Trying to beat the crowd, I started laundry about 6:00 in the morning. Seemed to work well as I didn’t have to wait for any of the machines.
The Riverwalk boat tours were supposed to start about 9:00, so a few of us walked down to catch the first launch. On our way we saw some canoeists on the river; apparently today was the annual “Ford Canoe Challenge,” a charity fundraiser. As we walked down the river, we saw teams of people paddling canoes up and down the channel, apparently being timed. We eventually found that the boat tours would start later than normally scheduled, so instead we walked over to the Alamo.
I got some of the typical tourist shots, and we took a short walk through the main mission building. A couple of us listened to a historical talk about the Alamo and surrounding missions, and their part in the war with Mexico. It was fascinating to hear that the actual battle only took 90 minutes, or maybe only 60. In the end all the men were executed by Santa Ana. General Sam Houston rounded up his own army, and remembering the Alamo was part of what helped Houston’s army defeat Santa Ana’s, even though they were outnumbered by more than 2:1.
We returned to the boat tour ticket line, but they still hadn’t opened up yet. I felt bad for the driver and ticket agent who had to endure a rather rude gentleman and his wife who were more than a little bit upset at having to wait, and that the restrooms were still locked. Anyway the tour was good, and our guide imparted quite a bit of good information about the area, some of the historic buildings, development of the Riverwalk, and some of the construction that supported the Worlds’ Fair (known as the “Hemis Fair” since it was a small one) held in San Antonio in 1968.
Looks like the afternoon will be spent packing and finishing off evaluations. Tomorrow we’re supposed to leave the hotel about 6:00, and hopefully we’ll get home without any incidents!
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