Ever wonder how the Painted Desert got painted? Or how the Rio Grande got there? Wonder no longer!

Video performed by Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers.

This was definitely one of my favorite parts of our cross-country road trip. San Antonio has a certain air to it that welcomes every person from every background- music lovers, shop-aholics, history buffs, as well as your everyday tourists. I could have easily spent a week there and never gotten bored. Unfortunately, we were only there for one day. We did, however, get a chance to visit the Alamo and the River Walk (If any of you have seen the 1984 movie, Cloak and Dagger, starring Henry Thomas and Dabney Coleman, you know exactly which River Walk I am referring to.)

Cloak and Dagger is one of my all-time favorite movies. Actually being there and seeing where it was filmed was very intriguing. Madeline and I had a great time pointing out all of the familiar spots. I was fascinated by all of the shops and restaurants that lined the River Walk! It seemed very similar to something you might expect to see in Venice. They even had boats that cruised down the center of the river- tour boats and dinner cruises. Spanish and Italian music from minstrels entertaining at various cafés filled the air. What a setting!

The Alamo was very different from what I had expected. It was situated right in the middle of a bustling city, and surrounded by skyscrapers. If you were facing the Alamo as in the picture above, and if you were to turn around, you would see lots of shops and museums across the street.

The inside of the Alamo seems much larger than it looks on the outside. (Unfortunately, photographs are not allowed inside.) It was so fascinating to see graffiti etched in the walls. There were mostly date markings and names- ones which I did not recognize.

On the far wall hung six different flags- The Six Flags Over Texas. These nations had all claimed sovereignty over Texas (or over some portion of Texas) at one time or another. See how many you can identify! (Click for the answers)

Did you ever wonder why the world's largest amusement park corporation is called Six Flags? The very first Six Flags park was built in Arlington Texas in 1961!

Never once have I been on a trip where I held an alligator and ate one in the same day! New Orleans is definitely the place to go if you want unique food. Cajun food is not one of my favorites, but I actually tried some things that were surprisingly good.

TOP 3
1. Fried alligator- it tastes like chicken!
2. Turtle soup- very similar to chili
3. Cajun-style cheesecake- no, they didn't sprinkle cayenne pepper on top. Normal cheesecakes are rather dense. This Cajun-style cheesecake had a whipped cream texture. It was delicious!

Previously, I mentioned holding an alligator. I shall explain:

This video was taken during one of those swamp-tours on a boat. Our guide, Bishop, did a tremendous job educating us on the wildlife of the Louisiana swamps in a very entertaining manner. =) After he caught the alligator, we all got to hold it.

Here is another video of one of our other alligator encounters.

(the alligator was trying to eat a hot dog that was on the end of the stick...he got it.)

This particular trip to New Orleans was for business. My dad had a trade show to attend. He & I spent the mornings at the trade show manning the booth. (Sorry- no pictures of that.)  

The time we spent in the city was extremely enjoyable. I cannot wait to go back and explore more of it!

      ·   Take a swamp tour- you won't regret it!

      ·   Eat beignets at the Café Du Monde in the French  Quarter

      ·   Visit the Laura Plantation. Madeline & my mom visited and what they learned was fascinating!

      ·   Go to the RiverWalk and try on gorgeous hats and masks!


Thanks for reading! Click below to see more photos!