Flash Floods

On Monday, January 9, black clouds loaded with rain and wind moved across Houston from southeast to southwest. These same clouds had flooded Katy and Richmond, Texas.  In Westbury, 5-1/2 inches of rain fell in less than 4 hours.  At the medical centers, staff rushed to shut the flood doors in the basements.  Streets, garages and parking lots in the area were flooded.  In Montrose, stranded motorists stood on the median in the rain, waiting for the water to recede. Flash flood warnings were issued for several counties.

The City of Houston conducted 20 to 30 high-water rescues, including sending dump trucks to evacuate two elementary schools that were cut off due to flood waters.  In the afternoon, South Loop 610 between Beechnut and Bellaire flooded as storm drains, blocked by fallen leaves, were unable to drain into Braes Bayou.  Braes Bayou came close to leaving its banks.  Meyerland flooded and several residents had to be evacuated.  Most vehicles were in the water until it receded and tow trucks could haul them off. Over 20,o00 homes were without power until the waters went down and repairs could be made.

Turn Around . . . Don’t Drown

At Highway 288 and the South Loop, traffic was stalled by rising flood waters. Drivers who braved the water found their cars, trucks and 18-wheelers almost completely submerged.  The video below shows why Texans always say, “Turn Around. Don’t Drown.”

Bobbing for Cars

If you cannot see the roadway for the water, turn around!  Two feet of water will float most cars. However, a car can be washed away in less, depending on the speed of the current, the design of the car, whether the car is sideways or end-on to the current, and the type of bottom. ]]

Where the current is swift and the bottom hard and smooth (like concrete roadway) and the car sits low to the ground, as little as one foot of water with a speed of 6 mph will move most cars. If the car is heavy and has plenty of clearance, the bottom is sand or gravel (like riverbed) and the current slow, it may take deeper water to move the car. (cfspress.com/carwater.htm).

Cars and trucks are not waterproof. A car or truck will quickly fill with floodwater.  How quick?  After Hurricane Alicia, they found cars in underpasses. The occupants were still in seatbelts, the keys were in the ignitions and the cars were in gear. There was no time to even attempt to flee.

Tornadoes

A tornado touched down along Highway 6 in Sugarland, southwest of Houston, damaging several businesses and flipping four mobile homes. Meanwhile, in Texas City, roughly 40 miles southeast of Houston, a tornado damaged the roof and wall of the Mall of the Mainland.  Several reports of tornadoes were made, but these two incidents were verified.

Could be Worse

No lives were lost on Monday, which is a miracle. The scenario could have been much worse. The front causing this weather dumped nearly 11 inches of snow on Midland in West Texas!  Is this Texas?  Sure!  Never be surprised by the weather.  Be prepared.

I am writing about ways families may celebrate Christmas in a less commercial way. The State Parks and State Historic Sites are made to order for authentic experiences.

Photo Courtesy of Louis Vest, Ship Pilot Houston, Texas

First Stop : Battleship Texas State Historic Site

Yuletide TEXAS “A Sailors Christmas”

Battleship TEXAS State Historic Site
3523 Highway 134
LaPorte TX 77571
281/479-2431

Thursday, December 1, 2011 to Saturday, December 31, 2011
10 am to 5 pm
Price is $10, children under 12 free with adult.

Yuletide activities include sending message to the North Pole, taking picture with Santa, creating Battleship ornament, enjoying performances by area bands and choirs, and filling up on hot chocolate, wassail and cookies. You also exercise by exploring the ship.  From the huge guns on deck to the crew quarters to the engine room. Who could resist?

Map from Latin American Studies.org

San Jacinto Battleground

You may also explore the entire San Jacinto Battleground site (map in PDF), where Texans captured Santa Anna after the Alamo. There are nature trails and the  San Jacinto Monument, picnic areas, wetlands and a reflecting pool. You will see 20 boulders on the battlefield that were laid by the San Jacinto Chapter, Daughters of the Republic of Texas. These boulders give visitors a sense of place in the final battle fought for Texas Independence on April 21, 1836.  Follow the boulders and the action of the battle.

Reflections of San Jacinto Monument

San Jacinto Monument

Take a trip up the San Jacinto Monument in an elevator to the Observation Decek ($4 adults, $3 children). Bring your camera for pictures of Houston, the Ship Channel, Battleship Houston and the San Jacinto Battleground .  If heights do not make you or your family happy, spend $4.50 per adult and $3.50 to see the 35-minute documentary, Texas Forever!! The Battle of San Jacinto, presented on the hour beginning at 10 am, in the Jesse H. Jones Theatre for Texas Studies, also located in the monument.

Note: Have you have heard that everything in Texas is bigger?  It is true. The San Jacinto Monument, honoring all those who fought for Texas’s independence, stands 15 feet taller than the Washington monument.  In addition, the Texas Capitol also rises approximately 15 feet higher than the National Capitol in Washington.

There is so much to do in San Antonio, even when you decide to travel on a budget.  Explore the Alamo, scene of the bloodiest battle in the Texas War for Independence, and then drive to pastoral missions where time appears to have stopped.  You will be amazed.

First Stop : The Mission Trail

The Alamo

300 Alamo Plaza
San Antonio, Texas 78205
Open Monday through Saturday, 9 am-530 pm. On Sunday, the Alamo opens at 10 am.

The Alamo was first named Mission San Antonio de Valero. Construction started on the mission in 1724. In 1793, Spanish officials secularized the five missions in San Antonio. The lands were distributed to the Indian residents. The Alamo is the most famous of the Spanish missions in Texas. Although you will may be disappointed to find the Alamo in a crowded urban setting, there is something about the Alamo, especially at night, that will take your breath away. Admission to the Alamo is free.

Visit the Just for Kids page on TheAlamo.org before you visit to print out activities that you and your children may do together.  The Shrine and the Long Barrack are two original buildings, so ‘you will want to tour both. In the same area is the Clara Driscoll Theater, where you may watch a movie about the Alamo.

How much you want to talk about the death of  the defenders of the  is up to you.  The battle was nothing  like the movie and the survivors were tortured before finally being allowed to die.  There was a woman, a slave and some children that survived.  It is through these accounts that we know anything.

 Historical Map of the Alamo Grounds With an Overlay of Current Downtown San Antonio, Texas
For Accurate Positioning of all Historical Alamo Features

Source: the-alamo-san-antonio.com

Explore the grounds of the Alamo. Find the Alamo Acequia and the Well. The Alamo Cenotaph, across from the Long Barrack, is an empty tomb. The bodies of the defenders of the Alamo were burned by Santa Anna after he took the Alamo. When you are tired of exploring, enjoy history talks on the hour and the half hour except during lunch (12-1 pm) in the Cavalry Courtyard.

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

The Alamo is just one of many Spanish missions founded in Texas. The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park was established to preserve and interpret the chain of Spanish Missions that were built along the San Antonio River in the 18th century. Here is the Map of the San Antonio Missions NHP. However, after Mission San Jose, it is best to ask park personnel for directions. Road construction is a never ending operation on the mission trail.

Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo

Beginning your trip at Mission San José will help orient you to the wonder of the missions and give you time to unwind from the Alamo. View a 23-minute film, take a ranger guided tour, and visit a restored Spanish Colonial flour mill, powered by gravity and water.  You are just a short drive south of downtown, but it is like another place and time.  Step into the church and light a candle.  Close your eyes and you can almost hear the 1000s of prayers echoing down through the years.

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purisima Concepción de Acuña

This mission, built in East Texas in 1716 and transferred to the San Antonio River area in 1731, is.named in honor of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and Juan de Acuña, Viceroy of New Spain. Built on bedrock, the structural integrity of the mission protected the interior, where today you may view frescoes  painted over 200 years ago.

Espada Aqueduct is the only functioning aqueduct from the Spanish Colonial Period in the United States. Explore this age old method of irrigation that has survived 300 years.

Mission San Juan Capistrano

In 1716, Mission San José de los Nazonis was established to serve the Nazonis Indians in the woods of East Texas. This mission, like all the missions in East Texas, was not successful. On March 5, 1731, the mission was reestablished on the east bank of the San Antonio River and renamed San Juan Capistrano.  The 1/3 mile Yanaguana Trail at Mission San Juan takes you to a small section of the San Antonio River in its natural state. The trail is is accessible.

Links to Brochures (PDF) For Each Mission

Mission Concepción | Mission San José | Mission San Juan | Mission Espada

Guided Tours

Tours last 45-60 minutes. Meet at the visitor center or information center of the mission you wish to tour.

• 10 am Mission San José or Mission Concepción
• 11 am Mission San José
• 130 pm Mission San Juan (staff permitting)
• 2 pm Mission San José, Mission Concepción or Mission Espada (staff permitting)
• 3 pm Mission San José or Mission San Juan (staff permitting)
• 330 pm Mission Espada (staff permitting)

Tour Rancho de las Cabras, the grazing lands of the missions, on the first Saturday of the month at 10 am, weather permitting. Call 210.932.1001 for more information.

Scheduled Events in December at the Missions

Hubbell Trading Post NHP Navajo Rug & Jewelry Show & Sale
Visitor Center at Mission San José
Saturday & Sunday, December 3 & 4, 2011
9 am-5 pm daily

Annual Los Pastores Play
Mission San José
Sunday, December 17, 2011
7 pm (Gates open at 6 pm)
Venue is outside so bring warm clothing and something to sit upon.

Transportation

The public transportation system in San Antonio is VIA. Bus 42 from downtown will bring you to Mission San José and within two blocks of Mission Concepción. There are no buses to Mission San Juan and Mission Espada.

By automobile, drive south on South St. Mary’s Street. Approximately one mile south of downtown, after passing beneath railroad tracks, South St. Mary’s becomes Roosevelt Ave. Continue on Roosevelt for 4 miles. You will see Mission San José on your left. At the first stop light past the mission turn left onto New Napier Ave. Follow signs to parking for Mission San José.

More Information

Visit the National Park Services website for more information and to help you plan your visit.