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Published: February 14th 2014
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Day 2 of The Texas Independence Trail!
Woke up in Round Rock to some tasty Round Rock Donuts. Yum! Its a donut as huge as your face. If you have a small face then it stands to say that they are donuts bigger than your face.
I then headed over to the Texas State Cemetery in the hart of East Austin. Many Texas notables are buried ere but the two that stand out for me are Stephen F. Austin, the Father of Texas, and Susana Dickenson, only survivor of the Alamo...not counting her infant daughter, Senora Candelaria (Jim Bowie's nurse), Old Jim (Travis's slave), and Davey Crockett who escaped I'm sure. Cuz he's Davey Friggin Crockett!
After fighting through some good ol I-35 traffic I reached Lockhart, TX, home of Texas BBQ. I stopped by Blacks BBQ and ordered me some brisket and sausage. Then on a whim I said, "Hey gimme that big ol' beef rib over there," and was too shocked to do anything else but pay after I saw the price! That rib was $18! Tasty but pricey.
But this is Texas I'm trying to do everything Texas and if buying an $18 beef
rib is the Texan thing to do then so be it!
Seguin, TX was next on my list. Named for the famed Tejano Juan Seguin who left the Alamo on a mission before they took the place down. There is a pretty little plaza in the middle of town with some historical buildings. They have his statue of him riding a horse looking very elegant. As a Tejano myself I do beam with pride every time I see something that represents my culture. We get glossed over a lot with people thinking Texas begins with the Alamo. But we were hear long before that. We set the place up, built the roads, founded the cities, tamed the rivers, brought the structure, and named the places. We turned this land into a salvageable place. No gold? No jewels? No resources? Fine. We will think of something. And we did.
Now don't get me wrong, I am fully aware that the Native Americans were here before. But the Karankawa, Apaches, Comanches, Jumanos, Tiguas, Caddo and so on don't have a noticeable representation that is visible through Texas. Which is a shame because I am sure my Spanish, Mexican, and Tejano
ancestors would not of survived without the Native Americans.
But back to Juan Seguin. He was soldier, scout, mayor, senator, traitor, revered hero...he has a complex legacy and Seguin, TX tries to celebrate it with his statue. Close by under some shady trees at the side of the hill is his grave. I visited and spent a silent moment meditating on how best to honor his memory and be a good Tejano role model to others.
But really, I went for the World's largest pecan 😊 😊 😊 😊
Its right in front of city hall and its actually the second largest but I don't think the county has enough money or heart to change the sign.
I also briefly visited the Sebastopol State Historic Site which is really just a house made of limecrete. I wish I could explain it more. But its just that...limecrete. Not concrete.
I ended the day in San Antonio, TX visiting the 4 historic missions: Concepcion, San Jose, San Juan, and Espada. I've been to them before but that was before my epiphany over Texas History. This time around I read the signs, touched the walls, closed my eyes
and imagined the priests and Indians walking about. I have Presidio La Bahia to thank for that. It opened my eyes as to the awesomeness of Texas History all around us.
Mission Concepcion is probably my favorite due to its accessibility. Its right off the street and easy to get to. Plus I like the two bell towers. Mission San Jose is the largest and most complete with the walls still being in place. I can close my eyes and picture the ghost of priests in robes walking about and natives trying to catch a moment to themselves to remember their ancestral spirits. San Juan and San Jose are a bit out of the way and similar in style. They are smaller but still worth the visit to get more Texas History into your system.
The Spanish were serious about bringing religion to Texas and they sure tried their best.
The surviving missions are a testament of that era. But the reality is that all of the missions failed. By the 1800s they had all fallen into disuse or nearly forgotten. I am glad the buildings stood the test of time though.
So here's the Texas
Lists so far:
-Stephen F. Austin
-Susana Dickenson
-Texas BBQ
-Juan Seguin
-Limecrete (giggle)
-Spanish Missions
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