Ch 8 Central Texas

Travels with Jake – 2012

Chapter 8

Central Texas

San Antonio and some other Nice Places

After leaving the Heart of Texas in some drizzle the next morning, the sun soon came out at about the same time the scenery began to change dramatically. Whereas up to now we had seen flat land and grey scrub all around us, we now had rolling hills, a few twists and dips in the road, and some happy cows munching green grass amongst the trees. It must be even nicer in Spring once the many pecan trees get their foliage back, but it was a great improvement over the grey arid scrub of the last few days. Did I mention that Texas is big? We had long days in the saddle driving across it, but now that we had interesting things to see like long-horn cattle, goats, sheep (Jake perked right up seeing them), and ranch gates and small towns that showed some pride, the hours on the road went by very easily. Our spirits lifted more when we came into a little town called Mason, not that far from Brady, but a world away. The highway traffic slows and comes right through the picturesque town square and we immediately thought “Let’s stop and have a closer look”. The town had been preserved from its birth at the turn of the last century, and was as cute as a button. The friendly ladies at the Chamber of Commerce spent ages talking to us about their little town, while Jake caught the attention of many passers-by out on the boardwalk. It was our first whiff of Texan friendliness, as everyone we encountered had time for a chat and went out of their way to be helpful. This state is full of stereotypes – the big trucks with muddy tires, long-horn steers, big boots, big hats, cowboy music everywhere – the list goes on, but we have to add another; the women are real friendly, right out of the gate. The guys are too, but they have to swagger a bit first, show some stern countenance and look around to see what kind of truck you have before opening up. The ladies trust you right away. I like that. Anyway, Mason was a place that just felt right, with its Victorian homes, the shops that hadn’t changed their fronts in 100 years, the litter-free streets, the historic plaques to help the curious stranger, and the green grass and shade trees. The courthouse dominated the square and the guided walking tour in our pamphlet led us around its perimeter. I can always tell when Heather likes someplace, as she starts collecting real estate pamphlets! Our previous plan for that day got scrapped and we enjoyed a restaurant lunch then started asking around about where we might stay. An interesting thing happened while dining – an extremely long tractor-trailer came into the town square (it is the highway, after all) and had to make a 90 degree turn. His load was a single blade of a giant wind-power generator and it was about ½ block long. We had driven past a vast wind farm on the way in to town and it is clearly a growing industry. Could they be needing wind power to pump out more oil? In the local opinion where high unemployment is a definite issue, the ecological benefits of wind power are somewhat overshadowed by the fact that these high-tech blades were manufactured in China. Anyway, the sheriff eventually showed up and got the backed-up traffic cleared before turning a blind eye to the trucker’s amazing manoeuvres that eventually got the blade through town unscathed by breaking every traffic rule in the book.

We found the municipal park and campground where the volunteer camp hosts got us settled into a spacious site. These folks from elsewhere in the state come here every winter to be close to their grandchildren and received free camping for their minimal duties – a common situation in publicly owned parks. The park itself was incredible, with shady picnic tables, a small golf course, two baseball diamonds (one for little kids), a rodeo arena and a football stadium, all complete with bleachers and lit from tall light posts. That last feature had me baffled – how could such a small town spend such sums on the lighting systems? Of course! It’s bloody hot here in summer and the people take their outdoor recreation during the evenings when it is cool. As it was evident that there was a lot of volunteer effort going on to build and maintaiin this great complex, we say good for you, Masonites, for your cooperative spirit!

The next day we’re on the road again, this time setting the GPS to take us on the shortest route, rather than the fastest. This often has the result of sending us down back country roads and through tiny towns that don’t see too many visitors. It’s a Saturday so we spot some afternoon barbeque parties, and people out fishing and cycling. The cyclists are only found close to urban centres, and we’re closing in on San Antonio. I can’t imagine them doing it in summer here, as we later learned that in this region last summer there were 90 contiguous days with temperatures over 100degF (38C), and Jake sure is glad he’s not doing that with is fur coat on! Aiming for the Alamo we get close in at a Walmart just at dusk. We’re learning that in big cities, staying on the outskirts is a safer option since these all-night shopping centres have become a gathering place for some questionable characters. We awoke unscathed however, and made our way downtown to the Alamo. Sunday mornings are a good time to visit popular urban sites as the traffic is light and many people are in church.

The Alamo was a Spanish mission that was typically built with a fortified wall enclosing a large courtyard, about a square block in size, with accommodation buildings around the perimeter and a chapel dominating the skyline. It had been abandoned by the monks before being occupied as a military fort by the Mexican army about the time that Texas was making noises about seceding from Mexico, which had already made itself independent from Spain. The place was taken by Americans (refer to Disney for details) who along with resident Mexicans, within a couple of months faced the wrath of General Santa Anna who had torn up the Constitution that the Texans had signed with the previous government. They had agreed to a democratic Mexican rule, but not the dictatorship that Santa Ana represented. Just like in 1776 when the Americans issued their declaration of independence during a period of heavy military losses to the English, the Texans made their claim while the Alamo was being besieged by an overwhelming force. You have to admire their pluck. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, a private group, managed the restoration and now the maintenance of the Alamo site and even built a special building in 1836 style to house the inevitable gift shop. There was a pretty good museum in the barracks, but we were amazed to see that none of the exhibits displayed any Spanish language. Given that a huge portion of the population is now Hispanic, and this is as much their history as it is the Americans’, I enquired to a (bilingual) guide who replied furtively that the Daughters are adamant that no Spanish encroachment shall breach their walls of superiority. Amazing. Anyway, thanks to our mother tongue, we came away much the wiser on the history of Texas’ insurrection.

The Alamo is smack in the middle of this modern city, as of course the monks knew to build their missions close to the river and the town grew outward from there. There is a loop in the serpentine river that swings right through downtown, but it was prone to flooding so with a bit of water management and beautification they now enjoy the lovely Riverwalk – a paved pathway along each side of the stream. Shops and restaurants and hotels and shade trees grace the riverbank, which is all down one level below the city streets. There is an artisan square that borders an outdoor amphitheatre, the stage being on the other side of the stream and it’s all beautifully done. We also had a look at the 1750 Spanish cathedral built by settlers from the Canary Islands. There was a cold front passing through so we were done up in tuques and winter coats, but Jake enjoyed the cool walk. That night we mistakenly again found ourselves at a RV park on the outskirts that catered to full timers, but it was only for a night and we were back into the history early next day. The Spanish built a series of monasteries along the river to the south of San Antonio and one in particular has been almost totally restored and run by the State Parks. The monks offered protection behind their walls to local Indians from other tribes, particularly Comanche and Apache, who would not have become so formidable were it not for their Spanish horses. In exchange, the locals adopted Jesus and a cooperative lifestyle where the monks pooled all the produce of their labour and doled it out as required. An elaborate aqueduct system was built that irrigated large tracts surrounding the mission and thus they were able to convert the locals from hunter-gatherers to agrarians. Particularly amazing was the clever engineering involved in the water-powered grain mill. It was an impressive system, and with the slow pace of transportation and communication in those days, it was incredible how a European country could have administered such a huge empire. I have read that it was Spain’s slavish reliance on bureaucratic concepts and their inability to react to changing conditions that was the main reason for their ultimate demise. So, another day and a bit more useless info taken on board, and we’re back at a Walmart, suburban this time, for a quick sleep and an early getaway. Join us tomorrow for a trip up to Austin.