2018 short trip to Texas
This was a very short trip during the 2018 Christmas week. We stayed in Houston for over a week, but mostly visiting family. We managed to take a two-day road trip to San Antonio and Austin. These are places we have been before, and we lived in Austin for two years. But it was nice to revisit some familiar places, and we were lucky that weather was perfect on these two days.
(Click on each image to see the high-resolution version)
San Antonio
Of course one's travel in San Antonio begins with The Alamo. We arrived on Wednesday night and it rained on our way there, but by night time, the rain had stopped. Our hotel was in downtown, so naturally we took a stroll toward the Alamo.
The Alamo
And the Riverwalk was unavoidable. This being the holiday season, the lights were up. We think that it is rather overrated, and we had been here before, but I took some obligatory pictures.
The Riverwalk
The next day, it dawned sunny and beautiful. We walked along the Riverwalk again to get coffee and breakfast. In the early morning, before the throngs of tourists arrive, the Riverwalk looked more serene at this hour.
The Riverwalk
But our main activity on this day was to take the San Antonio Mission Trail. Now the trail is part of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. I had taken the same trail in the early 2000s, if I recall correctly, at that time the trail started at the Alamo, which is also a mission (you can read more about the history of the National Historical Park here). Regardless of nomenclature, the trail is really the best of San Antonio, and on this splendid winter day (which did not feel like winter at all), I could not think of anything else in the world I wanted to do.
We followed the (auto-)trail and arrived at the first mission, Mission Concepcion, "the oldest unrestored stone church in America" according to the NPS site. Certainly, its weathered walls showed fantastic textures that echoed to a bygone era.
Mission Concepcion
Mission Concepcion
Mission Concepcion
Mission Concepcion
The second mission is the grandest of all, Mission San Jose. Known as the "Queen of the Missions", it occupies a huge area, and its stone walls and imposing church recall memories of the frontier days of Spanish America.
Mission San Jose
Mission San Jose
Mission San Jose
Mission San Jose
Mission San Jose
Mission San Jose
Mission San Jose
Mission San Jose
The reliefs on the front of the church still have vivid details (they have been restored).
Mission San Jose Relief
Mission San Jose Relief
The third mission on the trail was Mission San Juan. It was fully renovated in 2012 and looked noticeably different than what I remembered from the early 2000s. I am not sure if I like the white color lime plaster now covering its exterior.
Mission San Juan
Mission San Juan
Mission San Juan
Our last mission was Mission Espada. Not as grand or imposing as the others, this one has the distinction of being the oldest mission in Texas. It has its own charms.
Mission Espada
Mission Espada
Mission Espada
Thus "missions accomplished", we made one last stop at Espada Aqueduct, an irrigation system used to supply water for the community at Mission Espada.
Espada Aqueduct
Austin (and surrounding areas)
After leaving San Antonio, we headed to Austin. This was like a home-coming trip for us of sort, as we lived in Austin from 2000 to 2002, and we had fond memories of it.
We arrived late in the afternoon, but there was still some time for us to walk in downtown for a little bit. We encountered this colorful guitar sculpture titled "Vibrancy" on Congress Street, quite fitting for the town that prides itself as "Live Music Capital of the World".
Vibrancy
We walked all the way to the Texas State Capitol. We had been there several times before, but now I realized the trees in front have grown very large and it is in fact difficult to take pictures in front.
Texas State Capitol
Texas State Capitol
Inside, there was the Lone Star of Texas on the underside of the capitol dome.
Capitol Dome
What a lot of people missed was the Capitol Annex (or Extension), which is almost a mirror image of the capitol itself. From the underground level of it, one can see the Capitol dome through the glass ceiling.
Capitol Annex
Texas State Capitol in the last ray of the day.
Texas State Capitol
The next day, we went to one of our old haunts, Maria's Taco Xpress, for breakfast. Austin has changed much since we moved sway, and Taco Xpress is no exception: it has expanded.
Taco Xpress
Taco Xpress
Outside, the murals were quite interesting.
Mural
Mural
We then headed to Hamilton Pool, in my opinion the very best of Texas Hill Country. I had been to this place several times before, but I could always enjoy a revisit. A partially collapsed limestone cave, the remaining semicircular rock overhang is almsot perfectly symmetrical. Hamilton Creek plunges down from one side, forming a waterfall. We were lucky that it rained the day before and the waterfall is voluminous. The space under the rock overhand is very tight, and I surely put my newly acquired ultra wide-angle lens to good use.
Hamilton Pool
Hamilton Pool
Hamilton Pool
Hamilton Pool
Hamilton Pool
Hamilton Pool
On the rock walls and the underside of the overhang were some abandoned nest of Cave Swallows (this year's birds had already fledged and the swallows had abandoned their nests by this time).
Cave Swallow Nests
Hamilton Creek happily gurgled along.
Hamilton Creek
We lingered for a couple of hours at Hamilton Pool, then headed back to town for lunch. After lunch, we took a walk along Town Lake, now known as "Lady Bird Lake". I knew from experience that Lou Neff Point would be a good place to view Austin skyline, and I was proven right.
Austin Skyline
Austin Skyline
Our last stop was at the Greetings from Austin Mural in the south side of town. Just then, the sky got cloudy, but we had already enjoyed this short road trip and headed back to Houston.
Greetings from Austin
Birds, etc.
I did not spend much time taking wildlife pictures. The following were a few I took in Houston.
White Ibis
Pine Warbler
White-winged Dove
In San Antonio I did not even take one bird picture. In Austin, I managed to get my 700th bird, a Canyon Wren, at Hamilton Pool, but the pictures were fuzzy due to the low light under the rock overhang and are not shown here. The following two were taken at Town Lake.
Orange-crowned Warbler
Lesser Scaup
Finally, also a rather tattered Red Admiral I took in Houston.
Red Admiral