We left Tucson on April 4th driving approximately 2800 miles to Toronto..    We drove through New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky and Ohio to arrive in Toronto a week later.  Along the way we did stop for a few days in Texas but after that it was homeward bound at what seemed like warp speed.  

This shot was taken at our first rest stop outside of Tucson.  The boulders were huge and it was a very scenic drive.

The Gage hotel in Marathon, Texas was originally a two story hotel built in 1927.   Alfred Gage came from Vermont in 1878 to make his fortune as a rancher, banker and businessman.  The hotel was built as his ranch headquarters for his 500,000 acre ranch.  Unfortunately, he died one year after the construction was completed.  In 1978, JP Bryan bought  the building and returned the Gage Hotel to its turn-of-the-century glory.  Marathon is located very close to Big Bend National Park.  I thought this photo was best in a sepia tone.

This is the Pecos River Bridge on US 90 was completed in 1959 to replace a previous bridge  (built in 1923, one mile down river, 50 feet above water) destroyed by floodwaters in 1954.    High canyon walls dominate the last sixty miles of the Pecos River before it enters into the Rio Grande.  This bridge is 1,310 feet long and is 273 feet above the river  and is also the highest highway bridge in Texas.   

Although we had been to Texas many times we never spent any time in the Hill Country until this trip.  This photo was taken in Hunt, Texas which is in the heart of the hill country(technically the rugged limestone hills that separate the coastal plain from the Edwards Plateau).  The town was named after Haroldson Lafayette  Hunt, Jr.   He passed away in November 29, 1974 after amassing a fortune as a Texas oil tycoon.  At the time of his death, he was reputed to have the highest net worth of any individual in the world.  His personal life was very interesting -he ended up having many children by three wives (not necessary at different times) and was among the chief inspiration for the television series Dallas whose character JR Ewing was largely based on the popular perceptions of Hunt.    We came upon this beautiful stone house in Hunt.  I have no idea who it belonged to.  

We noticed quite a few of these fences in the hill country.

My favourite city in Texas is San Antonio.  San Antonio grew to become the largest Spanish settlement in Texas, and for most of its history, the capital of the Spanish, later Mexican province of Tejas.    The Battle of the Alamo took place from February 23 to March 6, 1836.  The outnumbered Texan force was ultimately defeated with all of the Alamo defenders killed.  These men were seen as martyrs for the cause of Texas freedom and "Remember the Alamo" became a rallying cry in the Texan army's eventual success at defeating Santa Anna's army.  In 1845, the United States finally decided to annex Texas and include it as a state in the Union.  This led to the Mexican-American War. The second most visited attraction in San Antonio after the Alamo is the famous River Walk.  The River Walk meanders through the downtown area and was one of the first restorations of an urban river. 

The River Walk is lined with numerous shops, bars, hotels and restaurants.   

The San Antonio River Walk (also known as Paseo del Rio) is a network of walkways along teh banks fo the San Antonio River, one story beneath the streets of downtown San Antonio.  The River Walk winds and loops under bridges as two paralleled sidewalks lined with restaurants and shops, connecting the major tourist draws from the Alamo to the Rivercenter Mall, to the Arneson River Theatre, to Marriage Island, to La Villita to HemisFair Park, to the Tower Life Building, to the San Antonio Museum of Art and the Pearl Brewery.  

I had not seen river boats set up for dinner before  but that could be because this was the first time we had been in the city in April so perhaps it is only during the warmer months which makes sense.  A lot of the restaurants in the area have outdoor patios with heat lamps.  Expansion plans for the River Walk are underway for areas of the river north and south of downtown.  Currently the River Walk flows through approximately 5 miles of the downtown and outlying areas.  

While walking along the river we came across this duck enjoying the view.  I liked how he/she is  resting in the pretty flowers.  

We spent a day driving in the Texas hill country.  This is the time of the year (April) that the Texas Bluebonnets are blooming. 

A field of Texas Bluebonnet in the wild in the hill country of Texas.  Actually, it was a very disappointing year  to see fields of these flowers blooming.  

A local told me that the year was about a 4 out of a 10 in terms of the Texas Bluebonnets in bloom.   Normally there would be more and they would be taller.  Still they were very pretty to see.  

A closeup of Texas Paintbrush in the wild.