Other Adventures on our Vacation

Chihuahuan Desert Center

We visited the Chihuahuan Desert Center on Saturday. The main attraction? The prickly pear syrup and the jelly from the store. It was a hot afternoon so we didn't spent very long (the disadvantages of being up all night, you slept all morning). Due to the rains the week before, many of the cactus' were blooming - the pretties I've been the gardens.

We also visited the new bird watching area at the Davis Mountains State Park. We came away with ideas for how to improve our bird watching areas and catch some great photos of hummingbirds.

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Texas History Tour - Texas Independence - Washington on the Brazos

Because of all the construction on I35, it was recommended to us to travel across Central TX and use I45 instead. So, on our trip down to San Antonio, we went north of College Station. We decided on the way home, to go south of BCS and stop at one last history spot - Washington on the Brazos, where Texas Independence was declared. (It's was also a nice distance from Goliad and a great stopping point for lunch) The original monument next to Independence Hall This state historic site also incorporates the etched windows. Probably because of all the trees, these etched windows are easier to see. We walked down the side streets of town and went down to the Brazos River. There were lots of pretty flowers and some wild grapes along the trail. Our first glimpse of the Brazos River Here's the area where traders along the river would land and bring their cargo/passengers. Pecan tree that was here during the Texas Revolution We enjoyed the break from ridi...

Texas History Tour - Spanish influence - Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo

After a late lunch, we decided to visit the middle mission - San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo . It was the largest mission and the one that is most well preserved, being designed a work area for the WPA in the 1930's. They have done a wonderful job of recreating ruins and painting original colors. There were also some architecture dig sites this summer. Unfortunately, being a Sunday, we didn't get to meet any of the student workers. We did however, get to visit with the park rangers, who had just recently returned to work and the park store was open as well. Mission San Jose was founded in 1720 along the San Antonio River. It came to be the largest mission on the area with roughly 300 Indians living on the grounds. "it's a giant turtle with a hole in the back" It's really an outdoor oven. It's a very pretty mission setting. We also saw several wells and cisterns and lots of arches, angles, and other geometric shapes. Love the c...

Texas History Tour - Spanish influence - Mission Nuestra Senora del Espiritu Santo de Zuniga

On the grounds of Goliad State Park is Mission Nuestra Senora del Espiritu Santo de Zuniga o. For this visit and our visit to Presidio la Bahia, we deviated from normal Texas afternoon behavior and visited both - in the heat! Why? Because mosquitoes aren't as numerous in the heat of the afternoon! Mission Espiritu Santo was where the CCC applied all they learned at the visitors center across the road. Most of the buildings have been restored/reconstructed and several are used as museums. The brickwork that we saw from the visitors center and many samples of the colors they re-created. Spanish culture was very vibrant! We also saw many examples of geometric shapes - shaped windows, rolled arches, built-in wall basins with rounded fronts. "Pirates lived here!" ~ R This mission had many textile operations here - weaving, dying, basket making.... Looks like the window seat we saw at the visitors center. This appears to be ruins of a building....

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