Linda's Great Mission Adventure in Houston: 4th of July Vacation to San Antonio

Because the 4th of July fell on a Saturday we were given the 3rd off to Sister Diamond and I decided to go to San Antonio to see the Alamo and spend the nite and go the the Natural Bridges Caverns the next day. It was a great vacation but HOT! The Alamo is in the heart of downtown. It was once much bigger because it was a fort but thru the years after the slaughter there the land was built up around it so most of it is downtown. The only buildings left standing are the Alamo which originally did not have a roof and a barracks. Much has been done to preserve it. The state just passed a bill with money to build more structures to showcase all the artifacts from battle and such so eventually there will be more. There was much information to read but we could not take pictures inside. It is not very large. The monks in San Antonio took over the Alamo and put a roof on it. When they left a preservation society took over the care of it. There was a second story to the barracks but they took it off. There is lots of history on the property and of course a gift shop so I had to buy a book about the Alamo which I will read someday. The Alamo wasn't even the worst battle. Santa Ana took 400 farmers prisoner promising them their lives then proceeded to kill them all. Why they ever let him live after he was finally captured at San Jacinto in Houston I don't know.

Next we went on the River Walk. The downtown association created it along with a super visionary man to draw flood waters away from the downtown buildings during heavy rains. It is a meandering river that weaves its way thru shops and restaurants for tourists. It is an engineering marvel and a great tourist stop. There were tons of restaurants but unfortunately we did not eat at the best. We took a boat ride down the river where we learned the history of the river and the River Walk project. It was fascinating because I love history. It was hot but enjoyable. Lots of people but very well landscaped.

The next day we went to the Natural Bridges Caverns just north of San Antonio. We went on the guided tour and learned about how the caverns were discovered, it wasn't easy, and all the exploring that went on to find all the sections. There were beautiful rock formations, stalactites and stalagmites. Dripping water, deep recesses and lots of information. Our tour guide turned off all the lites on the walkways and it was so black you could not see your hand in front of your face. Lots of stairs going up and down. There was also a self guided tour where we were able to see an underground lake, some ginormous formations and where the bats live and there are lots but they were up real high. It was a great adventure. On the way home we stopped at Buckeys so I could show Sister Diamond what it was all about. I bought Toni a real neat serving spoon.

It was a real nice 2 day get away and no rain.