I did the #2 Tour which was the officers’ quarters, a Pearl Harbor Exhibit, and anchor equipment.  I climbed in and around and up into the upper deck areas of the ship.  It was like chutes and ladders with a bit of a maze thrown in.  I was finding it fun and I looked out at the outside windows as I went along.  Next, I did the #1 Tour which was the flight deck.  I went up and out onto the open area where they had old restore airplanes, anti-aircraft guns, the plank, and the navigation bridge area.  It was all pretty fun and I was having fun going through rounded doorways and up and down the stairs that were like ladders.  I did Tour #3 which was the combat ready rooms, the library, and the Captain’s Cabin.  I was amazed at how much room the Captain of the ship was given.

Photos- Stairs and doorways in the USS Lexington.

Then, I thought I’ll do the last of the tours I hadn’t done which was #4.  This tour was the lower decks where the engine room, sick bay, dental clinic, crew’s galley, a POW Exhibit, and a Chapel was.  I climbed down to the lower deck and started to look at some of the crews small areas where they would sleep.  Yikes, these were rather small and cramped.  I went by the barber’s chair area.  I then started going through some of heating and cooling equipment that was on the ship; that was rather cool because I used to be a secretary in this line of business.  Then it was an exhibit on Pearl Harbor Exhibit.  It was about this time that I really started to feel claustrophobic. 

Next, I walked into the sick room area and I could feel the sweat just dropping down my forehead.  I was starting to have a hard time breathing.  I sat down for a bit and put my head between my legs because I was getting light headed.  Oh no!  I might be leaving something behind in the sick room if I didn’t get out of here soon.  My stomach was starting to act up too.  I started to look for a way out.  Shortly after this I ran into a young married couple that had been in the theater the same time as me.  I asked if they knew where the exit was because I was starting to get claustrophic.   They helped me out and then led me over to one of the wide door bay areas when we reached the main floor.  They were both very sweet and asked if they could help or get me anything.  They encouraged me to sit down.  I sat down and just took large breaths of fresh air.  Well, I guess I’ll never be a sailor!

I left the ship shortly after I managed to feel normal again.   I was back in my car and heading north to Bay City which was a halfway stopping point between Corpus Christi and Galveston, TX.  As I drove north the sun started to set behind me and the moon was starting to rise in front of me.  This moon was HUGE and kind of a yellow orange.  It reminded me of the moon in that late 1980’s movie called Moonstruck in which Cher and Nicholas Cage starred.  It was HUGE and I sometimes found it hard to keep my eye one the road because I was watching the moon.

It was as I got to Bay City that I discovered I didn’t have the paper of which hotel I would be staying at for the night.  Ooops!  I pulled into a McDonald’s hoping that they had free Wi-Fi.  Nope!  I drove around and then saw a Chili’s and I thought I would ask there while I grabbed a quick bite to eat.  I just realized I never ate any lunch and I was surviving on a Bit of Honey bar that I bought at the National Park Visitors Center earlier.  I asked the server if she knew of any places with Wi-Fi nearby.  Nope!  Okay, this was not good. 

I looked through my phone when I remembered that I had called hotels.com earlier in the week when I made an error on an on-line booking.  I found the number and rather quickly found out which hotel I would be staying at, the address, and the phone number.  I was back in business.  Yeah!

DAY 99- Missions and on to the Beach...

I totally decided not to visit the Alamo while I was in San Antonio.  From what I heard it was expensive and you couldn’t touch or really look at anything in particular.  It was being treated as too much of a Shrine and I’ve seen enough of those plus, I still had three other Missions in the area that I could visit for free and be able to take pictures of.  So I packed up my car and headed to the first one of the three which was Mission Concepcion.

Photo- The outside of the church at Mission Concepcion.

There was only one other car and myself there at 10AM.  The church was open and I walked around and read all of the historical signage.  The inside of the church I thought was very beautiful.  There was a couple of people in a closed off section doing some masonry repairs/ restoration.  It was just a nice peaceful quiet area to be.

Photo- Repairs being done at Mission Concepcion.

Photo- The beautiful interior of Mission Concepcion church.

Next, I followed the signs to go to Mission Espada.  There I was greeted by a docent that gave me some extra literature about this mission in particular.  Then, she even offered to explain the statues in the church if I would like when I got over to the church area.  I thanked her and said that I would love to have her do that.  She was just so helpful and it was such a pleasure to have someone like her on duty at the mission.

Photo- The church at Mission Espada.

I waved at her as I got over to the church area.  She explained how this church was not what was originally designed for the area.  They had footings laid out for a larger church but it never happened.  There were a lot of issues with maintaining a constant Indian population for labor at this mission.  She also pointed out the door frame of this church.  It was rather Moorish in nature.  The story goes that the original mason got involved with a married lady and had to flee quite quickly leaving the work unfinished.  The underlings were left to finish the work and it’s believed that they tried as best they could but didn’t really know what they were doing and thus there are some “errors” with the door area. 

She went into the church with me and explained about the St. Francis statue that was in the middle was the oldest statue of the mission and that the gold leafing was what they discovered as they were restoring the statue.  The Jesus statue was made of corn husks and the Mary statue was only half that tall and was designed to be carried during festivals.  She also explained about how the window at the rear of the church was designed to shine sun on the St. Francis statue on October 4^th which is a special day in the Catholic Church.  I forgot which one and I’m not up on my Catholic holidays.  But it was all very interesting.

The docent left me in the church, inviting me to take pictures and to come over to visitor’s center.  She said she would be back by the entrance if I had any further questions that I had.  I thanked her for her time and took several pictures of the inside of this church. Then, I went over to check out the visitor’s center.  There was an older gentleman in a cowboy being the docent in there.  There was a puzzle of the door way of the church that you were invited to play with.  He told another story about the doorway of the church. 

Then the gentleman docent went on to explain the building that houses the visitor’s center which use to be used as a local Catholic school for the area.  They had photos and areas that were left like it originally would have been when it was used as a school.  There also was a different room that housed museum information.  What I found particularly interesting was that branding of cattle came from the King of Spain.  If the cow wasn’t branded then it was considered the King’s property.  This encouraged owners to brand their cattle.  One of the oldest brands that are still registered to this day is the Mission’s brand.  The docent also went on to point out how the term Maverick came into use.  There was a guy that moved into the territory after King of Spain lost power in the area.  This guy whose name was Maverick was quick to claim any of the unmarked cattle were his.  There by any of the unmarked cattle were called mavericks; kind of some fun history there.

Next, I headed to the Mission Espada.  I was walking along taking pictures when out of the blue walks Nanette the same national park employee that gave the tour yesterday.  She said I recognize you from yesterday.  I had asked a couple of questions during the tour yesterday and another afterwards.  I guess I might have been memorable.  I ended up talking with her for a while.  It was just myself and maybe one other couple on the grounds of this mission.  It was rather fun talking with her and I explained what I was doing with my road trip.  She thought that was neat and mentioned that she wanted to try to explore more of Texas with her husband when they could because Texas had a lot to offer.  She wanted to do Stay-cations.  I thought that was a wonderful idea and thinking more people should really try to do that.

After talking with Nanette I went through the museum part of the mission and then ended up talking with an older gentleman docent who happened to be a member of the mission parish.  He explained how they were fixing the church which was leaning very badly.  He also pointed out another structure on the property that was a house that was made from the original stones from the mission.  Quite a few of the stones ended up being used for that and that’s why some of the missions are not as well restored as they could be because a lot of these stones were spread all over the area being used for other houses and buildings.

Next, I found myself driving south towards Corpus Christi.  I would be spending the night in a hotel on the north side of Padre Island which is just over a couple of bridges from Corpus Christi.  I managed to find my hotel quite easily which surprised me because there were so many bridges that I went over and over that I was afraid it would be complicated to find.

Quickly after getting checked in I threw on some sandals and I was out walking along the beach area of the Gulf of Mexico.  It’s the first time I had ever seen or been on the Gulf of Mexico.  I thought that was kind of cool; another first.  The sun was just starting to set and I kind of just hung out and watched it set as I walked up and then back down the beach about 2 miles in all.   It was very pretty and I got to watch the moon rise.  There were a couple of surfers out which surprised me because there really wasn’t much for waves at all.  One of them did manage to get up on a wave for a short little bit but most of the waves were just too small to do anything with.  I talked with a local couple that was seated along the wall.  They said they saw people all the time attempting to make something out of these small waves.  Some of the best competitive surfers they said came from the Corpus Christi area because if they could make something of smaller waves they could really make something out of the larger ones.  I wouldn’t know but it kind of made sense.

Photo- Watching the sunset to the west on water that was to the east.  An interesting sight.

Next, it was dinner time and I asked the girl at the counter where there was a locals place to go.  She told me Scuttlebutts and gave me a copy of their menu.  It had a lot of variety and was nearby.  Why not.  I washed the sand off my feet, changed into blue jeans, and I was off.  As I went down there was a guy in the elevator that I said hi to and then went out to my car.  I drove past the restaurant the first time and had to turn around.  This area reminded me of Utah in that you have to do a "U" turn to get any where.

I go into the pretty full restaurant and try to find a sit at the bar.  Whose at the bar but the guy that I said Hi to in the elevator at my hotel.  He pulls up a bar chair next to him and invites me to sit next to him.  He's a marathon organizer from near the Orlando, FL area.  On the other side I have a small plane pilot from San Antonio.  There's two different basketballs games on the TVs and then there's an old Bruce Lee movie in the middle of it all.  The three of us are laughing at the Bruce Lee movie; talk about BAD acting.  It was fun.

I order some Happy Hour appetizers for dinner and ordered a draft beer that was on Happy Hour special.  The pilot guy leaves wishing me luck on my road trip and I ended up talking with the other guy.  He ends up paying for my dinner and asks if I want to hit a nearby bar.  Sure, I say.  I follow him to a place not far from our hotel called The Office.  It was a nice little local bar and I had to laugh because the pilot guy was there playing pool with another guy.  I said hi and he teased me about stalking him.  I gave him a hug and we finally introduced ourselves his name was Ben.  He also teased me about still hanging out with the guy I met in an elevator and warned me to be careful.  He was sweet.

I sat down with Mr. Elevator guy and I had another beer while he had wine and we just chatted.  He bought another round of drinks and we continued to chat.  I finally bought another round and we continued to chat.  As he finished his glass of wine, he said he was going back to the hotel bar at our hotel to finish up the night.  He asked if I wanted to join him.  I told him I might after I finish this beer which was only half full.  But I knew that the hotel bar would be closed and he was basically calling it quits for the night.  I thanked him for my dinner and all of the beers.  I finished my beer after a while and went back to the hotel for the night.

DAY 98- San Antonio, TX...

I woke up to a thick fog.  At first I could barely see the interstate that was running along outside of my window.  Later it became lighter out and I could see the interstate but the tall downtown buildings were lost in the fog.  I turned on the local news and they were showing accidents and backed up traffic all around the area.  I had considered a morning bike ride but I didn’t think it would be safe now.

Photo- A foggy morning in San Antonio, TX.

I went down for the grab and go breakfast at the Red Roof Inn where I was staying.  A muffin, some orange juice, a coffee and US Today paper, I was back up in my room.  I figured I would just wait out this fog thing.  The weatherman said it would clear as it warmed up during the day.  It was supposed to rain later that night and bring in a slight cold front.  The temperatures would be in the upper 60’s; sounded pretty good to me.

A while later, I found myself at the yellow trolley stop a half block away sitting on one of two benches.  There were two black guys there that were sitting on the bench not waiting for a trolley but taking a work break from the auto repair just down the street. I talked with them for a bit while I waited.  As the trolley (which was a regular bus) came I wished them a good day.  I rode the trolley over to the San Antonio Market Square stop.

Photo- Outside at the Market Square in San Antonio.

San Antonio’s Market Square is a colorful walking mall area where there are a lot of Mexican goods for sale.  It has a very festive air and there’s a whole variety of things to look at.  It was rather fun window shopping.  I walked around for a little bit and then decided to get lunch.

Photo- Inside the Mi Tierra's Cafe and Bakery.

I went to Mi Tierra’s Café and Bakery that says it’s always open.  I walked in and was enveloped by some wonderful smells.  Upfront, there’s a glass enclosed counter where there’s a whole selection of mouthwatering freshly baked goods.  Yummy!  I went up to the hostess stand and she started to take me back.  “Where would you like to sit?” she asked me.  She asked if I would like to sit at the counter or a table.  I said whichever is more interesting.  She gave me a perplexed look.  I asked about the covered patio area and she happily sat me out there; looking a bit relieved to be rid of me.

Chips and salsa were brought to the table and I ordered one of the specials of the day just picking something at random.  Their prices were very reasonable.  A very hot plate was served with a cheese enchilada, Spanish rice, a covered container of warm tortillas (corn and flour), and a huge chicken leg.  It was all tasty.  While I was enjoying my lunch, a table of Latino men were sitting and chatting in Spanish.  It was someone’s birthday and one of them was getting a hard time.  A short bit later a trio of guitar players showed up at their table along with a group of restaurant employees.  It was birthday song time; all sang in Spanish.  The birthday boy was turning all shades of red.  It was so cute.

After lunch I walked around the Market Square a bit more.  I went in a few shops and was tempted to try on some of the cute colorful clothes but I didn’t have the room in my car; so I thought I better not.  I caught the yellow trolley back to my hotel where I jumped in my car and drove to one of the Mission Churches in the area.  There are four of them in the area and they are a National Park.  There are guided tours that they do at a few of them and I thought it might be interesting to catch one of these.  So with my Google directions in hand I wandered south through San Antonio.  I went south on St. Mary’s which changed names twice before I came to the San Jose Mission and it’s visitor center. 

The tour was given by a National Park’s employee named Nanette.  She was a cute native Texan gal with an amazing unique southern drawl that almost had a hint of Spanish accent.  It was just amazing listening to her as she gave the tour.  She talked about the history of the Mission San Jose and pointed out the different areas along the way.  We got to see the “apartments” where up to 20 Indians would live.  It made my Salt Lake City one bedroom apartment look like the lap of luxury compared to these two linked rooms; one of which had a fireplace where cooking was done. 

Photo- The cute Nanette with the wonderful Texas drawl accent.

Photo- The outside of the little "apartments" that line the outside wall of the San Jose Mission.

Nanette talked about what was expected of the mission Indians and what an average day for them would have been like during this time frame.  Most of their life was centered around the church.  They would get up and attend church in the morning; go back to their “apartments” for breakfast and then report to whatever work area they were expected.  Then, at the height of the day would be siesta time.  Then after their nap they would be expected to attend church again.  Then, it would be dinner and they had free time in the evening time.

Photo- The Famous Rose window.

During the tour, we steadily worked our way over to the church part of the mission where she ended her tour.  She told of two different legends regarding a Rose window on the side of the church and said we could decide which one was true.  The actual church was not part of the National Park.  Though, it was open to the public.  It’s an active parish church and run by the San Antonio Diocese. 

Photos- San Jose Mission Church, outside and inside.

After that I wondered around taking pictures and reading some of the displayed signs.  It was all very fascinating.  I walked over to the milling area which was just outside the wall areas.  It was the miller’s day off but normally they would have someone that would be operating the mill.  It was the only one of the four missions that had a working mill.  Most of the missions had been somewhat restored in the 1930’s.  It was while viewing this that I had this kitten rubbing up against me and getting all friendly.  It was a sweet thing but I wasn’t taking it home if that was what it was hoping for.

I headed back to the hotel where I did a quick shower and change before going over to the River Walk Area.  I got some change at the front desk just in case I decided to take the trolley back after dinner.  I walked over the 6 or 7 blocks to the River Walk taking a bit of a different route now that I was getting to know the area.  I walked along almost all of the River Walk area trying to decide where I wanted to eat dinner.  I went by almost every restaurant; checking quite a few menus.  I must have walked about 2 miles in all; nothing seemed to be sparking my interest.

Photo- Lighted carriages you can rent in the River Walk area.

Great deals of the restaurants along the River Walk are Tex Mex, Italian, and BBQ.  I finally decided to turn around and go back to the Waxy O’Connor Irish Pub.  They had a lamb stew that sounded rather good and it did turn out to go very well with a draft of Blue Moon.  I was enjoying the outdoor table until rain started to sprinkle just a bit.  I asked the server to move in and finished my meal indoors while watching a bit of Monday night football.  The rain started to come down a little harder and I ordered another beer in hopes of waiting out the rain.  It finally calmed down and I walked back to my hotel.

Photo- One of the restaurant areas along the River Walk.