After 317 miles of good road, we arrived at the Ranch Road exit and headed 5 miles North into the bush to the Cattleman's Restaurant.The restaurant is a sprawling structure
that has been expanded many times over the years by the sole owner, a wealthy Texan who owns thousands of surrounding acres of cattle land. We located the RV parking area and were set up by 4:30
- without water, sewer or electricity - dry camping! More concerning was the fact that there was no WiFi, Verizon or AT&T coverage, and I had to work on Friday morning. The restaurant opened at 5:00 so we headed down and learned that Fabens, 5 miles away, had good Verizon coverage. This meant we would have to get up at 2:30 local time and move the coach to a location in Fabens. Suz and Dixie could sleep while I worked.With that in mind, we found the lounge and explored the structure.
It is full of sculptures, 
mounted animals, and other memorabilia and has a delightful gift and souvenir shop. 
When we arrived, there were three other couples, when we left, there were a couple of hundred people.Our table was next to a window, and as the sun set, three coyotes came to the wall not ten feet from the window to retrieve meat scraps put out by the staff. Suzanne was delighted to be able to see the animals this close up. the meal was, as expected, excellent, and we left the restaurant fully satisfied. We would highly recommend it to anyone who loves steaks.
Suz was a trooper and was ready to go at the appointed hour on Friday morning and we headed out of the labyrinthine parking lot in the dark. Much to our amazement, the staff, who knew we were going to have to depart early, had the night watchman open the gates and lead us to the main road in his car. What service!!
We stopped at a spot overlooking Fabens where we found a large gravel turnaround area adjacent to the I 10 on ramp. Verizon coverage was excellent and I went to work. Finished at 4:15, I decided to simply take off for San Antonio - 536 miles away. I thought Suz and Dixie could sleep in the back while I drove - not a chance. The hum of the tires and the diesel engine noise made it impossible to sleep, so here we were, the three of us in the dark driving East on I 10.
As the hours wore on, we realized just what a mistake it had been to try to cover this much territory in one day, and agreed that we would never schedule more than 300 or so miles in a day, unless it was an absolute necessity! Texas is BIG, but the terrain is boring. Flat dry semi-desert in the West changing to rolling hills covered with sage and scrub trees then changing to rolling hills covered with Live Oaks and more vegetation as you approach San Antonio. the road is very good, but it is easy to lose your focus.
We arrived at the Admiralty RV Resort in West San Antonio at 3:30 after 11 hard hours of driving. The campground is adequate, but not as nice as the advertising had led us to believe it would be. Nonetheless, we relaxed and looked for the local Applebee's. Five were listed on the Garmin, which has the latest maps. We went to the closest one - closed; the next closest one - closed as well, but it had been replaced by sports bar called Bikinis. As the name implies ..... we had our happy hour and took in the sights .....
Saturday we took the opportunity to do the chores and watch college football, which I love and Suzanne has taken a fancy to. Our afternoon location was Chili's, which was much closer and had an ambiance more in tune with Suzanne's liking ...
Sunday, we headed into San Antonio to visit the Alamo
and Riverwalk. Both are located in the heart of the city. The Alamo is something I have always wanted to see and learn more about.
It was quite fascinating and we learned a great deal from the automated audio tour system. One thing I became aware of was that Texas, California, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado where Spanish, then Mexican until the mid- 1800's. Texas became an independent state from Mexico, with a mixed population of Mexicans and American settlers, and joined the U.S. after a decade or so. The rest of the states territories were ceded to the U.S. by Mexico after the Mexican-American War.The Riverwalk is a fascinating structure. The San Antonio River runs right through the heart of the city and after a disastrous flood in 1921, a 2 mile side arm was cut into the area around the Alamo with walkways and landscaping on both sides as part of the flood control system and redevelopment of the downtown.
Foot bridges cross the canal in places and roadways cross in others for both foot and vehicular traffic. The canal is surrounded by restaurants, shops, hotels and other commercial establishments and is a most delightful place to visit. We had lunch, then took the boat tour, which makes the canal-river circle in about 35 minutes. 
It is a beautiful addition to the city and a definite "must see" if you are in the area.Today, I headed off to find a Harbor Freight store and a Sears to get a tool I needed to work on the coach. Harbor Freight didn't have the tool - surprisingly - so I headed to Sears - closed. What a surprise! It looks as though the recession has hit San Antonio harder than initial appearances would suggest. There are a lot of closed stores when one looks closely.
This afternoon, we will clean up the coach and get ready for an early departure to Beaumont, Texas on route to New Orleans on Wednesday. Until then, Cheers!
John, Suz and Dixie the Wonderdog
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