Kingsville, TX

San Antonio, TX

If you’re not a big fan of Missions and historical architecture then you should skip this blog. I poked around in the Historic King William District in the afternoon, but the day was spent primarily visiting the 4 Missions founded in the San Antonio area that I hadn’t yet seen.

Each of the missions have similar history but they all have unique qualities as well. They were all originally founded in the mid-1700s, by the Franciscans who were spreading Christian teachings as well as teaching the Spanish culture and way of life. They brought the previous hunters and gatherers into a community culture and taught them skills necessary to that way of life (farming, ranching, building aqueducts for irrigation, use of firearms, etc). The Presidio and Spanich soldiers provided security and the Franciscans directed their work at putting massive stone walls around each of the Missions for protection from other first nations (Apache and Comanche).

By 1824 all of the missions had been turned over to the people (“secularized”) and the churches were turned over to the parish clergy. These missions eventually provided the foundation for the city of San Antonio.

I had seen the Mission San Antonio de Valero (later named the Alamo) so I started out this morning to see the other 4, starting with Mission San Jose, where the Visitor Centre for the National Park is also located. From there a parkway runs between the other three which I visited from north to south.

Mission San Jose was the most organized and had the largest church and has the most restoring done. The church was adorned with a beautiful, intricate Rose Window, and had a domed roof, which showed the high level of skill of the artisans.

Mission Conception is the mission that is the best preserved and has the most original parts of all the missions. It also has the best examples of the original frescos.

Mission San Juan and Espada both had much smaller churches and were in more rural settings and they were important sources of food for the region.

After visiting the Missions, I did poke around in the Historic King William District to find lunch. I went to the Blue Star Artisan Complex and found a micro-brewery called Blue Star Brewing Company. I had a great brisket sandwich and no beer. Then I took a bit of a walk around the area looking at and taking some discreet pictures of some of the beautiful historic houses.

I love the Missions so I took a whole pile more pictures of them, but really I’m sure it’s hard to appreciate if you haven’t been there.

San Antonio, TX

Today was a great day touring San Antonio, the 7th largest city in the U.S. as well as one of the fastest growing, and the U.S. city that is second only to Vegas in the number of conventions hosted annually. Their convention facilities are currently booked up fully until 2032.

I started the day at the Alamo, while the crowds were smaller and I still had the patience to listen to the audio self-tour. It was particularly interesting for me to tour the Alamo, because I just found out that one of the key historical figures, William B. Travis, is the great, great, great uncle of my Vancouver friend, Dane.

Travis, at only 26, was a lieutenant colonel in the Texas Army and he was the key commander of the defences at the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution. The other two leaders were Bowie (the knife is named after him) and Davy Crockett. The story of the 13 day siege and the bravery and commitment of the soldiers there against unbeatable odds is well known, as is the call to “Remember the Alamo” which helped rally the Texans win their independence.

Originally a Mission, you can tour the church at the Alamo, which is now called a Shrine, the gardens, a gift shop, and the Long Barrack, which now houses a museum as well as a small theatre where a 20 minute film by the History Channel does a great job of putting the whole Battle of the Alamo into context.

After touring the Alamo, I jumped on the Hop On, Hop off bus and took the whole route from start to finish before hopping off. It gave me a good orientation of the downtown core and a couple of areas in the outskirts for the rest of my time here. It went north of downtown to the Pearl Brewery area (condos, stores and restaurants), and south to the King William Historic District, both of which need further exploration, perhaps on a subsequent trip.

Then it was on to the famous Riverwalk, an unbelievably visionary design by Robert H. H. Hugman. When plans for flood protection were being drafted for the San Antonio River flowing through downtown San Antonio there was debate on what to do with the river portion going through the downtown. Some wanted to just pave over it, but Hugman has this creative plan to make it into a really special place, and he was hugely successful.

Most of the River Walk is the original San Antonio River’s natural pathway, but in more recent years there was an extension to the Walk built on to the east of the original where the convention centre, large hotels and shopping mall are located.

Ravenous after walking much of the downtown loop of the River Walk, I stopped at “Republic of Texas”, a Tex-Mex restaurant on the river level and had a great Taco Salad and iced tea to charge me up for an afternoon of touring.

I headed first to Market Square where the beautiful gothic San Fernando Cathedral and the Courthouse are on two sides of the huge square. I felt very much like I was in Europe. The inside of the church was as beautiful as it’s outside and they have done a great job of incorporating the church into the square.

Next it was back down to River Walk level and I grabbed the Rio Cruise Riverboat ride to get a tour of the River Walk from the water. The guide was very entertaining and he knew his stuff. It took about 30 minutes and he pointed out the buildings along the way as well as explained some of the design features of River Walk.

Along the way I spotted a nice little spot for an afternoon margarita, so after the cruise, I meandered over to Rita’s on the River to enjoy one and take a look through my photos. I wandered back to the Alamo Plaza to get some pics of the Commemorative Statue that I had seen this morning when the light wasn’t good.

And then, it was nap time! So off to home it was.

Fort Stockton, TX

Today marks a milestone in my journey around North America. Up until now, while some of the specific places I saw were new to me, I had been in every province and state before coming on the journey and I was familiar with many of the areas I was visiting. Today that all changed and it’s very exciting. Texas is a new state for me and the 6th state for my trailer. (Other than changing flights in Houston and Dallas, which doesn’t count – me, not my trailer).

Today was primarily a travel day enroute to San Antonio. I left New Mexico early this morning and headed south east on Interstate 10 toward El Paso, Texas. I drove right through El Paso, thankful that it was Sunday morning and not the usual amount of traffic. Although it was busy enough.

Then it was clear sailing pretty much across flat prairie with mountains popping up from time to time and a couple of interesting canyons between valleys. I stopped at the Texas Tourist Information Centre just north of El Paso and two enthusiastic young men helped me find a bag full of information. They also talked me into getting this ridiculous picture taken. Go big or go home, right!

Then it was pretty much straight through to Fort Stockton, my stop for this evening. I’m staying at a cute little independent RV Park, just west of Fort Stockton, called Hill Top RV Park, yup, you guessed it, up on a hill overlooking the Interstate and a really nicely done metal sculpture called “Indian Scouts”.

You’ll see a couple of pics of some other metal work that greeted me at the entrance to the RV Park. The people who own the park are super friendly and helpful, and I’ve already spoken to half the Park by now! (It’s only 37 sites, but VERY friendly people).

So it’s on to San Antonio tomorrow for a couple of days. Might get up to Austin and Fredericksburg as well. Will see how the weather is.

El Paso, TX

Las Cruces, NM

This morning I checked the forecast for my route for today and not only was the forecast for heavy winds all day, there was a wind warning. So I made the decision to stay put for today and visit some more of Las Cruces and get some chores done.

While extending my stay at the office this morning, I asked if there were any special things happening this weekend, and they told me that there is a “Farmers Market” every Saturday morning throughout the year on the main street of downtown. So, before heading back to La Mesilla area, I checked it out. At this time of year, when there really are no crops, the market ends up being mostly artisans and food booths.

The quality and uniqueness of the artisanship was fabulous. There were some of the usual things you’d find at an art fair like stained glass items, wood carving, etc. But there were an amazing number of things I’d never seen before. Like one woman who makes jewelry out of antique glass, and a woman who uses a special glass cutter to remove the bottom of glass bottles and makes votive candle holders from them, etc. People were really friendly and there was no pressure at all. I bought a couple of things to take home and in the name of research I felt I should try the State Cookie of New Mexico called Biscochos, so I bought a small bag of them. They are very light short bread-like with cinnimon sugar on the outside.

The main street where the market is held, looks to be interesting itself with galleries and museums running along the 3 blocks where the market takes place.

But with time short, I headed over to La Mesilla Historic Area to grab some lunch, take some pictures and look around. Since I’d already blown my budget for today I tried not to look in too many stores. I checked out two historic restaurants and decided to eat at Peppers which is attached to the Double Eagle Bar. It is an amazing place with different rooms done in different historic settings. I ate in the brightly coloured atrium, which was beautiful with the filtered sunlight coming in through the windows above, and the soothing fountain in the middle. I had the “Award Winning” margarita special and a chicken salad which was really nicely presented.

The other restaurant, called La Posta was more traditional Mexican food and had a more traditional Mexican interior as well. It has been there serving food, in what started as a small building, over 150 years ago. Originally, along side it was the Butterfield Stage Coach office and other offices, but it gradually has taken over all of the buildings on the block and each is now enclosed into a maze of rooms. A must see, if not tried. Next time.

The square in front of the church is full of plaques and explanations of the area’s history and it was warm enough near the end of my visit for people to be sitting and strolling the square like they might have generations ago. The church, Basilica of San Albino, has a beautiful brick and wood interior, unusual to see but fits with the area so perfectly.

One of the buildings from 1850, claims to be the place where Billy the Kid was tried and sentenced to hang. He was a notorious gun fighting, cattle rustling partying kind of guy and he went by many names. His history also seems to be a little vague and perhaps enhanced.

On my way back to get to my chores, I stopped at a viewpoint just west of the city to see the view but also a road runner statue that caught my eye. It was originally built by artist Olin Calk in 1993 from items he hauled out of the landfill. He was making a statement “look at the stuff we throw away”. It has been refurbished a couple of times as people keep taking bits of the statue as souvenirs or amazingly have tried to climb on to the back. The last time it was refurbished they mounted it on a fake boulder hoping to avoid that problem in the future. The road runner has a pretty darn good view.

I am glad I decided to stick around today to get to know more about this town, which it turns out is one of my very favourites of the whole region.

Las Cruces, NM

OK, once again I’ve used a title to hopefully catch your attention. More on the white out later….

Today was State number 5 for my trailer as “we’ve” entered New Mexico. I left Tucson this morning, having not done all that there is to do or that I wanted to do but really, I’ve got a lot of miles to go and I can’t stay everywhere for days on end. I rolled into Las Cruces at about 1:30 with every intention of doing laundry, getting caught up on email, cleaning the floor, etc. But the KOA staff were so helpful and enthusiastic about some things to do around Las Cruces that I forgot the chores and went off exploring. I’m really glad that I was off the road with my trailer because the wind picked up almost as soon as I pulled in. It’s picked up even more this evening. If it’s still like this tomorrow, I won’t be going anywhere.

After I was set up with just the basics, I headed out Highway 70 north to White Sands National Monument. You’ll probably recognize the name White Sands because of the Missile Launching site there. They are both in a valley, just an hour or so north east of Las Cruces. I chose the National Monument over the missile launching site, although there is a museum to visit there for those so inclined. (Most ham radio operators I would imagine would be thrilled to see it, but really, I’m thankfully not like most ham radio operators.).

By now you will have realized the white out I referred to was sand and not snow, although it was only between 5 – 10 degrees out there and really, really windy. This National Park covering 275 square miles is a unique experience. The sand is unbelievably white (caused by the gypsum content) so while it would have been nice to see it on a sunny day, I think I should be glad it was overcast, because even with the clouds, my face is a little pink tonight. That could also be from the free dermabrasion I got from blowing sand.

The dunes are huge, some 50 feet high, and have a high moisture content which keeps all but a small amount of the surface sand from blowing away. I can attest to that because when I sat down to remove my shoe for the money shot you’ll see here, I could feel the moisture on my butt. They sell sleds to use on the dunes at the visitor centre. If it was a calm, warm day it would be great fun. After watching the sun set over the San Andreas Mountains I headed back covered in sand but loving it.

The other spot in the area that I had been told not to miss is Messila, which is an old town just south of Las Cruces. I stopped there on my way back from White Sands when the shops were closed and it was dark so I didn’t get the full experience but from what I saw it was a neat area in which to spend some time. There is a small plaza (a national historic landmark) with the usual Basilica surrounded with shops and restaurants. Around the area there seemed to be a few high end resort type hotels. There is some interesting history involving Billy the Kid visits to the cantinas of the area, it’s part in the Civil War and the Gadsden Purchase. None of which I got to immerse myself in because it was too late in the day. If it’s still windy tomorrow, maybe I’ll stick around a day as much to my surprise, I really like Las Cruces.

Tucson, AZ

I thought I was done with visiting Spanish missions after leaving California, but I was wrong. Today I visited two missions south of Tucson, and while they were similar to the California missions and to each other, they couldn’t be more different in the way they have been preserved.

However, let me back track to the beginning of my day which started at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum adjacent to Saguaro National Park. I didn’t spend near enough time at this museum that is 85% out of doors, but tried to make the best of my time there. At the entrance I was greeted by a trainer with a Great Horned Owl who was a little skittish and easily spooked, (the owl, not the trainer) but sat still long enough for me to get a picture. Then I dashed in the gate because the Rapter Live presentation was starting. It was fabulous to be so close to these magnificent birds that you could feel the air disturbance as they flew over the crowd standing along a designated pathway. My favourite was the Red Tailed Hawk who they have trained to head out to the valley to ride the thermals and then to come back at a sign from the trainer. After meandering through the museum, which is really more like a zoo with animals, birds, plants, insects, and reptiles from the Sonoran Desert, for a couple of hours, I grabbed some lunch and then jumped in my car for my next stop.

The missions I visited today were originally founded by Jesuits in the late 1600s, early 1700’s however, when Spain banished the Jesuits in 1767, Franciscans took over the missions and continued the work on the Missions and teaching Christianity.

The first one I visited was Mission San Xavier del Bac, just south of Tucson. It is a National Historic Landmark and the oldest intact European structure in Arizona. The church in this mission continues to be a busy parish church and has been maintained and restored over time and in fact there is a Foundation continuing to raise funds to complete the current restoration. As you can see from the pictures, the inside has beautiful statues and murals which have been restored many times over. We had an excellent docent guide us through the church and you can tell how passionate he was about the church and its history. He told us that he has worked a lot with one of their expert restorers, Gloria Giffords, mother of former Arizona Congresseswoman Gabby Gifford who was injured in an assassination attempt in 2011. When the lions near the alter were stolen back in 2008, she recreated them using similar materials from sketches they had of the originals.

The next mission site I visited was Tumacacori National Historic Park. This site has not been restored as is the policy of the National Park Service, and most of it is in ruin, but some of the structures remain and you can still imagine the mission in action back in the late 1700 or early 1800s. There is a great self-directed tour of the ruins, with an explanation of all the features. The church here, was never completed, and in fact the picture of the bell tower below shows it as complete as it ever got. Poverty in the parish and the Mexican wars of Independence slowed construction and then when it was decreed that all Spanish residents had to leave the country, construction slowed and although it limped along for another 20 years, the last residents abandoned the mission in 1848 after a bad winter and Apache raids.

It was great to be back visiting missions again but then for something completely different I headed to the town of Tubac, near Tumacacori. There is some historical significance to this town (in fact the Presidio that protected Tumacacori was built here) but it’s main claim to fame are the dozens of shops designed to separate tourists from their money. It has become a major centre for art from the area and from around the world (mostly the Spanish speaking world). It’s really a lovely place if you’re a shopper, and while I’m not usually one, they managed to extract some cash from me today as I added to my “red bowl collection”.

Tucson, AZ

There were two stops on my itinerary today, Tombstone and Bisbee, both of which are south-east of Tucson. Both are shameless tourist traps, but hey, I’m a tourist so trap me!

Tombstone is only an hour or so east of Tucson on I-10 and then south on AZ-80. It’s a pleasant drive through the desert mesa with hills and mountains all around at various distances away. It was fairly early when I arrived and so there weren’t a lot of tourists but as the day progressed, more and more appeared. The area to visit is fairly small in size and it’s easy to take everything in wandering about on foot.

There are different re-enactments of the famous Shoot Out at the OK Corral around town, but I figured the one called the OK Corral would be the logical choice. For some reason, in my head, the shoot out should take place on the Main Street, but then they couldn’t charge for it, now could they. I watched the Historama, which was cheesier than most of the rest of the place, but it did the job of filling in the huge gaps in my knowledge regarding this historic gunfight. It also told the story of Tombstone as well.

Tombstone grew after the discovery of silver in the area and was a thriving town until the cost of extracting the silver got too expensive due to the need to manage the water table. Twice the main streets of Tombstone burned to the ground, and it was quickly rebuilt. Then a disaster at the mine, when salt water was used accidentally instead of gas for the generators which kept the water out of the mines, meant the mine shut down. Tombstone stayed alive as the county seat for a while until it was eventually replaced and fell into disrepair.

After watching the famous re-enactment, I wandered the shops for a bit, and then grabbed some lunch on the main drag (Allen Street) at the Longhorn Restaurant. I had a steak sandwich that was fantastic. It was a thick sirloin cooked to perfection served on Texas toast and was melt in your mouth tender.

Boothill Graveyard awaited my exploration and so I backtracked a little to take a look at it. The Graveyard is a registered National Historic Site. The gravestones often indicated how the individual had died, and you quickly realized just how wild the west really was at that time.

During my time in Tombstone I was reminded of another town that was inspired by a silver rush, Dawson City, Yukon, which I visited with my friend Nanci a few years ago on our northern adventure. It didn’t have the Wild West (cowboy and Indian) element to it but I have to say, that overall, the quality of the re-enactments, and the organization and presentation of the buildings and history in Dawson City was far superior to that of Tombstone. Skagway, Alaska also has similar history and they have done a great job of capitalizing on the Alaskan cruise ship tourists by presenting the history and providing tourist opportunities.

After taking some pictures of the town, I jumped in the car and headed south on Highway 80 to the Mule Mountain community of Bisbee. It’s 5000 feet above sea level so the remnants of the recent snow were still in evidence on the north slopes an sides of buildings and even on the Main Street. Despite Bisbee’s claim to fame that it has near perfect weather year round, it was only 9 degrees but the sun was warm making it feel much warmer.

From it’s historic roots, the town, which is in such a ruggedly beautiful setting, has grown into a popular getaway for residents of Tucson and Phoenix as well as tourists from everywhere. The main streets are filled with shops of all sorts, but mainly art, and restaurants. There is much said about the how the environment there “stimulates creativity and an appreciation for freedom”. It definitely appeared from some of the locals I saw that it is attracting an “alternative” lifestyle in the desert.

Once again I’m reminded of a Canadian town that is somewhat similar to Bisbee, Nelson, BC. I wandered along the main street, and into some shops but I’m afraid I didn’t do anything to help stimulate the economy. Unfortunately, I didn’t see anyone offering to take Canadian money at par.

Then it was off for home. On the return drive I had the delightful treat of watching the warm light changing shadows on the mesa and the mountains to the east and north as the sun went down behind the westerly mountains.

Tucson, AZ

Today I stayed relatively close to home after being on the road yesterday.

The first place I headed was the Sabino Canyon Recreational Area in the Coronado National Forest in the Santa Catalina Mountains. There is a lot of history in this canyon which goes almost 4 miles into the mountains. As early as 1200 AD, Hohokam Indians built dams on the creek for use in irrigation and for generations the area has been used for recreation and agriculture. In the 1930’s 9 bridges were built at various points over the creek to allow easier access up the canyon and hiking trails and picnic areas brought thousands of visitors. So many visitors, in fact, that in 1978 the National Forest Service restricted private cars in the area and started running trams into the canyon to help maintain the area.

So that’s how I got up to the end of the canyon today. And given the recent rain and snow in the mountains, the creek was flowing over all but one of the bridges along the canyon and hiking was pretty much out of the question for anyone without proper footwear. The trams could plow through the fast moving water on the bridges and some hikers with waders or just by rolling up their pants and taking off their shoes make the hike, but I wasn’t about to freeze my feet when a tram did a perfectly fine job of getting me from point A to point B. I actually did hike down two tram stops from the top, which didn’t involve any bridge crossings and walked along the creek for a bit. The sun was warm and it was very quiet except for the various bird songs along the way. It was a beautiful way to spend the morning.

In the pictures you can see some of the boulders are of grey stone which is a little different from the rest. This is because these boulders were thrown down into the creek by an earthquake early in the 1900’s.

Then it was over to a “historic oasis in downtown Tucson”. Old Town Artisans is a city block in the historic Presidio area of downtown that has been converted into various artisan shops with a lovely courtyard cantina where I stopped for a very late lunch. I wandered through the really nice shops with some quality tourist items, primarily of Mexican and western themes. I picked up some prickly pear and champagne jelly. No art.

Then it was back home to enjoy some sun and the late afternoon happy hour at the Cantina.

Tomorrow the plan is to be up and out early to do a tour through Tombstone, and Bisbee in south eastern Arizona