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Biking the San Antonio Mission Trail in San Antonio, Texas
Rate it! Votes (1) | Comments (0) By Cheri Sicard Photos: Cheri Sicard Posted August 6th, 2007 FabulousFoods.com Recommends: Oddball Texas: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places (Oddball series), by Jerome Pohlen, (2006, Chicago Review Press)	Oddball Texas: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places (Oddball series)

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, USA - There I was in San Antonio, deep in the heart of Texas, and my taste buds were having the time of their life! Since arriving in this fair city, my companions and I had managed to munch down countless baskets of tortilla chips topped with spicy hot salsa and accompanied by bottomless pitchers of frosty Margaritas. The cocktails and appetizers were only a prelude to steaming platters of enchiladas, chiles rellenos and carne asada, prepared as only a San Antonio Tex Mex restaurant can. We wolfed down beef, pork, chicken and even shrimp, encased in tortillas, bathed in sauces made from chiles and other exotic Mexican spices and frequently blanketed in a heavy layer of cheese, cheese and even more cheese. We loved every fattening morsel and didn't slow down until the meal's grand finale, large bowls of deep fried ice cream covered in a decadent chocolate sauce.

Deep fried ice cream! Yeesh! Could anything be worse for the body? Don't get me wrong, this creamy confection is the nectar of the gods in my book, but even on its own, it packs a hefty caloric wallop. To make things worse (although, believe it or not even better tasting), the folks in San Antonio coat it in coconut and deep fry it. Ridiculously rich, but nothing in the world could have stopped us from digging in to the sinful indulgence. It was all too good, and way too available. For instance, if you have a 3AM craving for chiles rellenos accompanied by some lively Mariachi music, just head over to Mi Tierra where they serve south-of the border style feasts, twenty-four hours a day!

But it is a fact that San Antonio offers a lot more than just good food. Remember the Alamo? I remembered it all right (from a previous journey, and from elementary school history classes), but at this rate, I'd be lucky to fit through the door. Salvation arrived, however, and not a moment too soon, in the form of a charming young gentleman named Kevin Hix of Mission Trail Bike Rentals.

Tooling around on two wheels is actually one of the best ways to see this wonderful city, as well as a fine way to get rid of some inevitable "excess baggage" in the process. Kevin will even deliver your "two wheeled steeds" right to your hotel room door at no extra charge.

We Start

The morning was young and the previous night's gustatory overindulgence seemed a distant memory, as we hopped on our bikes and headed for the start of the San Antonio Mission Trail. The newly opened bike path takes visitors along one of the most historically significant routes in the United States, past four Franciscan Missions, dating back to the mid 1700s and ending at the Alamo in downtown San Antonio. The ultra-flat terrain makes the ride easy enough for even novice bikers. Just make sure to bring lots of water and sunscreen, and if you attempt the ride in the heat of summer, start early to avoid the scorching midday sun.

Handy trail maps are available from Kevin or the National Park Service. Or if you're "cartographically challenged," take the ever so charming Kevin, or one of his equally affable cohorts along as a guide.

The Missions
In the 1700s, missions played an essential part in the colonization of the new world. Each was its own self contained community with its own solid economy. The stone walls surrounding the missions also served as fortresses, protecting inhabitants, both Franciscan friars and the indigenous Coahuiltecan Indians, from bands of raiding Comanches and Apaches. Of course religion, namely Catholicism, played an important part of everyday life back then, and in fact, the missions are the homes of active Catholic parishes to this very day.

Your journey will likely start at Mission Espada, at the southern end of the Mission Trail. Following Spanish rule, each of the missions were built to closely resemble Spanish villages. Likewise, the architecture contains elements of Moorish design, Renaissance detail and gothic arches, slightly modified to accommodate the rugged frontier conditions of early Texas.

As you leave Mission Espada, you'll meander past the extensive Acequia System, an innovative network of seven gravity-flow irrigation ditches, five dams and an aqueduct, which despite the arid Texas desert, kept about 3500 acres of land well watered. The system was so well engineered that nearby farms still make use of the ancient irrigation network today. The best preserved of the acequias is the Espada dam, just north of the Mission Espada, where you'll roll past one of the oldest Spanish aqueducts in the United States (completed in 1740).

Next along the trail is Mission San Juan, established in 1731. This mission was a bustle of activity in its heyday, with Indian artisans producing iron, wood, cloth and leather goods. The settlement's extensive gardens and orchards produced an abundance of produce as well. As a result of this productivity, Mission San Juan established a trade network that reached out as far as Louisiana.

San Jose, the largest and best known of the Texas missions, is next down the road. Once home to over 300 inhabitants, the mission was supported by its extensive livestock herds. San Jose, a major social and cultural center in the late 1700's, is a wonderful place to take time to appreciate the exquisite craftsmanship that went into the missions.

Mission Concepcion has long been the place where religious festivals were held. Be sure to take time to explore the interior of this beautiful church, for many original paintings still exist on the walls. Colorful geometric paintings originally covered the exterior walls as well, but these have long faded.

It's just a short ride to go from Mission Concepcion to the Alamo, the last "mission" on the San Antonio trail. Visitors to this famous site can re-learn the history lesson's they forgot from 3rd grade. But by this point, you might be feeling a bit "historied out." You might be feeling hungry or thirsty after your bike ride. Don't worry, one of the best things about the Alamo is that you're basically "right in the thick of things" with more Tex Mex cuisine than you can eat beckoning your senses from every direction. Hmmm, maybe you'll want to bike the Mission Trail every day while in San Antonio.

Getting There

Mission Trial Bike Rentals - 210-805-8937 or email missionrentals @worldnet.att.net

San Antonio Missions National Historic Park - 210-534-8833

San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau - 800-447-3372 or 210-207-6700 or visit their website at www.sanantoniocvb.com.

For some of that famous San Antonio Tex-Mex cuisine, be sure to check out:

• Mi Tierra - 210-225-1262
• La Margarita - 210-227-7140 or email lamarg@txdirect.net
• Lone Star Cafe - 210-223-9374
• Rio Rio Cantina - 210-227-7140

And if, by chance, you get enough South-of-the-Border food, check out L'Etoile for some fantastic French cuisine, deep in the heart of Texas! Call 210-826-4551.

Southwest Airlines has lots of direct flights into San Antonio - 800-435-9792 or on the web at www.iflyswa.com.

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