"Toto, I Don't Think We're In Kansas Anymore"

Traveling in Texas is an adventure. Traveling thru major cities is a hassle. Arriving in San Antonio at rush hour is insanity. Our arrival here was delayed by an accident in Houston which turned 6 lanes of rapidly moving traffic into something that looked like a Wal-Mart parking lot on Black Friday. That meant we arrived in San Antonio at 5:15. The gps didn't mention our exit until it was way too late and we missed it. We ended up in an area that I think normal tourists never see. We drove thru neighborhoods with bars on every window, animals in the street, and where young people are skilled at making art using cans of spray paint. Scott said, "I don't think we're in Texas anymore." At least he could blend in. My pale skin stood out and made it painfully obvious that I was from out of town. We took a chance and stopped at a gas station for restaurant recommendations. Of the 3 employees, only one spoke English. We were directed thru another interesting neighborhood on our way to what turned out to be a really tasty Mexican restaurant. While our plans to see the Alamo didn't work out, we did get to see Mission San Jose, which is the largest mission here and it has been completely restored. It was beautiful and I regret not taking pictures. We also saw Mission Conception, which is the oldest unrestored stone church in America. I did however take a few at the Texas welcome center. I'm sitting on a stone alligator snapping turtle. It was on a elevated walkway over a swamp. Scott had fun poking his head thru the state outline.