Remember the Alamo!!!

***Even though this entry is a bit longer, please stick through it! ***

For all you Alaska-junkies *cough-Jer-cough*, eat your heart out. We now know why the infamous Texas pride we hear from Texans is what it is. In 4th grade we are all subjected (much to a 10 year old’s disdain) to the history of the state in which we reside. For us, that is Idaho, and if you ask me to recite any of that information I just might slap you. However, my guess is that if you ask a 4th grader residing in Texas to tell you the history of the state of Texas, you may get a lesson in why the Lonestar State is the greatest thing since sliced bread. After taking a tour of the Alamo, we personally feel that the pride of a Texan is justified. While there is more to say about our trip to the Alamo than a simple blog would give justice to, let me just say this: I am even prouder to be an American than I was before. To know that we touched the walls that protected 200 men for 13 days while they were bombarded with rifle shots, canon balls, and a constant barrage of Mexican soldiers was not only humbling but inspiring. What we came to learn was that the Alamo was so much more than a place we learn about in our short 5th grade or 9th grade American history course. This is a living, breathing, American artifact, one that covers a good 9 or 10 acres. Rachel and I got to take an audio tour of the grounds where 200 Texans died defending their right to exist as a free entity. Every spot on the site contains a piece of literature with some part of the story that makes the Alamo so great. From the knives of James Bowie and the courage of William Barrett Travis, to the intricacies of the Mexican soldiers’ buttons from their uniforms and the chunks of rock that had been blasted from the mission church that housed the final stand of many of the 200 Texans, Rachel and I learned that the cry “Remember the Alamo” was more than an army remembering a place, but a united Texan military remembering the lives of each and every one of the Alamo defendants who gave their lives in March of 1836. If you ever get a chance to check this place out, do so!

On a lighter side you won’t believe what else we saw!!! We got to see the very place that Miss Congeniality herself (Sandra Bullock) stood to shoot a scene from that very movie. During our Riverwalk/River boat tour of the downtown San Antonio area, we passed the place in the film where Sandra Bullock shot her swimsuit scene. Another location that was cool to see was a bridge that was used in the movie Selena which featured Jennifer Lopez. Although not quite as historic as the Alamo, it’s always fun to be able to wax some pop culture trivia on your friends. We give you permission to use these tid-bits of information the next time you are playing Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture Edition. One thing we didn’t realize about the Riverwalk was that 9 out of 10 businesses are restaurants (or that if you go in January you can forget about a boat tour because the river is not there – they reroute the river underground to perform yearly maintenance on the Riverwalk). It would have been fun to walk the area if we were 2 little starving children in need of a meal, but our deli meats and bologna have gone over quite well during our first week of the trip. We had also just eaten pizza at the Rivercenter Mall so we were not very hungry.

Robert Frost must not have come to the fork in the road we came to while attempting to find our Doubletree Inn hotel because if it was the same fork, there would have been some naughty words contained in the poem. (I promise neither Rachel nor myself swore during the locating of our hotel). On that same token, for anyone who swears by Google Maps, you may want to take a second look before heading off on your next trip. We have found this out the hard way, twice in the same city. Although, on a positive note, Rachel’s map reading skills have increased two fold (no pun intended). But honestly, why does it take rocket science to re-fold a city map…it’s as if the very nature of physics is present while attempting to put back together a map of a metropolitan area. While the downtown San Antonio area was somewhat difficult to navigate, we eventually found our locations and enjoyed them all quite thoroughly.

After a long, hot day in the San Antonio sun (98 degree to be exact), we decided to spend a little time cooling off in the pool and relaxing in the hot tub in the courtyard at our hotel. Once in the hot tub, we made 2 new friends, both women who were near 60. At first thought, it may seem out of place for 2 early 20 year olds to be having a casual conversation with 60 year old women. However Rachel and I feel as though we can claim a somewhat advanced maturity level for our age. But no matter how old or young you may be, a 24 year old boy will never feel in place, especially around two 60 year old women in bathing suits, who find it necessary to bring up the forbidden social topic of discussion – yes, you guessed it, the good ole Menopause discussion. At this point of the night I would have rather been standing ON the San Antonio sun, melting away into oblivion but I thought it may have been rude (or even more awkward) to get up and walk away. So like the champ that I’m claiming to be, I stuck around to listen. I think Rachel may have had an easier time contributing to the health of the discussion but what in heaven’s name could I have said at that point?! “Yes, isn’t it horrible to be going through hot flashes?”… “Gee, I didn’t realize you could go til 60 without having to have gone through it”… “Well, from my experience…”, no, none of these seemed to fit. So I did what any self-respecting 24 year old boy would have done – I began to rack my brain in search of a different path than the one we were on. I believe at that very moment, I felt the Earth shake due to God’s falling out of his chair hysterical laughing at my situation. How that conversation was brought up I do not know as the beginning of our conversation centered around camping, but I am glad to be laying in a Baton Rouge hotel far away from any thoughts of 60 year old women discussing their bodily functions. I was glad to have Rachel there, as a nurse can always ease the situation when talking about various aging processes. I will be forever grateful to her.

In sticking with the theme for these blogs, I will now attempt to find a positive from the hot tub adventure. While menopausal females would probably not have been our choice for hot tub buddies, it is still always great to hear about people’s lives. We heard from these women about so much more than their current states of menopause, but we heard about their families, their homes, their friends and most importantly we were able to detect the love they felt for the people that surrounded them. They were there on a 59th anniversary of a Vietnam Platoon’s yearly get-together. Old friends and brothers-in-arms coming together to celebrate life each year, and perhaps in a place not more fitting than where over 150 years ago, 200 men celebrated life in a much different way: by giving their lives. The whole reason we are able to share with you about our trip is thanks to the men and women who stand on the frontlines of countless wars around this world who proudly wear the American uniform. I believe it would be beneficial for us all (and perhaps some certain politicians) to heed the cries of the brave Texans who fought in stead of the slain Alamo fighters. That cry, “Remember the Alamo” is a principle that we all should find pride in to this day: that we live in a free nation, a nation the promotes freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to practice whatever religion you want, and freedom to travel as you wish from one state to another, sharing your adventure with your friends and family around the country knowing they have the freedom to read what you have to write. And, you may just also find yourself in a position to freely discuss the particulars of 60-year old menopause – maybe that is something I do not want to freely discuss ever again. With that said, we are thankful to “Remember the Alamo!”

From the Road Less Traveled,
Rachel and Josh

San Antonio Highlights: The Alamo, The Riverwalk boat tour, AMAZING smoothies at the Rivercenter Mall, the ability to find ourselves out of being lost, a 180-degree turnaround from the Van Horn hotel, a good hot-tub chat (most of it), a good shower head, the 2007 Ford Escape, $4 clean clothes (laundry), more free ice at hotels.