March 9- Remember the Alamo

We drove in to San Antonio today and wandered the Alamo for a bit. While I've heard the quote, "Remember the Alamo" forever, I really had no idea what it was all about. Evidently Texans all know as there were zillions of school kids visiting. The Alamo was origionally a home to missionaries and their Indian converts from 1724 to 1793. In 1835 though it played a critical role in the Texas Revolution. The battle between the Republic of Mexico and the rebel Texian forces (Anglos and ethnic Mexicans in Texas) took place during the Texian fight for independence. There was a 13 day siege that ended with the capture of the mission and the death of nearly all the Texian defenders. In spite of the loss, the holdout stalled the Mexican Army's progress. The Texian revolutionaries went on to win the war. Our next stop was the Riverwalk, which is right next door. Its an amazing feat of civil engineering. Evidently San Antonio used to flood but the riverwalk is just part of the project that protects the city now. There are lots of restaurants all along both sides as well as cute bridges and benches for relaxing. I felt like getting some exercise so I went speedwalking up and down several times. We drove on up to Fredericksburg afterwards so we'll be ready to explore President Johnson's ranch tomorrow.