Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Day 25-a little schlep to Brackettville


I slept well, and awoke groggy and sore, and wondering just why I am doing this trip. Oh...I have wanted to do this since high school. Yes, it is worth it and yes it is SO WORTH IT. Because of the long day yesterday, this day is a short one, just forty two miles. We had a relatively late start and headed from Del Rio to Brackettville. The first ten or so miles were in town...civilizatiton...well at least a Wal-mart and fast food. Hmmm...nothing against civilization, but I am really enjoying the small towns and being off the beaten path. Before starting this trip, I had expected most of our miles to be country roads, and many are, but some where there is so little in the west, have to be the major roads.

After leaving Del Rio, we followed ninety into Brackettville. The road surface was the only difficult thing, and quit frankly it was taking its toll on me with chafing, in spite of lots of special concoctions one can buy to prevent this.

En route we had moved from the arrid hills with scrub plants with a greener area with trees just leafing out. It is good to see the verdant vegetation again, although I have really enjoyed the desert with its subtle and sometimes vibrant beauty.

We stayed in Fort Clark Springs, which was a fort that was founded prior to the civil war. It was subsequently a garrison for Confederate troops. Most of the barracks were constructed in the early 1870's and could house over 20 officers and men. The building are of stone and the site is very picturesque. It was actively used through WWII. It served as the home for the 5th Cavalry Regiment from 1920 to 1941. Colonel George S Ptton, Jr served there in 1938 as the regimental commander. It was inactivated in 1946. It was a great opportunity to get to stay in a place so full of history.

Our dinner was a a chicken enchilada pie with rice and beans and a huge salad. Once again, Yummy!

No comments:

Post a Comment