Meador Manor

Winter Break 2013 Trip, Day 5: Natural Bridge Caverns

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Granger Meador

December 30, 2013

On this day we had originally planned to be down at the Gulf Coast in Corpus Christi, but a rainy forecast led me to ask to extend our stay in San Antonio for a couple of days. The hotel clerk was accommodating, charging us the same rate even though our stay now included this day of the Alamo Bowl game, when rates typically jump upward.

Day 5 Map (click image for slideshow)

At first we were headed northwest toward some parks on the northwest edge of San Antonio, intending to spend the day hiking. We stopped along the way for lunch at La Fogata, with me ordering Un poquito de Todo, a little bit of everything. It was all tasty.

When we exited the restaurant, the weather remained very cold and windy, so we changed plans again. I knew we were tired of museums and wanted a nature walk, and it occurred to me that one can walk quite comfortably underground even in wintry weather. So we headed to Natural Bridge Caverns northeast of town for what would prove to be a warm and humid half-mile walk deep beneath the surface.

Back in 1960 a group of persistent (and cave crazy) college students discovered two miles of underground passageways leading from a large sinkhole beneath a natural stone bridge on the Wuest ranch. Wendy and I opted for the popular Discovery tour of the first half-mile. These largest known caverns in the state are a popular attraction; several dozen people were leaving for the tour every half-hour, and we had an hour-long wait for our group to depart.

The Natural Bridge

We walked around the area, locating the natural bridge and the sinkhole, where a group was lined up to enter. Wendy located a woodpecker pounding away at a nearby tree as we walked by, huddled in our coats. Our group was finally called and we proceeded to the cave entrance with our guide, Christian.

We soon reached a room with significant formations. Christian explained that ceiling discolorations were caused by long-gone bat colonies. The next room had a profusion of formations, including very long columns where stalagmites joined up with stalactites. We crossed a deep creek chasm and passed an immense column, the first of a series of gigantic formations, including one which looked like a goblin king’s throne.

The King’s Throne

More flowing formations followed, and we passed above a deep canyon, reaching the largest room of all, where we threaded our way upward through numerous features.

We certainly got the warmer walk we sought; the cavern has 99% humidity so even at 70 degrees it feels much warmer. The last stretch was particularly hot.

We were pooped when we made our way back to the hotel through Alamo Bowl traffic, settling on Chili’s for dinner at the nearby Rivercenter along the River Walk. The next day we would rise early to make our way back north to Fort Worth for more art museums and a New Year’s Eve celebration.

Click here for a slideshow from this day

Day 6: Fort Worth on New Year’s Eve >

< Day 4: Art in San Antonio

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Winter Break 2013 Trip, Day 4: Art in San Antonio

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Granger Meador

December 29, 2013

We spent most of the fourth day of our Texas trip at San Antonio art museums. But first, having discovered a day earlier that our hotel’s breakfast bar was not appealing, we snacked in our room and then dashed over to the Alamo since we figured there would be only a short line for entry on a Sunday morning.

Alamo Plaza

Emily Morgan Hotel (click image for slideshow)

The customary photographers snapped our photo as we entered the shrine, but photography is prohibited inside. Wendy located the names of two Alamo fighters who might be her ancestors on the plaques inside as well as the exterior cenotaph, or empty tomb. The Spirit of Sacrifice is built on the spot where, according to tradition, the slain defenders of the fortified mission were piled after the battle and their bodies burned.

The beautiful sculptures by Pompeo Coppini include the eponymous spirit rising from the burning corpses as well as larger-than-life figures of the famous fighters. I am fascinated to find out that he went so far as to sculpt the musculature of the figures in clay before adding their clothing to achieve a more realistic portrayal. I enjoyed viewing the bas-relief sculptures from a severe angle to note the necessary distortions. It is a shame that Bowie’s nose was vandalized and features a botched repair, and that Alamo Plaza’s west edge is marred by noisy tourist traps which introduce a jarring carnival atmosphere to a somber setting.

Wendy took a lovely shot of the looming Emily Morgan Hotel with her iPhone, and I was bemused by the history behind that name. We returned to the hotel, stopping along the way to admire the interesting front façade of the old building at 411 Bonham. We speculated about the Stars of David in the windows, and later I found out that it was opened in 1892 as a German athletic club, complete with those stars, was later used for storage by the post office, and is now a gay-friendly dance club. Quite a history!

Tootie Pie’s

We drove over to a Tootie Pie’s franchise for brunch on our way to the McNay Art Museum. I enjoyed my marbled rye grilled cheese sandwich, and Wendy said her club sandwich was as wonderful as it appeared to be. We followed up with pie, of course, with me selecting Lemon Velvet while Wendy had Buttermilk Custard. Yum!

The McNay

The McNay

Ohio-born oil heiress Marion McNay lived for decades in San Antonio, and when she passed in 1950 she left more than 700 works of art, along with her mansion, surrounding 23 acres, and an endowment to establish the first museum of modern art in Texas. Like Tulsa’s Philbrook, significant additions to the mansion have expanded the gallery space.

We saw some startling sculptures on the lawn as we approached the McNay, including an aluminum Victoria by Philip Grausman (best viewed from the front, ahem) and Man on Fire by Luis A. Jiménez Jr. We toured the visiting exhibits CUT! Costume and the Cinema and later the complementary Onstage! Costume Design and the Theatre. There were some beautiful costumes, including John Bright’s dress for Natasha Richardson as Countess Sophia Belinskaya in 2005’s The White Countess and Marc Forster’s dress for Radha Mitchell as Mary Ansell Barrie in 2004’s Finding Neverland.

Portrait Bust of Paul Avenel

In the permanent collection I was struck by the contrast between Alberto Giacometti’s pockmarked Bust of Annette IV and Käthe Kollwitz’s idealized Grave Relief: Rest in the Peace of God’s Hands. Wendy and I both liked the unusual use of color in Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s Portrait of Hans Frisch.

While the McNay has a nice hillside setting, its grounds lack anything like the beautiful gardens at Philbrook. However, the McNay does have a wonderful patio courtyard, which we took advantage of on this cool day when the sun broke through the overcast. Decorative tiles of peacocks and many tiles with characters and scenes from Don Quixote adorned the walls. We particularly liked the tiled risers on the exterior stairs.

A wonderful glass room off the mansion housed many sculptures, including the striking Portrait Bust of Paul Avenel by Aime-Jules Dalou. We enjoyed the orientation film on the life of Marion McNay, and wrapped up our visit relaxing outside in front of the mansion, enjoying the setting.

San Antonio Museum of Art

Detail from Boy with Cane

We next tried to see the Japanese Tea Garden, but it was packed on Sunday afternoon. So we diverted to the former Lone Star Brewery, now the home of the San Antonio Museum of Art. Among the paintings I especially liked were The Appian Way by John Linton Chapman and Boy with Cane by John George Brown; I love the expression on that rascal. The glow of the fire in Walton Ford’s John James Audubon – The Head Full of Symmetry and Beauty was lovely, although the subject matter is disturbing, presenting a buffalo hunt Audubon described in his 1843 Missouri River journal, with Audubon intently sketching the decapitated head of a buffalo, oblivious to the gruesome slaughter.

The museum has an extensive collection of art of the Americas, and I was interested to find Theodore Gentilz’s 1880s paintings of Mission San José and The Alamo, the latter depicted without the iconic campanulate, or bell-shaped façade, on the front of the chapel, which was added by the U.S. Army long after the famous battle in order to allow for a new pitched wooden roof; the mission was a roofless ruin during the 1836 battle. So if you see any depictions of the Battle of the Alamo with a campanulate on the chapel, that is an anachronism.

Wendy and I admired Robert Henri’s Spanish Gypsy and Albert Bierstadt’s Passing Storm over the Sierra Nevadas, but laughed out loud at Ralph Earl’s clumsy Portrait of Mrs. Timothy Conklin, which Wendy said looked like Paul Revere in drag.

Wendy loved the care put into a Mixtec mask made around 1500 out of wood with a turquoise and mother-of-pearl mosaic, with long fangs. We both admired a Medicine Buddha Sand Mandala, one of only four sand mandalas in U.S. museums. This one was created in 2001 by the Drepung Loseling Monks of Karnataka, South India, and the 14th Dalai Lama granted permission to have it preserved.

Mixtec Mosaic Mask

We ended our day with tasty Italian food at Zocca at the Westin Riverwalk. We hoped to spend the next day hiking, but cold and wind drove us underground…

Click here for a slideshow from this day

Day 5: Natural Bridge Caverns >

< Day 3: San José Mission & River Walk

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Winter Break Trip 2013, Day 3: San José Mission & River Walk

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Granger Meador

December 28, 2013

This day was spent in downtown San Antonio with a visit to the Mission San José, (aka the Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo) and a circumnavigation of and dinner along the Paseo del Rio, the famous River Walk, with brief stops in front of the Alamo (aka the Mission San Antonio de Valero), and at the downtown Cathedral of San Fernando (aka the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria y Guadalupe).

Mission San José (click image for slideshow)

A Rough Start

Since we drove into town very late the day before, we got off to a late start and missed the hotel breakfast, which was just as well given the offerings we sampled the next day. We wanted to see a mission and knew the Alamo would be packed on a Saturday, so I drove us south toward the largest of the San Antonio missions, the Mission San José. I tried to find brunch in the area, but one quality Mexican food place had a long line and another we stopped at was unappealing. So we drove along Military Drive and settled in for a long wait at a table at Applebee’s, but despite inquiries never were served, prompting me to leave with a complaint lodged with the hostess. We finally plopped down at a nearby Denny’s for a late breakfast after wrestling with frustrating traffic on Military Drive.

Mission San José

Thankfully the rest of the day went better, starting with a walk about the Mission San José. Founded in 1720, the mission was named for Saint Joseph and the Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo, the governor of the Province of Coahuila and Texas at the time. It was built on the banks of the San Antonio River several miles south of the earlier mission, the San Antonio de Valero (the Alamo), and eventually had about 350 Indian neophytes. Over the centuries it fell into ruin, but was rebuilt in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration, and had a recent multimillion dollar interior and exterior facelift.

We saw the one-room deep Indian Quarters built into the mission walls to protect occupants from attacks from other Native Americans outside the walls. We had a good view of the 1782 chapel and 1755 convento, the latter being the residence for the missionary and lodging for visitors.

The south side of the chapel features the decorative carvings around the Rose Window (the area of the wall recently cleaned in the photo) and a barred doorway onto a spiral staircase. A fellow tourist remarked how as a child he used to climb up those stairs back when they were open.

The chapel was closed for a wedding, but we could admire the recently restored frontispiece, and saw the bride’s attendants and later the bride herself outside the chapel. After viewing the north side of the chapel and convento, we completed our walk around the perimeter of the mission and went back to the hotel to prepare for an evening on the River Walk.

Alamo Plaza and River Walk

Our hotel was located just east of I-30, which meant we were several blocks from the Alamo and the River Walk, but our pick was considerably cheaper than closer hotels. There is colorful LED lighting at night on the Houston Street underpass, making it a welcome route to and from our hotel. We walked to Alamo Plaza and admired the big Christmas tree out front, later returning so I could shoot photos of Wendy in front of the famous mission and the big tree.

Wendy at The Alamo

We walked over to Commerce Street and descended to the River Walk, walking north and then west through the crowds. I was sad that we did not find the pet duck I’d seen last spring wandering the aisles at the five and dime, and Wendy was glad to exit the hustle and bustle when we reached the San Antonio River.

San Fernando Cathedral

We ascended to the main plaza, amused by the tools and gears embedded in the walkway. We walked westward to the oldest, continuously functioning religious community in the State of Texas: the Cathedral of San Fernando, which was founded in 1731. We ventured inside to listen to music rehearsal, and then made our way back to the River Walk.

Casa Rio

Dining at Casa Rio

The quieter walk eastward on the southern leg of the River Walk burst into life when we reached the Arneson amphitheatre at the La Villita Historic Arts Village. Wendy and I are not sports fans, so we did not grasp that it was the Oregon Ducks’ and Texas Longhorns’ bands in town for the Valero Alamo Bowl, but slithered through the crowds to reach the historic Casa Rio restaurant.

There we got a riverside table and enjoyed the delicious Mexican food, with me eagerly paying the Mariachi band to perform a tune for us.

Click to listen to ‘Mariachi at Casa Rio’ on Audioboo

As we ate, darkness brought out the beautiful lights along the River Walk, with my iPhone creating interesting artifacts. We laughed when both the Ducks’ and the Longhorns’ bands floated by on river taxis, playing up a storm.

The River Walk at Night

We returned to the hotel via the Rivercenter mall. The next day would be spent in art museums since the weather was inhospitable for hiking.

Click here for a slideshow from this day

Day 4: Art in San Antonio >

< Day 2: Pedernales Falls

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Winter Break Trip 2013, Day 2: Pedernales Falls

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Granger Meador

December 27, 2013

Thirty miles west of downtown Austin the Pedernales River cuts through the hill country, dropping 50 feet over a distance of 3,000 feet, forming a series of cascades across a tilted layer of 300-million-year-old Marble Falls Limestone. The low waterfalls and numerous fluvial slots and potholes attract throngs of people to stroll across the rocks and enjoy the fascinating scenery. The falls were part of the Circle Bar Ranch, which was acquired by the state of Texas in 1970 and developed and expanded into a state park.

Pedernales Falls (click image for slideshow)

Wendy and I were charged $6 each to enter the park. We headed straight to the falls area, where we parked and walked down the trail to the overlook. Dozens of folks were milling about the riverbed, which went dry back in 2009 and 2011. The drought has lifted a bit, and the spring-fed river had some flow for our visit; it has been known to flash into a raging torrent.

Pedernales Falls from the overlook

We took the east fork of the trail leading down from the overlook to the eastern edge of the falls, where the river cuts through narrow slots in a broad plane of marble limestone. We followed a trail of rock dust deposited on the limestone by hikers’ footwear to the lumpy limestone riverbed.

Pedernales River slot

There were potholes both large and small, formed when rock clasts get caught up in whirlpools and cut through the limestone. The river cascading down from higher falls roared through deep slots in the rock, wriggling its way eastward. A large boulder wedged in one slot testified to the power of the flash floods. Wendy captured a shot of me relaxing by a slot, with my customary trail drink, an Orange Fanta. She was fascinated by the unusual textures of the rock surfaces throughout the falls area, which had potholes, grooves, craters, breccia, karst, gashes, and dimples. We climbed to one of the large pools, where I reclined for a low shot across the water. Wendy posed for me beside a low fall, and we climbed back up to the overlook to take the more difficult west trail fork across rough terrain to the higher falls. The hillside across the river here had scenic erosion with mottled rocks, a cliffside hole partially plugged by a boulder, and water-filled clefts. Upstream we posed for a shot, Wendy found a rock bathtub, and there were more waterfalls with longer drops. The gouged limestone and pools created a very different landscape, as did the yucca plants by the riverside and the white lichen. After we spent a couple of hours exploring the falls area, I consulted the park map. Wendy laughed at my typical pose with my spectacles dangling from my mouth, since I cannot read anymore with them on. I discovered a few weeks ago why I’ve struggled for years with these lenses, despite them being purchased as my first set of progressive bifocals. They are NOT bifocals; the optical house screwed up! I feel pretty stupid for not realizing this much sooner, and hopefully new lenses will help me with this annoyance.

Twin Falls

I chose to drive us over to the Twin Falls Nature Trail to hike that short but steep loop. We ducked under a large tree and wound our way down the hillside, encountering two young ladies who were hurriedly attaching balloons to bushes along the path. They excused themselves, explaining that they were preparing the trail for their sister’s engagement down at the overlook. We found their decorations all the way to the overlook, where we spied flowers awaiting the happy couple, and carefully arranged stones down below the pretty little waterfalls. We then climbed back to the road, encountering the happy couple just starting their way down the trail. The groom-to-be asked if this was the Twin Falls Trail. I replied that it was and we hoped they enjoyed it. He gave me a knowing grin as they departed; I am certain they enjoyed their walk! We wrapped up our time at the park with a walk down to Trammell’s Crossing, a rocky ford on the Pedernales. Down at the riverbank we found some photogenic trees, including a stump which formed a nice heart frame for my sweetie. We wrapped up the day with dinner at the Salt Lick in Austin, provided by long-time friends Joe and Bama Falkner, who have retired there. Joe was on the Bartlesville school board back when I was looking for my first teaching job. When the physics job opened up at the high school a few weeks before school started, Joe mentioned to the high school principal that his younger brother’s friend from high school and college just happened to be looking for such a position. A quarter century on, I’m still grateful how that tip led to an interview which launched my happy teaching career in Bartlesville.

We loved Pedernales Falls

After dinner and fellowship with Joe and Bama, Wendy and I headed to San Antonio for what turned out to be a four-day stay.

Click here for a slideshow from this day hike

Day 3: San José Mission & River Walk >

< Day 1: The Cliffs of Waco

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Winter Break Trip 2013, Day 1: The Cliffs of Waco

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Granger Meador

December 26, 2013

Last week Wendy and I drove south through foggy and snowy fields and past the fog-shrouded skyscrapers in downtown Tulsa to spend Christmas with my folks in Oklahoma City. The next day we drove farther south, intending to spend a week in the warmer climes of Texas after a bout of snow and ice in Bartlesville which closed out the first semester of the school year.

The highlight of our first day in Texas was hiking along the cliffs above the Bosque River in Waco’s Cameron Park. The park is laced with various trails. We parked at Lover’s Leap and walked along the cliff face, 90 feet above the Bosque River, thankfully feeling no urge to take a leap.

Waco Cliffs (click image for slideshow)

Cameron Park Drive was closed for resurfacing, so we could not drive east to Emmons Cliff, so we walked along the road to view the river from there and took the short Drain Pipe bike trail on the return to Lover’s Leap.

Our vacation would begin in earnest the following day with long walks at Pedernales Falls and enjoying dinner with long-time friends in Austin. We would then spend four days in San Antonio before returning north to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Fort Worth.