After we arranged to stay at Five Points Landing an extra night, we headed out to explore San Antonio’s missions. We planned to park near the Alamo and then bike the Riverwalk to the other four. It was a beautiful and warm day, perfect for the ride.

The Alamo

We parked two blocks from the Alamo. There are plenty of parking lots in the area. The one we chose had no contact payment. We estimated that we would be back by 4:00, which was $10. We later found out that we could have parked a little further away, picking up a bike next to the lot for half the price. Live and learn.

To control the number of visitors at any given time, the Alamo requires timed entrance tickets, which are available online at no cost. I enjoyed the architecture of the surrounding buildings as we walked to the Alamo. I found the juxtaposition of the 263-year old Alamo against the tall modern buildings surrounding it interesting.

We arrived at the church a few minutes before our allotted time, stopping to take a souvenir photo before going in. While the mission was pretty large, the church itself was not. We walked through the church’s primary area and peeked into the smaller rooms where families hid during the infamous siege. You can see evidence of a second floor on the tall stone walls. There is a memorial listing the more than 200 men who fought and died there at the back of the church, including Davy Crockett.

We walked out the back door of the church into the courtyard. There is a gift shop built 100 years after the siege by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Next to the gift shop are placards with the timeline of the Alamo’s history, from its first use as a mission to the modern-day.

There were interpreters available to show what life was like in the early 1800s. We walked through a covered walkway of arches lined with cannons used during the battle at the Alamo. I enjoyed seeing the holes in the outside walls of the church left by the cannonballs.

San Antonio River Walk

After we visited the Alamo, we walked towards the River Walk, to the bike station.  We didn’t realize that there was a bike station right next to the Alamo. The BikeShare program in San Antonio is excellent. For $11, you can use their bicycles for 24 hours, one hour at a time. There are conveniently located stations all over the city. You can either use the app to unlock the bike or your credit card at the kiosk. There are both regular bikes and electric.

Chris suggested we use the electric bikes, but I had visions of it being like a mini motorcycle and me flying into the river because I couldn’t control it. Having not been on a bike since we went to the High Bridge a few years ago, I was intimidated riding through the city streets to get to the River Walk. Once there, I enjoyed the ride.

The river, while not as big as I expected, was beautiful. We saw an array of water birds along the way. The River Walk is part of the trail connecting the five beautiful missions. We intended to see them all.

We followed the directions to Mission Concepcion. I enjoyed the ride, not minding the exercise at all. When we arrived at the mission, excited to see it, we discovered the BikeShare station was closed. No worries, there was another station only half a mile away.

When we got to that station, a BikeShare employee told us it wasn’t working either. We could turn the bikes in but would not be able to check new bikes out. We decided to skip the mission. With the extra night’s stay, we could see it before leaving San Antonio in the morning.

We got back on the River Walk and continued to Mission San Jose. We stopped at the next bike kiosk to change our bikes as we were just past the allotted hour. If you keep the bike longer than an hour, there is an additional fee, and I had no interest in paying that.

Mission San Jose

The ride to Mission San Jose was not as flat as the earlier portion of our trek. Between that and me starting to get tired, the bike ride was more difficult. The directions we were following put us off at the San Jose Mission Park instead of the mission itself. We figured out the rest of the way ourselves. Tired, out of breath, and thirsty (or at least I was, Chris was doing much better), we arrived at the mission and parked the bikes.

We walked through the mission walls, and both of us let out a “Wow!” It was breathtaking. The walls surrounded a vast courtyard covered in green grass, plants, and trees. At the far end was the church with archways extending away from it. The walls had doors most of the way around. There were several people doing photo shoots around the cathedral and in the various rooms surrounding it.

As we walked around the church, the bell rang, signaling that it was two o’clock. Inside, the church was just as beautiful as the courtyard. The attention to detail was meticulous. We enjoyed walking the peaceful grounds, exploring all the beauty.

We had paid for parking until four. With the other two missions still miles away and my tiredness, we decided to head back and visit the other missions in the morning. GoogleMaps showed that our return ride should take about 40 minutes. We picked up new bikes and were off.

A Hard Ride

I swear the entire trip back was uphill. I was so tired that there were spots where I had to stop and walk the bike up some of the hills. When we reached the River Walk section where you are required to walk, I checked the time and realized that our hour was up. Luckily, we had just passed a bike station. Chris decided that we should take the electric bikes this time, and I was too tired to argue.

The rest of the ride was terrific. Riding the bike was nothing like a motorized scooter or motorcycle. Instead, the electric assist just took over when it became difficult to pedal, making the last leg of our ride a breeze. One day, maybe I will learn to listen to Chris instead of being my stubborn self.

Mission Concepcion

The next day we stopped at each of the other missions before we left town. Mission Concepcion, the most well-preserved, was smaller than San Jose. I found it interesting that the missions still hold services to this day. The birds nesting in the second-story window delighted me. I watched them for a bit before going into the church.

Mission San Juan

Mission San Juan had a large courtyard, but not as beautiful as the one at San Jose. Over time, they built three churches. The first one is long gone, with only parts of the foundation showing. The present-day church was built in 1786, over the foundation of an earlier granary, as a temporary shelter. The third church was never completed but instead became a burial ground. They removed the remains during an archaeological investigation in 1967 but later returned them to their original resting place.

We only went into the church’s vestibule as they had roped off the rest. The pews looked more modern than the original church, and there was also a ceiling fan. The hymnals that played gave the church a surreal feeling.

Mission Espada

Our final stop was Mission Espada. When we parked, there was a truck next to us with a smashed-in driver’s window. Between that and the signs warning about break-ins, Chris was not comfortable leaving the truck while we explored the mission. I was disappointed that we would not take our selfie but also didn’t want anything to happen to our vehicle.

Once inside the mission, as I explored the exterior walls and ruins, I saw another parking lot next to the church. I called Chris, and he met me there. Espada was much smaller than San Jose, but with its tile flooring, just as beautiful. As I walked the outer walls, I heard a raucous sound emanating from the nearby trees. Further investigation showed large great-tailed grackles sitting in the tree, seemingly yelling at each other. The more I looked, the more of them I saw.

After a beautiful morning, it was time to head to the Gulf Coast.