Day 9 - Toured 3 of the Missions!

Ken and I were up by 7:15 and the 4 of us were on our bikes by 9:30 to ride on the 10 mile Mission Trail/River Trail.  We left on the paved trail from the CG and rode 14 miles and visited 3 of the 5 missions, the 5th being The Alamo which we had seen yesterday! 

Getting on the River Walk at the CG!

The city of San Antonio rents these bike at different locations
on the Trail and downtown.  How nice is that????

....or you can use the for less than 30 minutes, put
them back in a rack, and then get another one
for a different ride!  

This aqueduct was built in 1745 and supplied water from
the San Antonio River for a 15 mile network of irrigation ditches
 that irrigated about 3500 acres of farmland at the Missions.

When you think of all the "hand work" that went into building
this aqueduct is in incomprehensible!

Just enjoyed seeing this beautiful cactus!

We toured Espada where we met the priest and heard the end of the church service that was broadcast outside! Then we went to the San Juan Mission, where we photographed the inside of the Church and folks waiting for the start of the church service.  Then on to San Jose Mission where we had a guided tour by one of the Park Ranger that was very informative and well done!  We learned why the missions were started and their purpose!  The desire of the Spanish government was for the Indians to become tax paying citizens of the Spanish Government. They wanted to stop the French from taking over the Spanish territory! To become a Spanish citizen, you had to be Catholic, so the Indians also studied Catholicism.  That is why the missions were started.  Only the Indians, a priest, and 2 Spanish tradesman lived on the mission.  Before that time, Indians were hunters and gathers, but they were eager for the tradesmen to teach them to ride horses, masonry skills, and farming.

Our 1st stop ad the oldest of the Missions.  It was
actually founded in 1690 and moved to the
San Antonio River in 1731.

This is the Church at the Mission and they were
having a service there when we arrived!

Church is over and the young priest was loved
by these folks - you could just "sense it"!

The inside of Espada Mission church.  So beautiful, but simple!

The priest was so friendly and blessed all of us!

The church at the San Juan Mission. was founded in east Texas
and moved to the San Antonio River in 1731.   In 1762 the herds
at this mission were said to number 3500 sheep and nearly
as many cattle!

Getting ready for the service at the San Juan Mission!

Gathering at the visitor center at the San Jose Mission for our
tour by the Park Ranger!

A side view of the church at San Jose Mission!

Every 2 doors and window was home to an Indian family.
There was a small gathering room and kitchen area with fireplace!
The living quarters were built into the wall that surrounded the
mission.

The priests had their offices and living quarters in these
arched areas.  These are original remains, but the rest of
the building has been rebuilt!

The front of the church!  All of it went to ruins except for the
carvings around the entrance.

It is almost unimaginable that all this stonework at
the entrance was never broken or ruined.  Only
minor repairs have been made to it over the years.
I'd call it a miracle! The statue at the top is Jesus
and his grandmother and grandfather are at the
bottom.  His mother, Mary, is being held by his
grandmother!

The inside of the Church - very ornate alter area!

This is an original part where services were held as the main
area was beginning to go to ruin.  While they were conducting
a service, the roof of the main part collapsed, but no one
was hurt!

After the 3rd mission,  it was 3 and we were ready to return to the CG. We enjoyed more of the ride along the River Walk.

The wildflowers were so beautiful! 

There are many places along the walk where you can go
to the other side via beautiful bridges.  Again, I am
amazed by the work and cost of this trail! 

Ken spent time cleaning the outside of Waldo, who was so dirty from our drive to San Antonio.  I headed to the laundry, for I hadn't washed since we left home!  Wow!  After showers, we started dinner and had Chuck and Melissa join us for chicken wraps, baked beans, and salads (they brought their own salads). We were finally able to eat outside on our picnic table!  It was a gorgeous evening with no wind and about 80 degrees.  After dinner, we played a game of Skip-Bo outside (the men won) and it was 8:45.  We decided to call it a day so we had time to catch up on our blogs, etc.  A beautiful day with plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the upper 80's.  A great day for more incredible adventures!