January 18, 2014 SOUTH TEXAS: BULL FIGHT

January 18th, Saturday    South Texas Round 2

After having some electrical issues fixed, we headed south again to go to some of the spots we skipped a few weeks ago.  Weather is great, sunny and 50's, as we thread our way through Houston traffic and hit the open road of 59S.

Our first destination is a small town called Goliad which is outstanding in Texas History.  First stop is Mission Nuestra Senora Del Espiritu Santo de Zuniga - or Mission Espiritu Santo, established in the early 1700's when Spain was hoping to get a foothold in this new world (as was France).

 Mission Chapel

Baptismal Font

Many of the original "nail bosses" and other hardware remain.

A little further south is the Presidio La Bahia, built about the same time as the mission and meant to protect the mission as well as Spanish trade routes along the San Antonio River.  This fort continued in usage in the Spanish fight for independence, Mexican revolutions and then Texas fight for independence. Spanish, Mexican and Texan soldiers all garrisoned its walls.

During the Texas war for independence in 1836, Col. James Fannin and nearly 400 men under his command were captured and executed here by General Santa Anna , who fought a war of extermination - taking no prisoners.  This massacre fired the revolutionary spirit which resulted in capture and defeat of Santa Anna just a month or so later at San Jacinto.

Our Lady of Loreto chapel is the oldest building in the compound and has been in continuous use since the 1700's.

Many of Col. Fannin's men were held in this chapel at the presidio.  It is also the sight of Texas'  first declaration of Independence.  A memorial to Fanin and his men is nearby.

We next headed further south to Lake Corpus Christi State Park, arriving just before 5:00.  We found a nice site with hookups (wi-fi too!).  Saw several deer as we walked around the area.  This is a 21,000 acre reservoir which serves the Corpus Christi area (the city is about 30 miles away).

 Signs of civilization across the lake.

 Experimenting with some night photos and an almost-full moon.

We talked with neighboring campers from Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa.  Lots of "Winter Texans".
One man was 88 years young and still going strong!


Sunday, January 19
Quiet night.  The morning was near 50 and a bit foggy with heavy dew.  We had breakfast and explored the park a bit before heading south again, towards LaGloria and today's bullfight.

 Many cardinals in the area.

 Early dew drops made for bejeweled spider webs.

 We spotted several crested caracaras along the road.

Pretty desolate roads with only a few small towns, (like Alice, Edna, Inez) and entrances to ranches.  Cattle is a huge industry.

Arrived in La Gloria about 1:00 and found the bullring owned and operated by Don Fred Rank.

Wandered around and watched some preparations for the upcoming event.  We could see some of the bulls and they were already feisty, kicking up dirt and looking like they were ready to charge.  There were alot of photographs and history of bull fighting.  The owner of the bullring also raises "brave bulls" (the bulls used in bullfighting).  Lineage is everything and breeding is done in only two places in the US.  There are still close to 1000 bull rings in the world, with the majority being in Spain and France, then Mexico and South America. They say the bulls get their bravery from the mother and nobility from the father.  These bulls will attack targets with little or no provocation.

 The matadors also have extensive training and experience.  Today we will see a Cesar Castaneda , world-ranked from Tijuana and Karla Santoyo an up-and-comer at 20 yrs. whose father and grandfather were world renowned matadors.

There is a 15 minute "Intro to Bullfighting" lesson with demo.

 It is quite choreographed with required elements and judges who award "ears" and "tails" to the matadors.   Once from the bull which was slain, they now use what we assume were artificial ones. Most of the moves are named after the matador who introduced them and some go back to Greek and Roman times. We are instructed in when to call "Ole" and how to express enthusiasm, as the judges are often swayed by the crowd.

Here are some shots of the action.  We saw 4 bulls over the next 2 hours, fought by 2 main matadors and a couple of "assistants" who distract or move the bull at times.  It was near 80 degrees.

 You can see the flower with ribbons that the matador must grab after he has completed all the required elements.

 Showing bravery by turning his back and walking away.

 This bull was getting very close and eventually knocked the matador down.

The event ended about 6:00 and we drove for about an hour to a town called Edinburg, which is adjacent to McAllen.  Boondocked at a Walmart there, dinner, some photo work and reading.

Monday, January 20
55 degrees at 7:30 this morning.  We headed a little further south to Estero Llano Grande State Park, where we walked some trails and saw many varieties of ducks as well as pauraque, Chachalaca, hummingbirds and a few birds. This area is neotropical and there was lantana, citrus trees, bougainvillea, hibiscus and a few other flowers. Beautiful morning.

 Ducks and marshes.

Chachalacas - also nicknamed Mexican chickens.  Large, pheasant-like birds.

The land around here is mainly agricultural and we passed fields of broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, corn and squash.  Other fields were being prepared.   There is an intricate network of underground canals with concrete tower controls covering miles of the valley.

Had sandwiches for lunch and headed to Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, which is on the border with Mexico.  

 Walked several trails here which included a three observation towers and this hanging bridge which connected two of them.

spiral stairs to the tower. 

 Temps in the low 80's, as we walked a few miles.

 Saw several of these colorful green jays - with blue heads, green backs and yellow undersides, they are striking….noisy too but camouflaged well.  And speaking of noisy, there were many red-winged black birds making quite a racket.  Some other as yet to be identified birds like this one:

By mid-afternoon we decided we had walked enough and began the journey northwards.  We stopped at a small fruit stand where I bought 15 oranges, 2 grapefruits, a dozen tangerines and a couple of tomatoes - all for $4.00.

Back through the ranch land.  As we neared Victoria, we saw large herds of grazing deer.  We stopped at a Smokehouse for some bar-b-que, listened to some music and aimed for home.  We were past rush hour traffic in Houston so sailed through town, arriving home around 8:30.  Tomorrow we will unpack and get ready for Chap and Mam's visit, as they arrive Wednesday afternoon!