Change of Plans

Clovis, New Mexico High 57 Low 30

We had a change of plans after we left San Antonio. We decided to go home (Riverton, Utah) earlier than we originally planned. Sorry Rod, we won’t see you until January or February.

We took kind of a north-west route through Texas. Last night we stayed in San Angelo, Texas. We will be going through Albuquerque and Moab, with a stop at four corners, which neither of us has seen.

We left early this morning and drove through miles of Cotton fields. Some of the areas looked like cotton as far as we could see. We had no idea that Texas raised that much cotton.

Cindy got a few photos of the large bales of cotton and the machinery needed to harvest it.

We saw several of these large Cotton Pickers driving on the highway.

There was one other crop along the way, but we have no idea what it is. There was a lot of whatever it is, but nowhere near as much as the cotton.

When they brag about how big Texas is I had no clue how big it actually is. This is the first time I've ever driven across the state, and we still didn't drive all the way across it in the last two days.

While I went shopping the other day, I got Penny a large chew bone because she liked another one she saw. It is almost as big as her, but she seems to like chewing on it.

No post last night because of no internet.

Thanks for visiting.

Mission San Jose and Pot Luck

Mission San Jose and Pot Luck

San Antonio, Texas High 52 Low 30

Today was clear and cold. I hope it warms up as we head west.

We went to see the Mission San Jose. It is run by the National Park Service. When we got to the Visitor Center a movie about life in the Mission was just starting and we watched it, and then walked out to the Mission itself.

The missions were not just a church, but a whole community. The Spanish clergy were trying to convert the Indians to Catholicism, and had many of them move into the missions and become farmers instead of hunter/gatherers.

The church was the second permanent church built by mission inhabitants about 1782. It was restored in the 1930s.

 

The old stone work and decorations around the doorway was interesting and each symbol represents some part of the Catholic religion.

A little of the original finish.

An ornate window has intricate design around it. It is called the Rose Window.

We liked the mission more than the Alamo. Partly because it was not crowded, and they allow pictures anywhere you like.

Tonight we went to a pot luck dinner and sat with Susan and her husband, Bob, and got to know them a little bit. They are a nice couple. The food was excellent and Cindy and I had a good time visiting with Susan and Bob.

After seeing how big San Antonio is, I'm glad we decided to move to the Park Susan works at rather than go to the Park we were going to.

Tomorrow we leave San Antonio and start to head for Arizona.

Thanks for visiting. 

The Alamo

 

San Antonio, Texas High 64 Low 36

We went to see the Alamo, which I have never seen before. There are a lot of displays about the history that took place there. We thought it might not be too busy today, but there were lots of people visiting even though it was a damp, cold day. Someone told us that it is about 20 degrees colder than normal for this time of year.

The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar (modern-day San Antonio, Texas, United States), killing all of the Texian defenders. Santa Anna's cruelty during the battle inspired many Texians—both Texas settlers and adventurers from the United States—to join the Texian Army. Buoyed by a desire for revenge, the Texians defeated the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto, on April 21, 1836, ending the revolution.

Several months previously, Texians had driven all Mexican troops out of Mexican Texas. About 100 Texians were then garrisoned at the Alamo. The Texian force grew slightly with the arrival of reinforcements led by eventual Alamo co-commanders James Bowie and William B. Travis. On February 23, approximately 1,500 Mexicans marched into San Antonio de Béxar as the first step in a campaign to retake Texas. For the next 10 days the two armies engaged in several skirmishes with minimal casualties. Aware that his garrison could not withstand an attack by such a large force, Travis wrote multiple letters pleading for more men and supplies, but fewer than 100 reinforcements arrived there.

In the early morning hours of March 6, the Mexican Army advanced on the Alamo. After repulsing two attacks, the Texians were unable to fend off a third attack. As Mexican soldiers scaled the walls, most of the Texian soldiers withdrew into interior buildings. Defenders unable to reach these points were slain by the Mexican cavalry as they attempted to escape. Between five and seven Texians may have surrendered; if so, they were quickly executed. Most eyewitness accounts reported between 182 and 257 Texians dead, while most historians of the Alamo agree that around 600 Mexicans were killed or wounded. Several noncombatants were sent to Gonzales to spread word of the Texian defeat. The news sparked both a strong rush to join the Texian army and a panic, known as "The Runaway Scrape", in which the Texian army, most settlers, and the new Republic of Texas government fled from the advancing Mexican Army.

Inside the Alamo there are plaques honoring the fallen and one plaque to the unknown that dies there. Unfortunately, there was no photography allowed inside. It was an interesting place to see. Cindy liked some of the other buildings there and the grounds.

There is a rather ornate hotel across from the Alamo that caught our eye.

This evening we went to a Mexican Restaurant that has always been busy whenever we passed. The food was reasonably priced and very good. I had tacos, one with beef that had bits of potatoes and carrots in with the hamburger. It was delicious.  Cindy had enchiladas also with the beef and some with chicken. She said hers was also very good.

Thanks for visiting.