CARTOON CHARACTERS: In a spoof worthy of its comic-book treatment, the Captain plays the hero, seeking to free her pal Morning Ray's ankle from under a boulder after a staged play-accident atop Enchanted Rock. THESE HILLS ARE ALIVE!
LOCATED AT THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF Texas Hill Country, San Antonio, now Texas’ second most populous metropolis, is a destination city.
And with approximately 1.2 million residents spread over 412 square miles and an estimated 20 million tourists visiting each year, San Antonio needs a lot of destinations.
In and about San Antonio are: The Riverwalk - a Faneuil Hall-type area which meanders just over three miles along both sides of the San Antonio River one level below the city streets, The Alamo, Seaworld, Six Flags Siesta Texas, Natural Bridge Caverns and Wildlife Safari, the 750-foot Tower of Americas, - a more ambitious version of the Seattle SpaceNeedle, the Alamodome, the renowned Marion McNay art museum which favors Southwestern art, historical Franciscan missions located along the San Antonio River, a huge Mexican quarter, five universities, five military bases, a thriving wine country in the hills toward Austin, and what seems to be about a million barbeque joints. It’s also the commercial, financial and industrial nexus of a massive agricultural area.
Man, this place is busy. Big and busy.
San Antonio was founded by missionaries in the early 1700s and then turned into a roaring cowboy town with a Spanish accent after the Civil War. And today, it still roars, and is still heavily influenced by Hispanic culture.
A bit of U.S. history is also in order: Two American giants are native to these hills, Admiral Chester Nimitz (1885–1966), WWII hero and the Father of the Modern Navy, and Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908-73), a champion for the Hill Country in Congress and then the Senate in the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s, and later the 36th U.S. president.
Another American behemoth was also born in these hills. In the early-1940s, a local firm won a federal contract to build a huge dam hereabouts with the help of then-Congressman LBJ, and so began the military-industrial colossus now commonly known as Halliburton. LBJ and Halliburton marched in lockstep over the national political landscape, with both gaining enormous power and prestige during WWII. Halliburton, then called Brown & Root, built many of the military bases around the Southwest and later nationally, gaining the huge contracts after LBJ’s shrewd political maneuvers and, in return, the Halliburton folks became Johnson’s biggest financial supporters.
After JFK’s assassination, Halliburton profited greatly during the Viet Nam escalation led by now-President LBJ, but the war’s intensification later led to Johnson’s political downfall. After LBJ’s death in 1973, his widow, Lady Bird, a very successful businesswoman in her own right, was said to be very active in Halliburton’s affairs, while sitting on its board of directors. Now in her mid-90s, and in weakened health, Lady Bird lives just outside of Austin.
LOCATED AT THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF Texas Hill Country, San Antonio, now Texas’ second most populous metropolis, is a destination city.
And with approximately 1.2 million residents spread over 412 square miles and an estimated 20 million tourists visiting each year, San Antonio needs a lot of destinations.
In and about San Antonio are: The Riverwalk - a Faneuil Hall-type area which meanders just over three miles along both sides of the San Antonio River one level below the city streets, The Alamo, Seaworld, Six Flags Siesta Texas, Natural Bridge Caverns and Wildlife Safari, the 750-foot Tower of Americas, - a more ambitious version of the Seattle SpaceNeedle, the Alamodome, the renowned Marion McNay art museum which favors Southwestern art, historical Franciscan missions located along the San Antonio River, a huge Mexican quarter, five universities, five military bases, a thriving wine country in the hills toward Austin, and what seems to be about a million barbeque joints. It’s also the commercial, financial and industrial nexus of a massive agricultural area.
Man, this place is busy. Big and busy.
San Antonio was founded by missionaries in the early 1700s and then turned into a roaring cowboy town with a Spanish accent after the Civil War. And today, it still roars, and is still heavily influenced by Hispanic culture.
A bit of U.S. history is also in order: Two American giants are native to these hills, Admiral Chester Nimitz (1885–1966), WWII hero and the Father of the Modern Navy, and Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908-73), a champion for the Hill Country in Congress and then the Senate in the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s, and later the 36th U.S. president.
Another American behemoth was also born in these hills. In the early-1940s, a local firm won a federal contract to build a huge dam hereabouts with the help of then-Congressman LBJ, and so began the military-industrial colossus now commonly known as Halliburton. LBJ and Halliburton marched in lockstep over the national political landscape, with both gaining enormous power and prestige during WWII. Halliburton, then called Brown & Root, built many of the military bases around the Southwest and later nationally, gaining the huge contracts after LBJ’s shrewd political maneuvers and, in return, the Halliburton folks became Johnson’s biggest financial supporters.
After JFK’s assassination, Halliburton profited greatly during the Viet Nam escalation led by now-President LBJ, but the war’s intensification later led to Johnson’s political downfall. After LBJ’s death in 1973, his widow, Lady Bird, a very successful businesswoman in her own right, was said to be very active in Halliburton’s affairs, while sitting on its board of directors. Now in her mid-90s, and in weakened health, Lady Bird lives just outside of Austin.
* * *
As I had visited this area and many of its attractions several years ago, the Captain had something different in mind for my short stay this time around.
After resting a bit the morning after the long drive over from Florida, we - The Captain, her pal Morning Ray, and I – struck out northward toward wine country, seeking a barbeque lunch, perhaps a wee tasting of the grape and a visit to the 1,643-acre Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.
With both of their significant others deployed in the Middle East, the Captain and Morning Ray (her preferred nickname, not mine) were available to idle away a sunny 88-degree day with me in the Hills.
First stop though was at Rudy’s, the self-proclaimed “Worst Bar-B-Q in Texas.” Rudy’s, which has grown to 17 locations around Texas, was a favorite on my last visit to San Antonio and I insisted that we re-capture that magic. All enjoyed a BBQ feast of turkey and brisket, cooked over oak-wood fires, along with some spectacular creamed corn and green beans. I washed down my share with an icy Lone Star. Rudy’s makes a hell of a BBQ sauce and will ship its goods anywhere in short order (see http://www.rudysbbq.com/).
Next, we stopped at a small vineyard in Comfort, Texas, which ironically is located next door to tiny Welfare, Texas. The hills and valleys around San Antonio boasts excellent conditions and climate for fertile vineyards and is home to 16 wineries (see http://www.texaswinetrial.com/). After a light tasting at the Comfort Cellars and the purchase of several favorites, it was off to Enchanted Rock.
The Rock, formidable even with its pinkish hue, is a huge, granite exfoliation dome, which rises 425 feet above ground, 1,825 feet above sea level, and covers 640 acres (according the park rangers’ handout). It is one of the largest batholiths (underground rock formation uncovered by erosion) in the United States. All that, and it’s pretty cool looking to boot!
The Tonkawa Indians believed ghost fires flickered at the top, and they heard weird creaking and groaning (which geologists now say resulted from the rock's heating by day and contracting in the night-time cool), hence the “Enchanted” moniker.
We walked uphill through the cactus and oaken woodlands. Once atop the rock, one is struck by the sheer enormity of the rock itself and is treated to spectacular panoramic views of the Hill Country, and its other emerging rock formations. Visitors here can enjoy camping and hiking, rock climbing, birding and what’s said to be some spectacular stargazing (for more on the park, http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/).
Morning Ray, an amateur geologist who recently mustered out of the Air Force after attaining the rank of Captain herself, regaled us with scientific speculation about the rock formation and the constant goofing around of the two Captains (see above) provided much hilarity.
After resting a bit the morning after the long drive over from Florida, we - The Captain, her pal Morning Ray, and I – struck out northward toward wine country, seeking a barbeque lunch, perhaps a wee tasting of the grape and a visit to the 1,643-acre Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.
With both of their significant others deployed in the Middle East, the Captain and Morning Ray (her preferred nickname, not mine) were available to idle away a sunny 88-degree day with me in the Hills.
First stop though was at Rudy’s, the self-proclaimed “Worst Bar-B-Q in Texas.” Rudy’s, which has grown to 17 locations around Texas, was a favorite on my last visit to San Antonio and I insisted that we re-capture that magic. All enjoyed a BBQ feast of turkey and brisket, cooked over oak-wood fires, along with some spectacular creamed corn and green beans. I washed down my share with an icy Lone Star. Rudy’s makes a hell of a BBQ sauce and will ship its goods anywhere in short order (see http://www.rudysbbq.com/).
Next, we stopped at a small vineyard in Comfort, Texas, which ironically is located next door to tiny Welfare, Texas. The hills and valleys around San Antonio boasts excellent conditions and climate for fertile vineyards and is home to 16 wineries (see http://www.texaswinetrial.com/). After a light tasting at the Comfort Cellars and the purchase of several favorites, it was off to Enchanted Rock.
The Rock, formidable even with its pinkish hue, is a huge, granite exfoliation dome, which rises 425 feet above ground, 1,825 feet above sea level, and covers 640 acres (according the park rangers’ handout). It is one of the largest batholiths (underground rock formation uncovered by erosion) in the United States. All that, and it’s pretty cool looking to boot!
The Tonkawa Indians believed ghost fires flickered at the top, and they heard weird creaking and groaning (which geologists now say resulted from the rock's heating by day and contracting in the night-time cool), hence the “Enchanted” moniker.
We walked uphill through the cactus and oaken woodlands. Once atop the rock, one is struck by the sheer enormity of the rock itself and is treated to spectacular panoramic views of the Hill Country, and its other emerging rock formations. Visitors here can enjoy camping and hiking, rock climbing, birding and what’s said to be some spectacular stargazing (for more on the park, http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/).
Morning Ray, an amateur geologist who recently mustered out of the Air Force after attaining the rank of Captain herself, regaled us with scientific speculation about the rock formation and the constant goofing around of the two Captains (see above) provided much hilarity.
Proving out the “San Antonio is huge” theory is the fact that those three “nearby” stops totaled a mere 226 miles.
* * *
The following day found the Captain and I journeying out to the farm where she boards her golden Lab, Flexyable (yes, even the dogs get nicknames), in preparation for her flight to Hawaii early the next morning. The owner of the comfortable kennel suggested we take lunch a local barbeque. Who were we to argue? After following her directions down several dirt roads, we settled at the Texas Pride BBQ for more delicious authentic Hill Country fare.
We later drove up to Buda, Texas near Austin to visit the Cabela’s outlet located there. Cabela’s bills itself as the World’s Foremost Outfitter and if its rapidly expanding empire is any indication, Cabela’s claim is proving true (a store is soon to open in East Hartford, Ct.; see http://www.cabelas.com/). Before filling my cart with items to be used on this current adventure, I ventured into the crowded “gun locker” to see what all the fuss was about. With wild turkey hunting a featured pastime in this area, one highlight of Cabela’s is its stock of hunting gear and guns. The gun locker contained many versions of the shotgun, ranging from about $200 to a Purdy 12-gauge for – hold onto your hat - $139,999! (Having enjoyed shooting some different rifles on previous trips to Alaska, I must pose a question: Does spending 140 grand on a gun make your intended target any more dead? Just wondering …)
We later drove up to Buda, Texas near Austin to visit the Cabela’s outlet located there. Cabela’s bills itself as the World’s Foremost Outfitter and if its rapidly expanding empire is any indication, Cabela’s claim is proving true (a store is soon to open in East Hartford, Ct.; see http://www.cabelas.com/). Before filling my cart with items to be used on this current adventure, I ventured into the crowded “gun locker” to see what all the fuss was about. With wild turkey hunting a featured pastime in this area, one highlight of Cabela’s is its stock of hunting gear and guns. The gun locker contained many versions of the shotgun, ranging from about $200 to a Purdy 12-gauge for – hold onto your hat - $139,999! (Having enjoyed shooting some different rifles on previous trips to Alaska, I must pose a question: Does spending 140 grand on a gun make your intended target any more dead? Just wondering …)
* * *
The next morning provided some black humor as the Captain was late getting out to the airport. With me at the wheel of her car pre-dawn, we sped over to the nearby airfield. The only problem was it was the first time I had driven a stick shift in, Oh?………. 20 years! That fact combined with the Captain’s urgency to make her flight made for some nail-biting moments. Alas, all’s well that ends well.
* * *
On a personal note, I have come down with a nasty cold, and that combined with the local temperatures hovering at about the 100-degree mark, set me down at the Captain’s for a few days, waiting for the worst to pass. The heat, combined with my slight ailment, could force upon me a summer chest cold that might not let up for months. The Captain’s offer of shelter was accepted and greatly appreciated.
One evening, I was able to meet up with an old Boston buddy, who happened to be in town for a family gathering over Easter. In the spirit of TomKat and Brangelina, I will call him Jadam. We briefly caught up over a cocktail, as I was lost for about hour trying to locate the restaurant.
One evening, I was able to meet up with an old Boston buddy, who happened to be in town for a family gathering over Easter. In the spirit of TomKat and Brangelina, I will call him Jadam. We briefly caught up over a cocktail, as I was lost for about hour trying to locate the restaurant.
* * *
Next, I’m heading for Big Bend National Park, situated in a remote Texas desert area about eight hours West of here on the Rio Grande River. It looks foreboding, but I corresponded/spoke to a several locals who have visited and all described the trip as memorable. I’m looking forward to a few days there, possibly some touring on horseback and testing out the new inflatable watercraft I purchased at Cabela’s. After that, it’s off to the “Four Corners” area at the intersection of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado with several other brief stops possible en route.
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