Cibolo Nature Center, Boerne, Texas -- Sat., Jan. 19

Breakfast today was pumpkin pancakes spread with cinnamon applesauce and topped with fried eggs. We needed the extra protein and carbs for our 10K (6.2 mile) Volkswalk in Boerne today. 

The drive to Boerne (pronounced Burn-e) took us 45 minutes. After I did my paperwork and we had map in hand, we drove to downtown Boerne and parked in a lot off the main street. The walk took us on a few city streets before we hit the Rails to Trails Greenway Park.

Look out for the autos.

What a glorious day.

The temperature was about 68 degrees with a breeze blowing. Perfect for walking.

Along the Rails to Trails greenway were historic markers with fascinating information. We read them all. Click on photos to enlarge for reading.

Beer vaults? Must be some mighty fine beer.

Yes, those are armadillos.

 In the winter, instead of green trees and blooms, we find berries and seed pods.

Elderberries? In January?

Seed pods.

Other interesting trivia we learned about was bats. To help prevent malaria carried by the Anopheles mosquito, Dr. Campbell built bat houses to attract bats to eat the mosquitoes.

 

From Rails to Trails we crossed a couple of busy streets, but immediately turned off on a trail into Cibolo (prononced SEE-blow) Park where we found Fern Bank Falls. In Oregon we would call this rapids, not falls.

Cibolo Trail.

Fern Bank Falls.

Cibolo Trail heading toward pool and soccer fields.

 

From the City Park, complete with pool and soccer fields, we headed down the road to Cibolo Nature Center where we would complete a third of our walk. Today we did not venture into the Visitor Center. We'll check that out another time, probably when the birds come to nest in March and April. Here are favorite photos from the Nature Center in winter.

A very good day to visit. Didn't hear frogs.

Yes, even dinosaur tracks!

Bob checking out the size of dinosaur tracks.

 

 Bob striding ahead. Love his shirt.

Menger Creek.

A guitarist enjoying the solitude.

Great egret reflecting.

The Wrede Marsh.

Wrede Marsh, fed by Herff Spring.

"Look at the deer, dear."

A really pretty place--Cibolo Nature Center.

We headed back on the Cibolo Trail, near the Agricultural Heritage Museum (which is closed in December and January).

Agricultural Heritage Museum (from outside the fence).

From here, we retraced our steps to the car, made a quick stop to look around the Boerne Wine Company store, then headed back to San Antonio. 

Bob wanted to work an hour or so. We had left his truck at his work on the way to Boerne, and I dropped him off there on the way back to the 5er. I shopped at H-E-B for chicken breasts to take to tonight's barbecue and dance at the RV park.

Bob came home close to 6:00 p.m. and we walked to the Event Hall for the barbecue. Everyone brought and barbecued their own meat. For $3.50 per person, the park provided baked potatoes with all the fixin's, salad, coffee, iced tea and dessert. We had a very nice time. We met Al and Charlene from Indiana. She retired two weeks ago from being a CPA and they are visiting San Antonio for the first time. They plan to stay a month, although I don't know why they'd want to go back to Indiana in March. Brr.

Tomorrow Bob and I will walk in San Antonio's De Zavala neighborhood which is near where he works. After tomorrow's walk, we plan to see the movie "Sessions." Apparently matinee pricing at the theater we're going to is $1.75. Cheap. Of course this is not a first-run movie theater.

That's all I can think of today.

Travel Bug out.

The Best Laid Plans -- Sat., July 21

San Antonio, TX:

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." This quote is adapted from a line in Robert Frost's poem "The Mouse," which goes like this: "The best laid plans o' mice an' men / gang aft a-gley." 

Our original plan today was to do the 13K (7.8 mi) Missions Volkswalk. However, upon researching our Volkswalk choice for tomorrow, we found out the bakery where the walk starts is closed on Sunday. OK, swapperoo. Switched gears and off we went on the Broadway Neighborhood 10K (6.2 mi) Volkswalk today. Tomorrow we will do the walk to two missions.

Our walk started at Broadway Daily Bread Bakery in San Antonio. After signing in at the start box, picking up walk instructions, and ordering and eating fruit kolaches* (yes, you heard me right, we got a treat at the bakery even after my declaration yesterday), we headed out on our walk. 

(Please note: We are not promoting any locations on our walk. We get the Volkswalk directions and follow them wherever they take us. It's a great way to get to know an area.)

First destination: University of the Incarnate Word campus. Our route took us around the Retirement Center, past the sand volleyball court, under the bleachers at the stadium (cheerleader competitions were underway in the stadium--Bob told me to take my time taking pictures), on a trail through the woods, past many of the campus buildings and out onto Broadway. 

An aside: I don't know how many of you watch "The Amazing Race" on TV, but it's our favorite show, hands down. We've even talked about applying to go on the show. When we're out on our walks, sometimes the directions aren't crystal clear so we niggle at each other about what's the correct path. Then we say, "Just think if we were on 'The Amazing Race' we'd have TV cameras watching our every little argument." If you watch the show, you will understand what I'm about to say. Our directions were very specific about following a driveway at the University to the end and going around the back of the building. Then we were to go through a gate in the fence and pass the sand volleyball court. Bob thought we should go one way through a gate. I kept saying it wasn't right. We tried that way and, even though we could see the sand volleyball area, we couldn't get to it. So we went back around the building looking for a way across some grass and through a gate. Couldn't find it for the life of us. Finally we asked a resident retiree and they pointed at a very small gate in the fence that we had walked by twice already. On "The Amazing Race" it would be akin to walking past the clue box multiple times and not seeing it even though it's in plain sight. (Now I've really digressed, haven't I?)

Here are pics taken on campus.

Someone gave this squirrel a brownie (not me!!).

He hauled it up the tree to eat it.

Bob on red metal bridge.

Cheerleading competition at the University.

Bob says, "Take your time. Take as many photos as you want."

Nice treed pathway on campus.

See plaque inscription below.

History of the University goes back to 1881.

Carillon clock tower.

Stained glass as seen from inside the clock tower.

 

From the University we walked down Broadway past the Witte Museum. This little fellow welcomes guests to the museum. 

From the Witte Museum parking lot we entered Brackenridge Park and spent quite a bit of time in the park which features a Japanese Tea Garden and the San Antonio Zoo. 

Lunaria (money plant)?

Pretty grasses.

Water lilies.

I learned something new today...Portland Cement is a type of cement, not the place where it's made. I thought it was called that because it came from Portland, Oregon or Portland, Maine. Duh.

Into the Japanese Tea Garden we went. This sunken garden used to be the quarry for the cement company. A Japanese family built the pavilion and gardens, then handed it down to their children to care for. During WW II, the family was taken to an internment camp and the name of the garden was changed to Chinese Tea Garden. In 1981, the name was changed back to Japanese Tea Garden. Join us on our stroll through the Japanese Tea Garden and path to the San Antonio Zoo.

Here is the pavilion. Look at all that rock work! What a beautiful place.

 

Koi in the pond.

Rock work everywhere, all taken from the old quarry site.

Even a waterfall.

Mr. Turtle swam by. How do you do?

 

Bridge looks like a dragon...c'mon use your imagination.

Inside the pavilion looking out.

Another view from inside the pavilion.

The path from the tea garden to the zoo.

We did not go in the zoo, but took some photos around the entrance and captured some fierce looking beasts.

Laura, this one's for you.

Watch out...crazy animal. Those antlers might get you. Bob said, "Is it a horny beast?"

From the zoo, we continued on through Brackenridge Park and a great egret posed majestically for me.

After Brackenridge Park, our walk took us through part of Mahncke Park. And finally, here are odds and ends photos from the last part of our walk.

Entrance doors on a Chinese restaurant.

Door details.

More door details.

Bus stop on Broadway.

We completed the walk back at the bakery (but didn't buy anything else.) We are always amazed at how many interesting places/things we can see in 6.2 miles. 

Back at the 5er, we had leftover Sloppy Joes and steamed veggies. Bob is taking a nap because he plans to work this afternoon/evening to finish up the financial report before we leave. 

I have some things to return to Walmart (red food coloring and some shirts I bought but don't like). While at Walmart I am going to stock up on peaches. The peaches I bought yesterday are so juicy and flavorful. This will save me a 50+ mile drive up to the peach orchards.

Tonight one of my favorite TV shows is on: "My Cat from Hell." It's about cats with major problems and a guy who goes to peoples' residences to help them work with their cat(s). He usually succeeds, thus saving said kitty(ies) from being given away or taken to the Humane Society. (And sometimes saves marriages as well.)

Welcome to Karen and Al of RV Travels with Karen and Al. Thanks for subscribing to our ongoing journey.

* Kolaches: Do all of you know what kolaches are? We didn't. They're sweet, round pastries with filling pressed into the top of the soft dough. Fillings this particular bakery offered were: cream cheese, fruit or bacon and cheese. I had one with raspberry puree filling and Bob chose blueberry/cream cheese.