San Antonio, Texas

Edie and I arrived in San Antonio Monday afternoon. The massive cold front is expected to move into the area late tomorrow and residents seem almost panicky. The local TV people are pushing their 3 "P's"-people, pets, and pipes. Schools talk of closing or opening early in the morning so kids are not outside too long.  Heaters and pipe insulation are all sold out. Viewers are instructed in how to wrap pipes in still-available bubble wrap and duct tape. All this for temperatures which will land in the twenties for the next few days.

We decided to take an all day Alamo tour on Tuesday.  Our leader, John, was raised in Iowa, fought in VietNam, and married his best friend's fiance.  John seemed a little disappointed that he only had three customers.  We picked up four more people in the afternoon portion and John's enthusiasm suddenly picked up. 

We started with a visit to the Japanese Sunken Gardens-another one of those great gardens which started with a quarry pit. 

The gardens were followed by a tour of the Institute of Texan Cultures which features 27 cultures that played a part in the development of present day Texas.  Surprisingly the Dutch were one of the contributors.

The next stop was a taste of the Old West at the 1881 Buckhorn Saloon and Museum.  Much to my surprise Edie was very interested in the world record wildlife exhibits.  They had over 500 species from around the world.  In addition to the taxidermy were artifacts from Texas History.

One of the most recognized landmarks was, of course, the Alamo.

The Mexican Army burned the bodies of the slain Texans after they overran the Alamo.  The ashes of the Alamo heroes including Bowie, Crockett, and Travis are purported to reside in the SanFernando Cathedral
although some historians believe they were buried nearer the alamo.

After lunch we visited Mission San Jose, Mission Concepcion, and the El Mercado or Mexican market.

On Wednesday we traveled to Fredericksburg, a German tourist town about 75 miles north of San Antonio.

Edie went shopping while I visited the National Museum of the Pacific War.  I did not know what to expect but was blown away by the size and impressiveness of the museum.  It leads you through a winding complex of well-done exhibits starting with the Japanese-Chinese-Russian events which led up to war and concluding with the signing of the treaties.  It would take two days to do the museum justice.  In addition the Museum has an off-site location housing planes, tanks, and a restored PT boat.  In the summers they hold battle reenactments of the allies attacking a Japanese stronghold.  The Japanese always lose in these battles.

Due to the cold weather the off-site museum had two former veterans to lead one interest history buff- me!

The Japanese-Allies Battle Reenactment Area

After lunch at the German Lindenbaum Restaurant, we traveled to Luckenbach.  Despite the off-season and cold the Willy Nelson types were still singing and strumming around the woodstove in the bar.

Our last stop was a visit to the L.B.J ranch, which is now run by the National Park Service.

LBJ's Western White House

On our final day we drove downton with two goals in mind.  Explore the Riverwalk and have lunch at one of the oldest hotels in San Antonio-the Menger Hotel.  Teddy Roosevelt recruited men for the Rough Riders at its bars and folklore says it has many resident ghosts http://www.legendsofamerica.com/TX-MengerHotel.html.  The hotel buffet was fantastic but the riverwalk was a much more unique experience.  With record low temperatures it was practically deserted except for workers.  Apparently once a year all city workers converge on the area,  dam the river, and begin cleaning and maintenance of the river walk.  Although it was interesting I could only imagine what it was when warm and crowded with revelers.

We finished the day by watching the IMAX production "Alamo".