San Antonio

I arrived in San Antonio this afternoon and visited the Witte museum, El Mercado, and the River Walk. Then, I was welcomed into the home of friends of friends back home--Don and Dee who are friends of Scott and Jean Wright.

I biked from San Marcos to here today, logging about 57 miles today, and 38 yesterday. Today was drizzley most of the day, and started out being somewhat chilly. Last night I camped out in a city park in San Marcos, Dunbar Park. I did not inform the authorities, and no one bothered me.

I passed through a town called New Braunfels on the way, and I really liked it. It had a couple of rivers passing through it, and it had an extensive water slide and amusement park. It had river rafting available, and the businesses had creative signs, and helpful, engaged employees. I would have taken more photos of the town if it had not been drizzling. There was something indescribable, or at least unidentifiable, about the town that I took to.

I had a great time at the Witte museum, scoring a personal, partial tour of the museum by a seasoned docent. His specialty was an exhibit on cattle riding, which describes the activity of cowboys herding cows over long distances during the summer to slaughter houses. The long-haul ride aspect of it--the cowboys were mounted horse back with a horse-drawn sag wagon--intrigued me. Once trains were built with cattle cars in the 1880's, the practice came to an end.

The docent, Matthew, also was interested in Texan ecology and geology, and in particular the limestone aquifer underlying the Hill country including San Antonio and Austin at its eastern limits. Extensive use of the water resources combined with recent drought has drained the aquifer, and now the San Antonio river must be pumped from the aquifer; otherwise it would be completely dried up. Within fifty years, the aquifer could completely dry up.

Here at Don and Dee's house, I enjoyed a dinner of "gorditas"--which are similar to the Salvadoran pupusas--and beans, and pineapple and chili sause. Don and Dee hosted a community prayer meeting tonight, and her neighbor from across the street had been a fellow parishioner at my family's church in DC. It was a suprise to meet him after many years, and I just recognized him from seeing him at Mass back when. He works with a non-profit organization that works for land rights for black and indigenous peoples in four central american countries. His current work focuses in Honduras.

Later that night, I met a guy, Jack, who rode his motorcycle from Panama to the US once, and he has contacts in Costa Rica he will give me. He particularly enjoys Panama, and the cosmopolitan, harmonious diversity there.


A shot of Ignacio and I at Munkey Wrench in Austin.

Christmas creativity at a car repair join in New Braunfels, TX.

A sight on the way out of Austin.

Some show/meat goats on the way to San Marcos.

An uncommon intersection, in New Braunfels.

Mural in San Antonio across from "El Mercado".