Day 15                        December 14, 2009                 Atchafalaya

We had a neat though wet day exploring the Atchafalaya area. First stop was a wonderful visitor center with maps, brochures, restaurant recommendations and an informative video about the Atchafalaya Basin area. It is reminiscent of Okefenokee with huge areas of cypress swamp and alligators. Next stop was a wildlife refuge where we saw some interesting birds even though the sky was lead and threatening rain. This is one of a cluster of refuges in southeastern Louisiana. It was all dirt roads and mud but worth the trip. After a couple of hours we got back to the car just as the rain began. Next was a late lunch at Crawfish USA. Sandy had two pounds of crawfish preceded by a lesson from the waitress on peeling them. After lunch we drove south towards New Iberia, hoping to visit the Tabasco factory. Unfortunately, the heavens opened along the way which slowed us down and we missed their 4 PM closing. Plan b was the Konrico rice factory. They claim to be the oldest in the US. We missed the tour but bought a bunch of stuff in their store. New Iberia is a curious tow. The main street splits into two, one way roads about ¼ mile apart. The southbound road is lined with shacks, doublewides and generally poor areas. Remarkably, the northbound road is lined with beautiful municipal buildings and antebellum mansions. More heavy rain accompanied us back to the coach.

Day 16                        December 15, 2009                 On to San Antonio

At 400 miles, this was our longest driving day of the trip so far, nearly all of it on I-10. The heavy rain continued this morning and we saw several accidents including two 18 wheelers laying on their side. Both the weather and the road surface improved when we crossed the Texas border. As most of you know, nearly all interstate highway exits have been renumbered to reflect the mileage along the highway. This allows travelers to realize that Texas is indeed huge. The first exit was 880, meaning it is 880 miles to New Mexico!!

Day 17                        December 16, 2009                 Touring San Antonio

We had a nice day in San Antonio. We took the public bus from in front of the campground right to the Alamo. Along the way we noticed a neat sign where there are usually only ads. Above the first forward facing seat on the left side was a sign that read, ”There is a special seat below this sign. It was here that Rosa Parks sat on a Montgomery, AL bus and refused to move to the back .  We saw a very well done Imax movie about the battle at the Alamo on March 6, 1836. We then toured the remains of the Alamo and adjacent museums with artifacts from the battle period and associated with the people involved (long rifles once owned by Davy Crockett, Bowie knives etc.). Next we walked and shopped along the riverwalk supporting the local economy as best we could. At the bus stop on the way home we met two German students also staying at the campground. They are traveling the US after working for several months in Winnipeg.

Day 18                        December 17, 2009                 Touring Fredericksburg, TX

About 70 miles north of San Antonio is the neat little (pop 8911) town of Fredericksburg, TX. The town was settled by German immigrants in the 1700’s. Lots of neat old buildings and shops, It was also interesting to see nearly all Lutheran churches rather than Baptist. We started with a mile long hike on a nature trail on the outskirts of town. After lunch we walked along the main street and Sandy shopped until she dropped (not really).

Day 19                        December 18, 2009                 Touring San Antonio Part 2

Another great day in San Antonio. We took the hop-on:hop-off trolley tour and learned a lot about the history of the area We spent an hour at the San Juan Mission historic site and we managed to find some additional places to shop. After a late lunch on the Riverwalk, we wandered around until it got dark then took the narrated tourboat along the river. A very nice tour with beautiful holiday lights. On the weekends they also put luminaries along the river banks and that added to the light show.

Day 20                        December 19, 2009                 Into West Texas

Drove 360 miles into west Texas. Beyond 60 miles of San Antonio there is not much. We stopped at Balmorhea State Park which was recommended by a friend.

Day 21                        December 20, 2009                 Balmorhea and Alpine, TX

We spent the morning exploring Balmorhea State Park including the large hot spring that attracts lots of birds. Midday we drove 50 miles south to Alpine, TX and the Lost Alaskan campground. We filled the afternoon with chores including washing the coach and car, four loads of laundry plus cleaning and rebuilding the barbeque.