"TEXAS, IT'S LIKE A WHOLE OTHER COUNTRY". San Antonio Missions. Hill Country. Wine Trail. Scenic Drives. Bluebonnets. Big Bend. Le Louvre. Cargo Trailer.

 

For "Travel Tuesday", let's look at some places in TX:

It would take a lifetime to explore all of TX.

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park: Impact and Opportunity

"A new study conducted by the Center for Community and Business Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio examines the economic impact of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, and finds that these historic sites provide a tremendous economic boost for surrounding communities.

The economic impact, as summarized in NPCA's latest report, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park: Impact and Opportunity, shows that for every federal dollar invested in the park in 2009, $20 was generated in local economic activity.

The research also highlighted the opportunities to more than double the park's economic impact by 2016--creating jobs and increasing visitor spending. Not only would these initiatives provide an economic boost for south San Antonio they would help complete the story and adequately preserve valuable historic resources at San Antonio Missions."

From: http://www.npca.org/texas/missions_economic_impact/

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San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Located within the city of San Antonio, Texas, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park preserves four 18th-century Spanish missions--Mission Espada, Mission San Juan, Mission Concepción, and Mission San José--as well as the outbuildings and landscapes that surround them, for a total of 826 acres.

Each year, the park hosts about one million visitors who come to enjoy the missions' stone walls, graceful archways, religious frescos, and hand carved wooden doors; learn about the history of the Spanish missions and the people who lived within the missions' walls; and observe herons, egrets, wood ducks, owls, and woodpeckers in the park's riparian areas."

More at: http://www.npca.org/stateoftheparks/san_antonio_missions/

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Texas - Byways and Highways

"When standing in El Paso, you are closer to Los Angeles, California than to Texarkana, located on the other side of Texas.  Brownsville is only 475 miles from Mexico City but almost 800 miles from Amarillo.

Texas covers a broad expanse of southwest terrain with an equally broad expanse of sights.  As you travel the Texas byways and highways, you can view everything from natural wonders to technological icons.

Texas offers a state filled with contrasts. Wonders of nature include the Palo Duro Canyon, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palo_Duro_Canyon second largest canyon in the United States, and Bracken Cave near San Antonio, where 20 million bats emerge every night.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracken_Cave

Visits through Texas provide a view of everything from cattle, peanuts and cotton to NASA, metroplexes, and the technological Silicone Valley surrounding Austin, the state capitol."

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Parks in Hill Country Region

 

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• Select a region to view.
• Blanco sp
• Colorado Bend sp
• Devil’s Sinkhole sna
• Enchanted Rock sna
• Fort McKavett shs
• Garner sp
• Government Canyon sna
• Guadalupe River sp
• Hill Country sna
• Inks Lake sp
• Kickapoo Cavern sp
• Lake Brownwood sp
• Landmark Inn shs
• Longhorn Cavern sp
• Lost Maples sna
• Lyndon B. Johnson sp & hs
• McKinney Falls sp
• Pedernales Falls sp
• South Llano River s

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More about the Hill Country:

"Texas's famed hill country is a bucolic, rumpled terrain marked by wooded canyons cut by spring-fed rivers. It's also laced with endless miles of appealing two-lane blacktop—and, best of all, it's quirky. One minute you'll see a vista of bluebonnets and the next a sign advertising "Emu Oil, Next Exit" or "Cowboys for Christ Silent Auction." "

More at: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/road-trips/hill-country-texas-road-trip/

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The Wine Trail Map of The Hill Country:

"Welcome! You may be discovering what five million annual visitors already know:

The Texas Hill Country Wineries are spectacular and fun! With almost 30 unique and visually stunning wineries scattered throughout the Hill Country, there’s someplace new to explore around every bend. Each place has its own personality, terroir and style of winemaking, yet all share a commitment to quality and a fervent passion for what they do.

We invite newcomers and old friends alike to an award-winning wine experience only Texas can offer."

More at: http://www.texaswinetrail.com/map.html

Map at: http://texaswinetrail.com/map

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Byways in Texas, all different terrains.

"We strive to include information on all byways or backways in Texas on this website.

This list may be incomplete or contain byways that overlap. "

• Texas Brazos Trail
• Texas Forest Trail
• Texas Forts Trail
• Texas Hill Country Trail
• Texas Independence Trail
• Texas Lakes Trail
• Texas Mountain Trail
• Texas Pecos Trail
• Texas Plains Trail
• Texas Tropical Trail

From: http://www.byways.org/explore/states/TX/

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Best Scenic Drives & Byways in Texas

• Canyons and Rivers: Medina to Garner State Park, Medina, TX
• Willow City Loop, Willow City, TX
• Springs and Rivers: San Marcos to Guadalupe River State Park, San Marcos, TX
• Enchanted Rock: Llano to Fredericksburg, Llano, TX
• Big Bend National Park, Alpine, TX     My favorite: the drive from Presidio to Big Bend
• The Old Tunnel: Comfort to Luckenbach, Comfort, TX
• Lost Maples: Kerrville to Lost Maples State Natural Area, Hunt, TX
• Trail of the Dinosaur: Cleburne to Dinosaur Valley State Park, Glen Rose, TX
• Lakes and Caves: Marble Falls to Inks Lake, Marble Falls, TX
• Bluewater Highway: Surfside Beach to Galveston, Surfside Beach, TX 

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Bluebonnet & Scarecrow
Festivals:       2012
Bluebonnet Festival - April 14 & 15
Scarecrow Festival - October 13 & 14

http://www.chappellhillmuseum.org/festivals.htm

 

 

 

 

 

and: http://www.texasbob.com/travel/tbt_chappell_hill.html

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The Big Bend Region of Texas

"Crowned with a sky so wide that it threatens to define infinity, the Big Bend region of Texas is situated roughly west of San Antonio, east of El Paso, and north of the mythic Rio Grande river. It remains one of the last true frontiers in the Lower 48, a landscape unique in the world.

Home to Big Bend National Park and the adjoining Big Bend Ranch State Park, this borderland is characterized by rugged mountain ranges, grassland, and immense tracts of desert. The region's exotic qualities has long attracted Hollywood: Recent films No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood were filmed in the area, and the landscape prompted one 1930s inhabitant to call it "America's Abyssinia," perhaps for the African-style terrain and abundant wildlife.

The route starts in the oil town of Fort Stockton, continues to Alpine—gateway to Big Bend National Park—and through Paisano Pass to the quirky town of Marfa. From here it threads south past the ghost town of Shafter into the border town of Presidio, then continues along scenic River Road (FM-170) through Terlingua to Study Butte. Turning onto Hwy. 118/Maverick Road, the drive unspools into that Texas jewel, Big Bend National Park. From here choices include detours to Chisos, a not-to-miss mountain chain, and the funky old cattle town of Marathon."

More at: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/road-trips/borderlands-texas-road-trip/

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Do you have an idea how big is TX?

"Texas ⁱ/ˈtɛksəs/ is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States. The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in East Texas.

Located in the South Central United States, Texas is bordered by Mexico to the south, New Mexico to the west, Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the northeast, and Louisiana to the east. Texas has an area of 268,820 square miles (696,200 km²), and a growing population of 25.1 million residents"

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas

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Nov 8, 1793:

Louvre Museum opens.

"After more than two centuries as a royal palace, the Louvre is opened as a public museum in Paris by the French revolutionary government. Today, the Louvre's collection is one of the richest in the world, with artwork and artifacts representative of 11,000 years of human civilization and culture.

The Louvre palace was begun by King Francis I in 1546 on the site of a 12th-century fortress built by King Philip II. Francis was a great art collector, and the Louvre was to serve as his royal residence. The work, which was supervised by the architect Pierre Lescot, continued after Francis' death and into the reigns of kings Henry II and Charles IX. Almost every subsequent French monarch extended the Louvre and its grounds, and major additions were made by Louis XIII and Louis XIV in the 17th century. Both of these kings also greatly expanded the crown's art holdings, and Louis XIV acquired the art collection of Charles I of England after his execution in the English Civil War. In 1682, Louis XIV moved his court to Versailles, and the Louvre ceased to be the main royal residence."

More at: http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Paris/Museums-Paris/Louvre.shtml

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Yesterday:

It was great to wake up to working land line. The phone company must have fixed it during the night.  A recorded phone call from them said that they had discovered the problem was in their system.

When Misty and I went to get Jay, I took a picture of Pepper, his sister's dog, who I had groomed the day before.

He is a really sweet, quiet, little dog.  Not really that little, as he is about the same height as my Misty.  He was bought as a Long-coat Chihuahua, but he looks, and acts more like the larger breed, the Papillon, to me.

Papillon

 

 

 

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papillon_(dog)

 

It took me a while to get through to a 'people' at Verizon to cancel the appointments they had made with Claudia and me to check out our phone wiring.

We started late, so not much was done.

Jay changed all the clocks that are high up, and I plugged in the rest of the phones that I had unplugged, even in the attic.  Now I know the time, and can reach a working phone all over the house!!

Jay made a jig so that the knobs would be the same on each door, and installed all of them on the cabinets in the cargo trailer.

 

Ray put the rest of the vinyl insert in the tracks of the seams.  He put caulk at the top of each vertical run, and secured the insert with a square-drive screw to make it look original.

Being "gofer" for them kept me busy.

It started out at 68° and went up to 79° yesterday.