KAYAKING THE SAN ANTONIO, TX RIVER

While biking the previous day I had the opportunity to see the San Anonio River which follows north to south. It originates in central Texas in a cluster of springs which eventually feeds into the Guadalupe River, which in turn flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Even though Texas had some serious rain recently, the water levels fluctuate drastically because of the heat and dry ground. Overall the river level was pretty low especially before and after the shoots which were built as part of the Espada aqueduct system. 

I met the shuttle at the take out location which was near the Espada Mission. I happened to be the only one interested in the full 5 mile paddle. I was dropped off at Lone Star Blvd, which is also the location were there is a series of drainage gates that open to drain all of the high runoff from the downtown area. Later seeing the garbage polluted banks helped me understand where it all came from. 

Perception Tribe Sit-On-Top

While walking through the grass to the river, I accidentally stepped on an fire ant hill and got myself a few bites. The interesting thing was the area hurt more 2 days later then the day of the bites. Later I noticed that those ant hills spotted all areas of the grass, no matter where you went. So I paid a lot more attention to where I was stepping.

Very quickly into the paddle I came to my first shoot. I was instructed to just allow the water to suck the kayak into the shoot and don't use the paddle while in the shoot. I got to experience over 20 shoots during the trip. It was very interesting because each shoot was unique in length, shape, and location in the width of the river. The shortest one was only 2-3 steps. The longest one had to be over 15 steps with significant change in elevation. I also learned that if I didn't use the paddle there would have been times I would have slammed into the little concrete projections and potentially gotten stuck. 

On a couple occasions the shoot was so far to the side that I couldn't even find it because there were so much vegetation on the banks. The first time I was ready to get out of the kayak when a small part of the concrete projecting out of the water caught my eye and I found it. 

There was a lot of water fowl all around me the entire trip. I also spotted some other animals that looked like weasels, and there were a few snakes and turtles that crossed my path. 

SERIES OF GOING DOWN THE SHOOT

It was also quite funny at several of the longer shoots there were large groups of people standing and watching me paddle. 

Five miles down the river, the take out was a place with a few concrete stairs which made for an easy exit. 

I also had a Hydroflask water thermos with me on this trip to try out. Not only did it hold the cold water temperature for the duration of the trip in the 85 degree outside temperature but the water was still cold 20 hrs later. The outside, as seen in the photo below, is a neoprene carrier sold separately. I will definitely be using this for future outdoor adventures. It holds 64 oz of water.  

Overall it was a very nice paddle. The shoots added some excitement because without them it would be a very boring, currentless paddle. 

TRIP STATS:

Distance: 5.08 miles

Duration: 1:34 hrs

PACE: 18:34 min/mile

Weather: cloudy most of the trip. Had sun for about 15 minutes. Southernly headwind. Mid-80's.

SAN ANTONIO, TX: BIKING THE MISSIONS TRAIL

One of the best ways to see the historic Missions along the San Antonio River is to bike to each location which extends over the course of 12 miles. And when looking for a bike shop I wanted it to be conveniently looked near the Riverwalk, which doesn't allow vehicles, only bikes and pedestrians. Blue Star Bikes meet the criteria, on top of that it was really cheap, $15 per half day. Ideally it would have been nice to have a road bike compared to a hybrid Townie. But the Townie does allow for a more relaxed ride. 

When reading some reviews of which tours to do in town, some people who went by themselves, described the challenges of finding each mission. I do have to admit that it was sometimes difficult to follow the road signs to each location. Sometimes you had to go a mile or so off the trail to find the mission. I did bike past Mission Concepcion without getting off and taking photos. For the remaining 3 I did get off and walk around and take some photos. 

The Alamo is in a different location. I did visit it when walking around the Riverwalk downtown. 

All of the frontier mission outposts were established by the Catholic religious order to spread Christianity to the natives. Mission Concepcion was established in the late 1600's. It was one of the bigger missions.

It was neat to see how well the stone art looked after several centuries. I really enjoy the Spanish architectural design. San Jose was a large complex with several structures and a wall going around the entire thing. It was established in 1720. 

Mission San Juan was established in 1716. It was a smaller structure but it was uniquely different. At each of the locations there was a someone who could help you take the tour and provide more details. 

The last mission was San Espada which was established in 1690. Structurally it is the smallest. 

When biking I realized that I didn't have anything to cover my head and protect it from the beating sun. It was 95 degrees plus humidity, made it feel like well over 100 degrees. So at this last mission while taking pictures, an idea struck me to ask the only other person there, who traveled there by car, if he had an old hat or bandana that I would buy off him. When I asked this Hispanic middle aged man, he pulled out a bandana from a laundry bag that he just washed and said I could just take without charge. It was an answer to the quick prayer that was prayed a few minutes prior! 

Enjoying my bandana, which literally saved my scalp from a major sun burn. I had recently gotten a shorter haircut and my scalp was really exposed. 

Overall it was a great trip biking trip. I biked 22 miles. My sunblock lasted just enough, so no burns. I had 2 L of some really warm water but I stayed hydrated. And my scalp still felt good. Thank God! 

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: THE RIVERWALK

Beyond my biking and kayaking adventures I had some time in the evenings to walk around town and enjoy the sites, food, and other attractions. The main attraction in San Antonio is the Riverwalk. The river is the very same, San Antonio River, that I kayaked but just further north. Most of the hotels and restaurants, along with other businesses are built around/along the river. There is a walking path on each side which allows for a lengthy walk or run if one was to travel the whole distance. In fact the Riverwalk appears to be like a city of it's own. 

Another way to see the attractions is to take the boat tour. I ended up walking most of the river so I felt like the boat ride was overkill. But it's a very popular attraction during sunshine or rain. 

NEVER FORGET THE ALAMO! One evening I had the opportunity to walk about 0.5 miles to see the main attraction in all of Texas. There are 2 guards that constantly stand watch, guarding it. My understanding is that this is not the original location but the adopted place. 

Along with the many attractions, there are also many places to dine. The first place I ate dinner at is called the Iron Cactus. It serves Tex-Mex food. For the appetizer I had the Tableside Guacomole with tortilla chips. For the entree I had the Southwest Paella. 

On the way to dinner I saw the Haggen-Dazs ice cream parlor. One of my favorite flavors is the Rum Raisin. So it was nice to enjoy a tasty dessert on a hot evening. 

The next day I read some good reviews about a restaurant called Luke which serves French and German inspired cuisine! I was also thrilled to see a nice selection of clams and mussels. So I ordered mussels as my appetizer. It came with 3 sauces: the cocktail, horseradish, and mignonette. The mignonette was a delicious taste of chopped scallions and vinegar.

For the entree I had the Fried Quail served with peach and  pepper marmalade. This combo just melted in your mouth.

An opportunity presented itself to get away for lunch, so I decided to go back to the Riverwalk and check out a Texas Bistro called Boudro's. It was quite busy and I glad I was able to get a seat shortly. I had the Grilled Shrimp and Bacon Sandwich. I couldn't imagine this combination tasting good but it was actually very delicious. On the side I had some of my favorite vegetable chips. 

After scanning the restaurant list I found a  favorite southern place that we have enjoyed on two other occasions in Florida, Joe's Crab Shack. It was a get-down-and-get-dirty place where they actually give you a large bib that covers you nicely from your chest to the knees. This time around I had the Arctic Bay Steampot which included queen crab, shrimp, a whole Maine lobster, and smoke sausage tossed in a garlic butter bath and topped with Old Bay Seasoning. It was all finger lickin' good. No meat went to waste.    

I had the wonderful pleasure staying at the Marriott at the Riverwalk. It's next door to the Marriott Center. It was a convenient location, because it was cross the street from the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center where I spent a great number of hours getting educated. I had great accommodations: a nice outdoor/indoor pool, a nice gym, 2 restaurants, and a Starbucks.  

Background: Marriott Center (right), Marriott Riverwalk (center), Hyatt/Conventions Center (left)