Looking Back (Continued)
Monday: 9 AM
No breakfast, we headed straight to downtown San Antonio. The Monday of the National Championship game was rather somber. We couldn’t find ourselves to get excited about the upcoming game, although we knew it would be a good one. We decided to get some lunch from Taco Bell then head out to San Antonio. When we got there, we decided to hush all the people saying, “don’t go there, it’s disappointing” and go see the Alamo. Yes, it is rather small, but it is rich in history and I never fully understood the numbers the men at the Alamo were up against. To hold off for 12 full days against thousands of invaders is amazing. On the 13th, the few men decided to hush the cannons to get rest. Those last 90 minutes would be their last. They had several photos and displays demonstrating the numbers and massiveness of the invasion.
Also on display and most interesting to me was the Bowie knife collection. I have had several Bowie knives throughout my life, but I have never actually looked into its history. One excerpt in the Alamo read of Bowie having a gun put to his head. Bowie sternly replied, “you sir, might get that shot off, but I never missed”. The man pulled the trigger, and only the cap exploded. They said as soon as this happened, his neck was sliced in two. The Bowie knives I am use to owning average at most 6 inches in length. The orginal Bowie knives averaged anywhere from 8 inches to a foot. These were the “Rambo” knives of their days.
We began our tour in the artillery wing of the Alamo. Here there was a museum which displayed all the uniforms, weapons, and artifacts from the time. In a locket behind the glass was a locket that held a piece of Davie Crockett’s hair. Believe it or not, but it was a shade of read . . . ginger. He also wore a rhinestone-studded vest, which was surprisingly masculine. I believe Davie Crockett could wear anything and get away with it. There were also guns, writings, and artifacts that belonged to Sam Houston. One thing I didn’t recognize was how large the rifles and muskets were of the time. The range of our rifles : 300 ft, the range of the invaders was only 100 feet. The lady said that since it took so long to reload, the men defending the Alamo used their rifles as blunt objects instead of firing. Unlike the invaders, their guns didn’t have bayonets. I wanted to take a picture, but I learned fast by the Texas Rangers that there are no cameras allowed in the Alamo . . . at all.
After the Alamo we went to the “River Candy Shop” where I picked up some rootbeer gummies, sour worms, and peach candy. I also saw a jawbreaker that was literally the size of my fist. I gave it a lot of consideration, but decided against the daunting challenge of breaking jaws. But a sense of nostalgia came over me as I remembered enjoying having the candy-induced tumor on the side of my face in elementary school. The UNC kids then decided to have some dinner at the Republic of Texas on the Riverwalk. Once again, they still didn’t have sweet tea. I decided to go for the 12 ounce Swiss mushroom burger cooked medium well. With it came French fries, and that was it. The burger contained no condiments, and they brought you packets of mayonnaise. But the burger was cooked to near perfection, and the seasoning on it and spices made it melt in your mouth. One of the top 10 burgers I have ever had, and the fries weren’t bad either.
After dinner we had 2 hours to walk around the Riverwalk. We decided to take a boat tour of the Walk, and learn about its history and see all of the sites. As I posted earlier, there were many, many interesting facts that I learned about this place. Our Riverboat captain was named Emzy (yes, MZ) and he kept harping about how he had a college education and still drove a boat. But he gave so much good information and was able to answer any questions. Just to reiterate my favorite facts:
The Riverwalk was dreamed up by one man without a college education at the age of 27. He was payed an equivalent to $80,000 for his efforts.
The Riverwalk was built after the New Deal for a total of $470,000 . . . an equivalent to $2.5 million today.
In its worst flood, the water rose 13 feet above the streets.
In the sixth floor of the building that looks like a ship (in my flicker photos), is where FDR learned of Pearl Harbor and the famous picture of him at the desk was taken.
250 people per year (drunk and sober) fall into the Riverwalk.
The Riverwalk is the only place in Texas where carrying an open container is legal.
President Johnson proposed to his wife on the Riverwalk. He bought the ring at Sears . . . 2 hours before the wedding.
The depth of the river is anywhere from 2 ft. to 7ft
I found this place beautiful, historical, and very interesting. I would love to come back here again and enjoy the sites and sounds without the Kansas fans ‘chalkin’ it up.
Up Next, the actual game and the events during / after it.