Road Trip 2025: Day 29

This morning we returned to LBJ’s boyhood home for a tour. Kati was not feeling well so she took a nap in the visitor center. G3 and I were the only ones on the tour. The tour guide spoke mostly of LBJ’s accomplishments with civil rights and conservation. She was reluctant to discuss Vietnam, except to say that it troubled LBJ until the day he died. He was a man accustomed to getting what he wanted and he was unable to strong arm Ho Chi Minh into a peace settlement. LBJ died in 1973 from a heart attack. It was his third one.

San Antonio is about an hour south of LBJ’s house. I could not in good conscience be that close to the Alamo and not bring G3. This kid will certainly be ready for American history in September. Since Kati was still feeling ill, she dropped me and G3 off and went to check into a hotel. What remains of the Alamo is the mission church. The fort/mission complex is no longer standing. Where the actual battle took place is now a pedestrian tourist area.

Mission San Antonio de Valero (The Alamo) was founded in 1718 by Franciscan missionaries from Spain. It was the first of five missions established in what is now San Antonio. (The other four are part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.) In 1803, the Spanish Military took over the mission, fortified its walls, and converted it into a fort. Eighteen years later, Mexico won its independence from Spain. Shortly after that, Americans who had moved to Texas started itching for their own independence—in part because they wanted to maintain the institution of slavery which the Mexican government outlawed.

Last year, I taught the Texas War for Independence. I was excited to be teaching history and the Alamo was certainly a topic I was looking forward to covering. Unfortunately, teaching history in Perth Amboy was sort of like eating ice cream dipped in dirt. The dirt destroys the pleasure of eating the ice cream, just like the students destroyed my enthusiasm for talking about history. They didn’t care about history or school or anything that involved reading and thinking. I was reduced to showing a youtube video about Texas  because their apathy nearly killed me.

Anyway, the Alamo was a nasty defeat for the Americans and Texans intent on independence. The soldiers barricaded themselves inside the mission complex and soon the Mexican siege began. Santa Anna, the leader of the Mexican army, warned the Texas he would take no prisoners. If the Texans did not surrender, his men would slaughter them. After a thirteen day siege, he kept his promise. The Mexicans showed no mercy. Only the women, children, and slaves seeking sanctuary in the sacristy weren’t killed. Why? No one can say for sure.

Of course, if you remember high school history, you know “Remember the Alamo” became the battle cry for the Texans. The slaughter, instead of subduing the Texans, made them hungry for revenge, and Sam Houston did ultimately defeat Santa Anna.

Years ago, I visited the Alamo with my mom.

What impressed her most was the size. She had expected it to be bigger. But all that remains is the church, a memorial to Texan determination.

From the Alamo, G3 and I headed over to the Riverwalk where we got milkshakes. I remembered it being prettier. But it’s mostly a tourist trap. Restaurants and shops crammed along the river. The water looked dirty and a faint smell of pee hung in the air. G3 was not up for a long walk so we returned to the Alamo where Kati picked us up.

Next we visited the Mission San Jose, the largest of the San Antonio missions and one that is part of the National Historical Park. The San Antonio Missions are the most complete and intact missions in the world. They were constructed in the early 1700s in order to covert the natives to Catholicism and turn the hunters and gatherers into farmers. It was also a way for the Spanish government to assert control over the natives. The natives joined mission life because they were being decimated by disease brought over by the Spanish and to seek sanctuary from Apache raids.

Of all the missions, San Jose has undergone the most reconstruction. The architecture is beautiful. Even though parts of it have been reconstructed, it’s amazing that it’s still standing. Kati stayed in the visitor center while G3 and I wandered around the mission grounds and went inside. It’s still an active church. According to the sign, mass is held every Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Kati promised G3 a steak dinner in Texas, so this evening, we went out to a steakhouse. We are not accustomed to living it up on the road, but G3 was excited and happy. And he wore his new boots. He ordered a Texas t-bone. I had fish. Not even in Texas will I eat a cow.

After dinner, G3 wanted to play mini golf. We looked online and found a place close by. It was indoors and black-lit and but we decided to go anyway. Unfortunately, when we got there the wait to play was over an hour. By then it would be late, so G3 opted to do axe throwing instead. He and I did it together. Neither one of us was very good, but we showed some improvement by the end.