Alamo City...been there, done that.

Some Historic Architecture in downtown San Antonio

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
                            Psalm 25

Happy Holiday's,

It was an eventful week in San Antonio. Although the weather was wetter than I hoped for; I was able to conduct some important business projects where I needed technological assistance. Thanks to SKYPE and  places like McDonalds, Starbucks, and hotels that provide a free WI-FI signal.  Thru them I was able to access the Internet and take care of needed business. Hemisphere Park was the highlight of my downtown experience where I encountered an organized occupation area of the park where concerned Americans where raising an awareness of our broken financial system. One thing I applied to their recommendations was removing my money from Bank of America. According to some spokespeople BofA is laying off 30,000 employees to pay for their lawsuits where they are being sued for about 5 billion dollars. There are also allegations that they are keeping our military in perpetual debt by some of their policies. These occupiers encouraged putting money in local banks and credit unions.

Lot's of Great American history in San Antonio, and around the Alamo. I enjoyed asking local folks about their interpretation of The Alamo, and what really happened. I learned that Mexican leader Santa Ana regained control of the strategic Alamo after he killed his appointed commander who gave up his post to the invading Texacans. He didn't put up a fight but instead retreated and met his death by Santa Ana. The Mexican commander then headed north to retake the Alamo, but couldn't  retain his homeland's presence there. Santa Ana was defeated as he continued to push northward with his poorly trained and diminishing troops by the occupying Texacans.

The roads were tougher in San Antonio than I anticipated, and the traffic was congested with very few bike lanes. Buckling sidewalks with telephone poles in the middle of them, as well as obstructive mailboxes weren't uncommon.

I'm planning on trekking northwest to Austin, then on to Houston. This Texas traffic however makes me skeptical about my plans and abilities to get around in these urban areas. I've heard that Austin is a very bike friendly city so I'm fired up about my proposed visit. One thing I tell people is that dreaming doesn't cost anything. That's what a lot of my future on this tour is...still a dream.

I enjoyed New Bruanfels, but had a hard time putting up with the smoke in the local sports bar "Scores" that telecast the Cowboy-Buccaneer game. One thing I value about my home state of California is the no smoking laws that are enforce in social environments (like bars). Unfortunately, now my cloths smell like smoke. That's the price you have to pay in 2011 Texas to catch some NFL or sports action at a pub.