Fall Trip - 2019
Fall Trip - 2019
Photos from our trip
Taking advantage again of not working and being able to vacation during the school year. This week we are in Texas - in the New Braunfels/San Antonio area. After having snow on Halloween at home, we are enjoying temps once again in the 70s and one day in the 80s.
We left our house on Saturday, Nov. 2nd and drove to Republic, MO. We spent Sunday morning touring Wilson Creek Battlefield where Paul had an ancestor who fought there. It was a lovely fall day - hard to picture the conditions of battle in August 1861. After touring the battlefield, we drove on to Oklahoma City - where we started our married life in 1979. We started downtown where we stopped at the memorial where the Murrah building had been and 168 people were killed in 1995 in a terrorist bombing. Another contemplative site and a memorial very well done. To the State Capital building after that - to see if the oil well is still there in front which it is. Onward to more everyday familiar sites from our time there - to see the United Founders tower, our old apartment complex and the church we used to attend. Stayed overnight in the northwest quadrant of the city - where we used to live.
On Monday we drove to New Braunfels, TX where we stayed in a resort outside of the city - a rustic area where there are lots of campgrounds and river rafting in the summer. We used this as a base and explored the area. Tuesday we drove to Fredericksburg, a quaint town which celebrates its German roots and has lots of shops, wineries and eating areas. Walked up and down Main Street, found a German restaurant for lunch, bought some chocolate and fudge, as well as some Texas hot sauce and dip mixes. Wednesday we drove into San Antonio. Our first stop was the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. Four mission sites - four different looking churches - four sites where priests and natives lived and worked together. Next we ventured to the Riverwalk and found a place to eat and enjoy our surroundings. Another visit to a church - this time the Cathedral of San Fernando - then a walk past the Alamo to our car. A fun day. Thursday was forecasted to be a rainy day so we went to the San Antonio library where Paul did some genealogy work on Sasha's family. A late lunch at a Mexican restaurant followed. Friday we packed up and left the resort - starting to head for home.
We took a different route - to see a few more things before heading to Elmwood Park. First stop on the way home - Durant, OK and a route through eastern Oklahoma. Stopped at Heavener to see what they believe is a Viking Runestone. It was a beautiful fall day and the leaves were colorful. Drove to Fort Smith, AR after that - to visit the courtroom of the hanging judge, Judge Parker, at the Fort Smith Historic Site. Enjoyed a walk around the park there - at the confluence of the Arkansas River and the Poteau River. From Fort Smith to Pea Ridge Civil War Battlefield where we toured the battlefield. St. Louis was our next stop. Arrived in 70 degree weather in St. Louis and by the next morning it was only in the 30s and the rain started. By the time we were on the road there was snow. Took us twice as long to drive home through the snow but we made it safely.