March 2021

With a thank you for sheltering us during the big Texas freeze, we departed Goose Island State Park and headed north to Goliad. While in Goliad, we had a great stroke of luck. For weeks, we’d been trying to schedule Covid 19 vaccinations, with no luck. Then, on one random morning, the CVS website was loaded with open appointments. We both started working our phones and nabbed appointments. We realized that we’d have to stick around the area for another three weeks, waiting for our second shots. We didn’t even care that we were scheduled on different dates, at pharmacies in cities miles apart; we were going to get vaccinated!

So, plans for exploring the Austin and San Antonio area grew. We also hoped that the extra time would put us into wildflower season in the Hill Country.

Goliad State Park and its campground area contain historic sites that encompass 300 years of Texas history.

The “Cliff Notes” version of Goliad history is below (with apologies to true Texas history scholars), and highlights of our bounce around this part of Texas follow.

We’ve learned that Texas’ rich history, like Florida’s, wasn’t deeply explored in our American history classes. The story of Texas is layered and includes the French, Spanish, and native Americans. There were ongoing battles for territory, and ultimately independence, and statehood. Keeping all the characters straight is challenging.

The Mission Espiritu Santo sits near the entrance to the Goliad State Park. The Franciscan priests who established it in 1749, like other missionaries, had hoped to convert the natives to Roman Catholicism. In exchange for protection against more aggressive tribes, the Indians agreed to live in the mission, work there, and follow the Catholic faith.

At the start, missions were busy communities. However, this way of life was at odds with traditional native culture, which was basically nomadic. Eventually, ranching became the main occupation of this mission. Native American mission residents adopted Spanish riding and roping styles and became accomplished vaqueros. The mission continued until 1830, and then petered out.

In 1931, the young Texas State Park system acquired the site. After so many years of neglect, the buildings were near ruins. In 1935, the Civil Conservation Corps worked to restore the mission. Nearby, they constructed a caretaker’s cottage. All the plans and construction techniques used in restoring the mission, and other CCC restoration projects, were developed and practiced there first. This included techniques for woodworking, casting concrete, brick-making, and forging metal.

The architectural and construction efforts taken to maintain historical accuracy were painstakingly researched. Today, the restored cottage has been repurposed as the El Camino Visitor’s Center with excellent interpretive exhibits. This small museum is very interesting and well worth a visit.

We also visited the Presidio Bahia (fort), just a quick bicycle ride down the road. The Presidio’s history is intertwined with the Alamo’s. (Here’s the quick history lesson part…)

Santa Anna, the ruthless Mexican dictator, in an act of retribution, had attacked the Alamo in March of 1836. Totally outmanned and outgunned, the Alamo’s defenders fought the good fight, but all of its 200 defenders were killed, including William Travis, Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie.

At the same time, Colo. James Fannin’s Texan army troops were stationed at Goliad. General Sam Houston, upon hearing of the Alamo’s defeat, ordered Fannin to retreat to Victoria and join the other army forces. Fannin delayed their departure a week or more, and his forces were captured en route to Victoria by Jose de Urrea, one of Santa Anna’s Generals.

The prisoners of war were taken to the Presidio in Goliad. Santa Anna was known for not taking prisoners and ordered the killing of the prisoners. In what became known as the Goliad Massacre, the nearly 400 prisoners were marched out of the fort and killed.

While delay was Fannin’s downfall, it proved to be a successful strategy for Sam Houston, who carefully chose the time and place to bring down Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. With cries of “Remember the Alamo!” and “Remember Goliad!” their victory helped establish the Republic of Texas.

The Presidio is also the birthplace of Zaragoza, a Mexican hero. On May 5, 1862, roughly 25 years after the Alamo, his volunteer militia defeated the French in the Mexican town of Puebla. This date is the genesis of the holiday Cinco de Mayo. The layers of Texan history continue to interweave, and seriously, you need a college semester to digest it all. Let’s leave that for another day and go have a margarita.

San Antonio

As a base of operations for exploring San Antonio, we stayed at Potter’s Creek Park on Canyon Lake. This is a Corps of Engineers’ site. Most of these are engineer projects supporting dams, so the campsites are usually along a lakefront.

We drove into San Antonio and were able to park a few blocks from The Alamo.

For the first-time visitor, it’s a surprise to see the Alamo right in the middle of downtown. It’s smaller than one would think; the modern cityscape dwarfs its walls. And it’s hard to imagine its green lawn as a battlefield. On this day, under the shade of giant oaks, docents with tables of props were explaining various facets of life in by-gone times, such as medical care, games children might have played, musical instruments of the 19th century, and a display of self-protection gear (some very big Jim Bowie knives…)

The Alamo is just steps away from the meandering River Walk. The River Walk was the brainchild of local architect Robert Hugman. San Antonio has experienced devastating floods. In 1929, Hugman proposed the River Walk as a project to control flooding, while also beautifying San Antonio. What genius.

It’s hard to think of San Antonio without this outdoor mecca; it’s the city’s most popular destination for strolling, dining, events, and people watching.

In Texas, you’re never more than a few steps from a TexMex restaurant. We took a tip from a travel guide and drove away from downtown and out to the Barrio to dine at a local Mexican restaurant. Los Barrios delivered delicious food and wonderful service. All the Mexican restaurants, whether simple or grand, make really tasty salsas. It’s easy to forget dinner is coming and fill up on chips and salsa!

What a treat Los Barrios was! A few days earlier, we’d been lured into a disappointing tourist trap on our way to New Brunfels. La Meligro, which should have been called La Mediocre. Better forgotten, really. However, on the way back to our campsite, we followed a road sign and stopped in at Roughouse Brewery.

Off the main road, it offered some good beers and local entertainment in a casual, woodsy setting.

Tables were far apart, lights were strung between the trees, and the people-watching was fun. Families with kids and dogs, and young people flirting over beers on a late Saturday afternoon. After a year of Covid closures, this almost felt like something close to normal.

While near New Brunfels, we made a side trip to Gruene. It has a gorgeous restaurant in an artfully restored gristmill, shops with antiques, collector’s items, designer duds, and colorful pots and statuary for your garden. But what it’s most famous for is its Dance Hall. On a weekday afternoon, it’s pretty quiet, but their wall of fame photos of artists who have performed here is worth the visit. We have followed their music for years: Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams, Townes Van Zandt, Robert Earl Kean, Jerry Jeff Walker, and on and on. Seeing them perform in a small venue, with people happily dancing, would have been great. We’re holding out hope that live music makes a big comeback later in 2021.

Route 290, between Austin and Fredericksburg, is loaded with wineries and breweries. We sampled a few. We spent the night at Messina Hof Winery, which is also a Harvest Host site.

In Johnson City, we happened upon the Pecan Street Brewery, which had great beer. A few blocks away, we saw Lyndon Johnson’s boyhood home. A modest beginning for a man who would become the 36th President.

The next day, we took the driving tour through the LBJ Ranch. The ranch is huge – thousands of acres – complete with Long Horn cattle. There’s even an airstrip and LBJ’s Airforce “One Half”.

In the museum, seeing his accomplishments listed on the wall, we were reminded that many of our social programs were established during his tenure, including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Voting Rights Act. Unfortunately, the timing coincided with the War in Viet Nam, which overshadowed advances on the home front.

It was also interesting to learn more about Lady Bird’s accomplishments and influence. She was a conservationist ahead of her time in promoting native plants and protecting natural areas for the future. More than 200 pieces of legislation pertaining to conservation were passed while LBJ was President, and Lady Bird is given credit for their pursuit. She was very well-educated, an astute businessperson, and an accomplished investor. (She managed Lyndon’s campaign funds.)

On one day, we made a side trip out to Luckenbach, Texas. This is one of those iconic spots in Texas, where everyone plans to make a stop.

Unless there’s music happening, you can cover Luckenbach in about half an hour (or longer, depending on the line to buy tee shirts. Did I get a shirt? You bet I did.)

It is fun to go to these small venues and think about famous musicians appearing on these small stages. That kind of intimate venue is harder to find these days.

We stayed at several state parks while bouncing back and forth in this area. We camped lakeside at Inks State Park, and then hiked along the Texan Colorado River. We watched daredevil kids jump from cliffs into the, what I thought was kind of chilly, water. Not sure that I’ll ever build up the courage for the cold water or the leap.

At Garner State Park, we got our first dose of serious hill country trail hiking. We climbed a rocky trail to the top of Old Baldy, and we also hiked to Crystal Cave. With a flashlight, you can view sparkly calcite crystal formations.

We tried our hand at making homemade tamales for dinner, and they were delicious. That night, John shook me awake at midnight. I thought he was nudging me to stop snoring, but he said, “Come look at this. You have to see this.” Through the window of the van, we could see a dark navy sky full of stars. We jumped up and went outside in our pajamas to marvel at the sky. Stars, and stars, and more stars filled the sky. It makes you feel very small, and not in the least foolish to be outside in your pj’s.

We also enjoyed stays at Inks State Park and Guadalupe State Park. Good views and hiking both places.

A month has passed and we have received all our Covid vaccinations, (yeah!). We’re wrapping up our time in the Hill Country with a few days near Austin. Spring is coming quickly. Grass is greening, and you can smell fresh cut lawns as you drive along. The Texas hills are losing their grey and buff winter pallor, and the trees are turning that wonderful chartreuse green that only lasts for a springtime moment. The bluebonnets are starting to bloom, and the color really is a deep cobalt blue.

Next week we will leave the Hill Country and head toward Big Bend. We have been told that the stars are quite the experience there. Looking forward to more!