Beauiful Mosaic on the Riverwalk
Riverwalk Diners
Theatre Stage on the Riverwalk
Shopping on the Riverwalk
Lynn at the Alamo
El Paso to San Antonio to Beaumont TX:
On Friday we left El Paso for one of our longest drives…8.5 hours through well, NOTHINGNESS. This has to be one of the worst drives in history. I-10 has little to offer but depressing little towns out in the middle of the desert with nothing in between. After rest stops and a stop for lunch in one of the depressing towns (Ft. Stockton) where we had our 9th mexican meal on this trip (and believe it or not, one of the best), and Bob being stopped by a Texas State Trooper for speeding, who was kind enough not to give Bob a ticket (just a warning) we arrived in San Antonio almost 10 hours after leaving El Paso (UGH - never again). San Antonio is a charming city and is not only the home to the Alamo, but also the famed "Riverwalk". A very festive area in downtown San Antonio where the river flows though gardens, walkways, restaurants, hotels and shops. It goes on for several miles and is quite beautiful. We went to a Diner, Drive-In and Dive for dinner -- the "Tip-Top Cafe" an experience right out of the 1950's. We tried "chicken fried steak" and enjoyed the local hangout. We slept in and had a lazy day today. We had a nice brunch at La Fogata, a recommendation of the hosts of our destination in New Orleans. They told us it was a "must" and we totally agree. Then off to the Alamo for a bit of historical edification. Pretty interesting old buidling with lovely grounds. Our last stop was the Riverwalk again. We took a guided boat ride along the river and had a chance to see more of the area than last evening. Dinner was at a Texas BBQ joint called "Augies Barbed-Wire Smokehouse" -- amazing pulled pork and brisket. Yes, all we have beren doing is eating. We will likely not pass the weight restriction on the next truck stop…….
Stats:
Location Today: San Antonio to Beaumont, TX
Traveled 7350 Miles since we left Maryland !!!!!!!
Approx. 1350 miles from Md
Visited the following states: Md, Va, Wv., Tn, Ky, Ar., Ok., Tx., Nm, Az, Nv, Ca.
Next Destination: New Orleans, LA
Nights on the Road: 34
Number of Hotels/Inns/B&B's: 21
Number of Mexican Food meals eaten so far: 10
Number of Stops by State Troopers: 2 Fines levied none to date
Highlights:
The Alamo
Riverwalk
Tip Top Cafe
La Fogata
Augie's Barbed Wire Smokehouse
80 mile an hour speed limit though TX
Not so great stuff:
Long drives through nothingness, again
Stop by State Troopers for speeding
Expanding waist lines!
I love the thematics of your blog:
ReplyDelete1) Gorgeous pictures of stunning places. Mono Lake is winning, by the way.
2) The restaurant guide / waist line watch. and, ... wait for it ...
3) Long drives through nothingness!!!
What's missing?
What are you listening to, aside from each other's song bird voices during those long drives? Books on tape? Virtual group podcasts? Sound track from the 1975 "wheels" trip show?
By the way, by way of making a connection for you. I get to San Antonio and Riverwalk about once every three years, for the last twenty years. Along with Atlanta, San Diego and a few other cities, it's the only city with conference facilities large enough for my medical meetings and trade shows. I debuted my academic medicine career in 1993 in San Antonio. I bought and ironed a blue bed sheet to serve as a backdrop for my first poster session. Next time you're over, I show you some photos in a family room scrap book. San Antonio was kind of a big life event for me! Glad you enjoyed it as well.