Deep in the Heart of Texas

One of three mail forwarding rooms
Remember the Alamo
Memorial to the Fallen
Riverwalk Boat Ride
Building at Fort Sam where I had classes.
El Mercado
Mission San Juan

After spending five days at Rainbow's End, the Escapees headquarters park in Livingston, Texas, we are now in San Antonio. Escapees RV Club has a mail forwarding service that handles mail for so many people they have their own zip code. An 18 wheeler arrives twice each day from Houston to deliver and pick up mail. The park also has a CARE Center (Continuing Assistance for Retired Escapees) that provides temporary or permanent professional service for members who can no longer travel. They have sites where people can live in their RV while having treatment with meals and laundry provided to them for a small fee. In San Antonio we spent Sunday touring the Alamo and enjoying the Riverwalk. The Alamo is a shrine to Texans because of the fight to the death of the nearly 200 men who fought to defend it during their war for independence from Mexico in 1836. We heard a couple of historical presentations on the battle and the revolt. After winning the war, Texas was an independent nation until becoming a state in 1845. The grounds of the Alamo have been beautifully restored and have a large variety of native Texas flora. The Riverwalk, which started in the 1930's, is now an area of shops and restaurants that continues to expand. We took a riverboat ride through the most developed area and learned a lot about the history of the city. We visited Fort Sam Houston where I was stationed over forty years ago while in training to be a lab tech for the Army. Even though much of it has changed, it sure did bring back a lot of memories. We had lunch in the El Mercado, the largest Mexican market outside of Mexico City. We took a driving tour of Spanish frontier missions that were part of Spain's colonization of the Southwest in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Parts of some of them are still being used today.