We awoke to a dense forest of fog our last morning in Galveston. Couldn’t see a hundred feet away, very eery. Everything outside was covered, not in dew, but big dripping beads of sweat! It subsided as soon as we crossed the bridge to the mainland.
Google maps told us the quickest route to San Antonio was to go straight through the heart of downtown Houston. Thank heaven we invested in a cell-enabled iPad with GPS...I have no idea how anyone could navigate the tangled maze of interchanges in both these cities! Even with highway signage and a detailed map, it was imperative to know which lane to be in to either not miss an exit or inadvertently be pushed off an exit without meaning to! Google maps navigation system shows us what lane to be in amidst these six+ lane freeways! I still have absolutely no clue how anyone could have traveled these roads as a tourist with just a paper map...
Heading westward, the landscape grew visibly drier and we saw our first patches of cactus. The Mexican influence also became much more pronounced with signs for Tex-Mex restaurants and everything in duel languages.
Knowing we wouldn’t get into San Antonio until around dinner time and without easy access to trailer parking in the city at night, we opted to hit the big shopping mall north of the city so I could indulge my inner fashionista after so much grotting in the wilds. I asked the roaming security truck if it was okay for us to park overnight and got the friendliest reception. When the security guard found out we were from Canada, he wanted to make sure that we were getting a warm welcome from everyone down south and we assured him we were.
Later that night I talked to another security guard who again confirmed we were free to park in the lot overnight, but then ominously asked if we had “self-protection”. Thinking of the bear spray we keep above the bed, I said, “uh, yeah” and then realized he was probably asking if we had a gun!
The next day was dedicated to downtown San Antonio. Like Chicago, another urban center that has done their planning right! Lots of parkland, plaques with historical information everywhere, and smart use of the landscape. They’ve created a gorgeous sunken Japanese garden from an abandoned limestone quarry and made the most epic pedestrian experience along the Riverwalk.
We only saw a small section of the Riverwalk - an ingeniously planed thoroughfare one story below the road network on the banks of the San Antonio River - lined with shops and restaurants. What makes it especially inviting is that every section is unique. Each pathway, each bridge and underpass is different, some featuring mini waterfalls and spillways. So many of the old trees have been kept in place and built around so they shade the way. Kinda like Venice with greenery and lacking crowds.
I insisted we enjoy Texas BBQ for lunch. Texans take BBQ VERY seriously! While researching for the trip, I happened upon Texas Monthly magazine’s publication of the Top 50 BBQ joints in the state. It takes 16 professional “tasters” eight months to cover the state and savour almost 400 smokehouses to update the list every five years.
Receiving the honour means big business. If you’re on TripAdvisor or Google reviews of any of these Top 50 places, you’ll see many comments from people saying they’re visiting just because of the designation, along with their judgements and recommendations.
San Antonio has one Top 50 just off the Riverwalk, but it was way in the northern section I was unwilling to trudge to in the 26 degree heat. So we just hunkered down at “The County Line” next to the Hard Rock Cafe...typical tourist fare, I know. But it was still impressive. $20 got us a half rack of pork ribs, a decent piece of beef brisket and two housemade sausages, all slow-roasted to tenderness and slathered in sauce, plus really good ‘slaw and potato salad. Plenty for the two of us!
Now we’re about an hour west of the city to head back into the wilderness westwards.
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