Our first glimpses of Dallas were of very large buildings on a very flat plain, and freeways with up to 6 lanes in either direction, excluding two exit lanes as well. Needless to say it was interesting driving, with all the traffic and all the things to see outside the windows. Dallas was founded in 1841 and was formally incorporated as a city in February 1856. The city's economy is primarily based on banking, commerce, telecommunications, computer technology, energy, healthcare and medical research. Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Susan sure took some excellent photos through the front windshield or the window beside her chair. We went through some interesting weather changes as well, from wind and drizzle to brilliant sunshine as you can see from these photos.
Immediately after leaving Dallas we found ourselves in the land of outlet malls and shopping plazas and then into Fort Worth.
We spent the next week in Aledo at the Cowtown RV Park and finished up all our Christmas shopping and driving around the Texas plains.
On October 31 we headed south through Austin, the Capital City and San Antonio before heading west into the Texas Hill Country and the town of Bandera. Bandera was founded 1852 as a cypress shingle camp, and the site of a Mormon colony established 1854 and is one of the oldest Polish communities in the U.S. Outside being known as the Cowboy Capital of Texas and a highly touted spot for weekend motorbikers, Bandera is also known as the place where Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie visited while taping their reality television program, The Simple Life 2. They "worked" at the Bandera County Jail.
We camped at the Holiday Villages of Medina community RV park. It is full of black Oak trees, scrub and hundreds of deer.
There is a large wildlife park next door, where we saw Elk, Caribou and at a ranch down the road, buffalo.
And we really has some beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
If you look at a map of this area, you will find Medina Lake. It is a 5000 acre lake and the internet abounds with photographs of it, but when we saw it, it was, because of the 2 year long drought, down over 40' and has virtually disappeared. Here is what it looks like now.
Even the roads are posted for runoff and watch for water on the road. There certainly was none around where we were.
We also visited the town of Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frederick of Prussia. Old-time German residents often referred to Fredericksburg as Fritztown, a nickname that is still used in some businesses. The town is also notable as the home of Texas German, a dialect spoken by the first generations of German settlers who initially refused to learn English. Fredericksburg is the birthplace of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz.
And we had a chance to visit Sister Creek vineyards. This winery is built inside an 1885 cotton gin.
On our last day we visited the Alamo in San Antonio. Construction began on the present site in 1724. People worldwide continue to remember the Alamo as a heroic struggle against impossible odds — a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. For this reason, the Alamo remains hallowed ground and the Shrine of Texas Liberty.
This is a Oak tree which was transplanted over 80 years ago within the grounds of the Alamo.
This is the lower floor of the original two story attached building to the original Alamo mission building. The remains of the war damaged building was ordered demolished about 100 years ago.
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