Oct 11th
It got chilly overnight and the
heat came on about 4:30AM for a few minutes but by 9:00 AM it was over 60
headed for the high 70’s so it looked to b e a great day to explore San Angelo.
 |
| San Angelo Visitor Center |
Our first stop was the Chamber of
Commerce and Visitor Center in the heart of town and right on the Concho River.
What an attractive facility. We went inside and met one of the volunteer tourist
specialists who helped us plan our day. Our first stop was going to be the
Sunken Gardens.
 |
| An impressive facility |
Walking out the back side of the
Visitor Center we were impressed with the immaculate landscaping with water
features, art and places to sit and view the river. Descending the steps we
reached the River Walk and headed over to the gardens. The main River Walk is
actually on the other side of the river and runs for several miles.
 |
| Monarch Butterflies |
Along the way, Tina spotted a
swarm of Monarch Butterflies feasting on a flowering bush, a song bird we
couldn’t identify, a sharp shinned hawk and a goose (gander?) protecting a
small flock of ducks.
 |
| Beautiful Lily's |
We reached the sunken Gardens and spent a half hour
wandering around and taking photos. It is a really nice use of civic property
that had been eroded in the past and then rebuilt with stone- lined water
channels and planted with trees and flowers along the walkways.
 |
| Eggermeyers General Store |
Leaving the gardens we returned
to the Visitor Center and retrieved the car. Driving to Old town we passed the
train depot and Museum. The heart of Old Town is a set of residential and mercantile
buildings lovingly preserved from the beginnings of San Angelo’s history.
 |
| Inside the Soda Fountain |
Crossing the Concho River we
parked along Conch Street which is home to a series of restored buildings on
the National Historic Register, including Eggmeyers General Store and Miss
Hatties Bordello which is now a restaurant.
 |
| Lunch at Miss Hatties |
We spent an hour wandering along,
looking in the various shops and being amazed at the blending of old and new. I
was really well done. Eventually we decided to have lunch and ended up at Miss
Hatties Parlor. The place was packed with locals and visitors and we were
escorted into the lounge. Lunch was good but nothing to get excited about.
 |
| Beautiful - Nature at work! |
Leaving Miss Hatties we drove
across town to the International Water Lily Display and Rose Garden in Civic
Park. We didn’t have any expectations but were we surprised when we got there
to find so many different varieties if lilys in bloom.
 |
| Stunning! |
Along with the beautiful floating
flowers there were a myriad of dragonflies, damsel flies, butterflies and bees
visiting the gardens. You’ll see from our album just how many opportunities
there were for stunning photos.
 |
| A beautiful rose among the thorns! |
Leaving the water lily gardens we
went up the hill to the Rose Gardens and took a few more photos. Unfortunately
the season was almost over and most of the roses were in decline but it was very
nice even so. With a last shot of the big metal art sculpture we headed back to
the car for the drive back to the campground.
The dogs were happy to see us and
demanded a walk and a treat which they got in that order. The rest of the
afternoon we spent relaxing. Later after dinner we spent several hours trying
to find a Sightseeing Cruise on the Mississippi River from Natchez MS where we
would be in a few days. No such luck. So we started doing research on where we
could find a cruise with both computers going.
It turns out that you need to be
in New Orleans LA, Memphis TN or LaCrosse WI. None of these places were on our
current route. We debated going south to New Orleans but eventually decided to
go up to Memphis so we could see different parts of the country.
Searching for a place to stay,
Tina suggested Graceland. Sure enough, we could get in there and so I spent a
couple of hours re-routing us through Memphis and back south through Birmingham
and eventually reaching Valdosta GA before heading into Florida for the run
down to Naples.
With our plans set in place we
watched a little TV, read and eventually called it a night.
To see all our photos, go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski
No comments:
Post a Comment