Castroville: the Little Alsace of Texas - Saturday, April 2, 2022

Day 2 of National Walking Week: I am doing a 10k walk in Castroville, Texas, nicknamed "the Little Alsace of Texas." The Volksmarch is in conjunction with the 11th Tour de Castroville...a walk, run, and ride; even though our event has a separate registration. 

From our place in south San Antonio, it was a pleasant half-hour drive to Castroville Regional Park. When I got there, the parking lots were full, but I found a spot on the street just outside the park entrance. It was about a 1/2 mile walk to the event start tent. The walk had opened at 8:20 am, but I stayed up late last night so I arrived a little before 10 am. Many people were flocking to the finish line.

My car was parked just to the left of these signs. Notice the directional signs. Each sign had a sponsor. This one just happened to be for Golden Pickle Juice. Hmm. What's that all about? You'll find out later.

The weather was beautiful when I headed out, 72 degrees with a slight breeze. I wore shorts today because it was nice and warm. We had 91 walkers today!

The question I asked myself when I learned that Castroville is also known as "little Alsace," is what does that mean? Our event brochure had history from https://www.castroville.com/history-heritage/. Castroville is a historic little town with a rich cultural heritage nestled in the Medina River Valley just 20 minutes west of San Antonio. The town was founded in 1844 by Henri Castro, for whom the town is named. The first European immigrant settlers in this area were mostly Catholic farmers from Alsace, a region in the northeast of France, very close to the borders of Germany and Switzerland. The immigrants were brought over to fulfill Castro's contract to colonize vacant Texas land. Calling themselves Alsatians, they were mostly of German descent speaking a dialect of German and French.

Something is sadly lacking in Castroville this year. Normally, each year from mid-March to mid-April, millions of red poppies cover yards and fields. This year, there are only a few small islands of colorful flowers. Some say it's because of the drought. Others just don't know.

Nonetheless, the walk was great because of the history and the architecture. I enjoyed my time checking out the old homes. 

A particularly Texas home, note the
rocks and wood used in construction.

Pretty in the morning light.

Cute entry bell at the 
Jung Hüs.

Antonio Xavier Jung Hüs, c. 1845.

Being RVers, we're always interested in different types and styles of trailers and such. I saw the delightful Vintage trailer below in someone's yard. The lady who owned it was working outside and I told her I thought her trailer was very cute. She thanked me and said she doesn't take it out much anymore, but when she does, she goes "antiquing" in Gladewater, Texas. She brings back the antique treasures in her trailer.

A cute Vintage trailer.

More homes along the walk route...

George L. Haass Hüs, c. 1851. (Also
known as the Castroville Poppy House.)

When the poppies are blooming, this field at the Castroville Poppy House is usually gorgeous with flowers. Not so this year, unfortunately.

No poppies here this year.

Tondre House, Sears-Roebuck
Catalog House, c. 1911.

Rooster weather vane.

Deb Peak getting a photo of the pretty
Fiesta decorations on this house.

Deb drove all the way down from Georgetown to do this walk! Wow, that's quite a distance. I have walked with Deb before and we saw each other off and on throughout this walk. Both of us like to take photos. 

Check out this 
mailbox.

John Burger Hüs, c. 1844. It has a 
matching mailbox. See the photo above.

Landmark Inn State Historic Site - 
a unique two-story
bathhouse built in 1853. 

One of the few places we saw poppies.

Landmark Inn State Historic Site.

The Landmark Inn State Historic Site has lodgings in the old buildings. Reviews on TripAdvisor make it sound like a very historic and comfortable place to stay. We may have to go check it out!

The water from the Medina River was originally pumped into a mill to gin cotton, grind corn and grain, and later retrofitted to saw lumber. An improved, steam-powered cotton gin was added later.

The dam on the Medina River.

Here, we crossed under U.S. 90 so we wouldn't have to deal with traffic on the highway. Our walk now takes us into the old part of town across the highway from The Landmark Inn. 

The town was named after Henri Castro and a small park has a historic marker about his history. 

Henri Castro's history.

A former gas station with a
Little Free Library out front.

The Barn boutique.

The history of the homestead
of Henri Castro. 

Henri Castro's homestead.

The first County Courthouse now houses City Hall. At one time, it was a school.

Castroville's current City Hall.

City Hall entrance.

Just down the street, I came to the Dolch-Hans Compound, an architectural record of an evolutionary city farm. I'll let the historical marker explain that.

The well house with an elevated cistern.
To the left was the brick meat market.

The Dolch stone house, c. 1860.

And there are more historic houses to see!

The Geyer-Rihn Hüs, c. 1869.

The old movie theater is now an antique store.

More rock buildings.

The church is undergoing renovation.

Multiple flags in the square.

A close-up of the renovation.

History of the Catholic
Feast of St. Louis.

Saint Louis sculpture.

Curious Interests Antiques store.

Unique weather vane.

Here is where I came to the first checkpoint staffed by none other than my BFF Susan Medlin. In addition to water to drink, the checkpoints offered pickle juice. See I told you we'd get to that. "So," I asked, "What's with the pickle juice?" She said it is supposed to help with cramping. 

I told her I'd try some. I mean, I like pickle juice. It was hot outside, so the pickle juice was warm. It was okay, and I'd probably have it again. But cold would have been better. 

While I was at the checkpoint, Andy Thomas came to take over working the checkpoint. Tomorrow morning, I'll give Andy a ride to the Boerne Cibolo Nature Center Walk. 

Onward with the walk. A group of four people passed me while I was at the checkpoint. I caught up with them a short while later and found out they came from Hondo, Texas, to do the walk. There were two ladies and four kids, probably aged 10 and 13 or so. I find it hard to guess kids' ages anymore. I was happy to see kids out doing a 10k walk!

The walk transitioned from a city neighborhood to a wide-open field and then some trees. What really stood out to me on this walk were all the birds. I saw cardinals, mockingbirds, and sparrows. They created a chirping cadence, chorus, and cacophony. It was a very nice surprise to hear so many birds!

Wide-open spaces here.

The pink evening primroses are in bloom.

After about a mile, we headed into a newer subdivision. Shortly thereafter, I reached the second checkpoint staffed by the Hoyts. We appreciate all the volunteers who help with these events. I take my turn volunteering as well. 

A newer subdivision. 

Most of the streets in this subdivision have "river" in their street names: River Trail, River Bluff, etc. I wondered if I would see the river. I didn't see water, but I did see the riverbed. 

You can tell that when it rains hard here, this river channels water and has erosion to show it. Let me tell you, if it rains really hard many of these rivers flood quickly! Take a look at the bridge. You can tell by the sand debris on the bridge that water floods OVER the bridge! Our motto in Texas when it rains hard and water covers the road is "Turn around, don't drown." Even a small amount of water over the road can carry your car away.

The eroded riverbed.

Sand debris on the bridge
means this river floods 
the road! 

I'm about four miles into my walk. You can see in the following photo that there is still a lot of land in Castroville. These people have a few acres! And three dogs that ran all the way from the house to the fence to bark at me. Really?

If you enlarge this, you can see the 
three dogs racing to the fence. 

A beautiful Texas home.

Ragleaf bahia, maybe??

I like this fence.

PCH stands for Pioneer
Castroville House.

Part of the Joseph Naegelin Hüs complex.

The Joseph Naegelin Hüs complex.

The Joseph Naegelin Hüs, c. 1877.

Yesterday, at Friedrich Wilderness Park, the mountain laurels were in full bloom. Today in Castroville, the mountain laurels are past their peak. In the photo below, you can see mountain laurels, but all the blooms are gone. Also, these mountain laurels look like they've been pruned and landscaped, as opposed to the wild mountain laurels in the wilderness park. 

Mountain laurels.

Well, I'm coming up on the home stretch. I have about 1-1/2 miles left in my walk. I've been out a little over two hours and it's getting downright hot.

Peach or apple blossoms,
I think.

The front of this property.

Here is the back of the home above. 

Here's a very cute house. 

This is a huge home and it's gorgeous!

This is the front of the home above. You
would never know how big it is from 
this view!

Time to head back under U.S. 90.

Volksmarch directional arrows
marking our route under the bridge.

The dam on the 
Medina River.

At the end of the walk, Deb and I caught back up with each other and crossed the Finish Line together.

Me and Deb at the Finish!

I'm proud of the way I look. Since December 26, with the help of Noom, I have lost 22 lbs!!! I am almost halfway to my weight loss goal. 

We made our way back to the finish table and got our books stamped.

On the way back to our cars, we saw a pretty patch of Texas bluebonnets.

Texas bluebonnets.

As soon as I got home, I showered and then napped for four hours. I had to make up for last night's lack of sleep. We ordered Pad Thai take-out for dinner and Bob went to pick it up.

Then we watched "In the Heights", Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical about immigrants from the Dominican Republic living in the Bronx. Both of us thought it was a wonderful movie. It brought me to tears a couple of times. Wonderful flick!

That's it for tonight. Tomorrow, our third day of walks for National Walking Week will be in Boerne, Texas. Nighty night!

Head and Shoulders, Knees & Toes - Friday, April 1, 2022

Today is April Fool's Day, but this blog is no joke. National Walking Week starts today and runs through April 7. There are walks scheduled by AVA: America's Walking Club[s] for each day. Clubs in 20+ states have routes set up for walkers. 

Here in the San Antonio area, we have the following walks during this week:
April 1: Friedrich Wilderness Park, San Antonio
April 2: 11th Tour de Castroville walk (the Little Alsace of Texas), event tent at Castroville Regional Park. Start 8:20-11:30 am. SPECIAL NOTE: This Volksmarch is in conjunction with the annual Tour de Castroville...a Walk, Run, and Ride. Registration is separate from the Tour de Castroville registration. Go to the Volksmarch Start/Finish tables under the tent to register.
April 3: Cibolo Nature Center Walk, starts at Comfort Inn, Boerne, Texas,  8-11 am.
April 4: Stone Oak Year-round Walk, starts at Drury Inn & Suites North, 801 North Loop 1604 between TX 281 and Stone Oak Parkway. Start time: 9 am-noon.
April 5: Leon Creek Greenway/Mainland @ Mainland Trailhead, 8238 Mainland Dr., San Antonio. Start time: 8-10:30 am.
April 6: Downtown Churches Walk Year-round Event, Residence Inn by Marriott, 628 S. Santa Rosa Ave, San Antonio. Start time: 9 am-noon. 
April 7: Leon Creek Greenbelt Walk Year-round Event, the lobby of the Drury Inn at NW I-10 and Loop 1604.

This morning, I arrived at Friedrich Wilderness Park at 9:45 am, just before registration closed. I was undecided if I wanted to do a 5k or 10k, so I got the 10k directions for a difficult hike. We had 13 walkers today.

Because of the terrain, I wore hiking boots, took my hiking poles, and wore my knee brace as a precaution. And, of course, I had my obligatory bottle of water.

A beautiful morning awaited on the trails. The temperature was about 62 degrees with a light breeze. What a delight to see the mountain laurels are in full bloom. In the Northwest, where we lived for over 35 years, we had lilacs which are one of my favorite fragrances. In Texas, we have mountain laurels which have a more muted scent but are still nice. 

Mountain laurel shrub.

I started on the 
Main Loop Trail.

One-half mile from the parking lot, I turned right to stay on the Main Loop Trail. There is a gate at this point. The purpose of the gate is to close the upper portion of the park if there is rain. Erosion is a big problem and people traipsing through when it's wet make the problem worse. 

Explanation of trail closures.

The Main Loop Trail looks so EASY here!
HA! This is a fake-out. 

These nice trail maps are
throughout the park. They don't want 
people getting lost out here in the heat!

While the trail was flat with pea gravel, I made good time. The trail started up gradually and then the gravel quickly turned to step-like rocks. It was medium-hard toward the start, but got steeper and rockier in a hurry!

Going up!

It's a must to keep an eye out so you don't injure your "head and shoulders, knees, and toes." Do you remember that song from camp? I sure do. It was our camp calisthenics. 

It's easier than you think to catch a toe on a small rock or hit your head on a low-hanging tree. If you do either of those things, you could end up with knee and toe injuries. You have to always keep your eyes open for problem areas. Even small pebbles on bigger rocks can cause a marble-like effect in which you feel like you're walking on ball bearings! 

Again, there were many mountain laurels gracing the trails. My senses were attuned to the scents of mountain laurel and junipers. Cool breezes pleasantly brushed my face and arms. 

Another mountain laurel.

I made it from the Main Loop Trail to the Vista Loop Trail. Soon I would have to decide the length and difficulty I wanted to do today; the first of seven straight days of 5k-10k walks. I had until partway through the Vista Loop Trail to make up my mind. 

Yup, this is what
I'm talking about.

Close-up of mountain
laurel flowers.

Here, I am at the intersection of the 
Main Loop and Vista Loop trails. 

Guide to the trail
difficulty levels.

Once I looked at the trail difficulty level and length of the difficulty, I had the information needed to choose either the 5k or 10k route. The trail guide above showed the 2.9 mile Restoration Trail (the 10k route) as difficult. I wanted to save my energy for the other six walks this week, most of which will be 10k. I chose to do the 5k walk. 

Even though I had 10k instructions, I have hiked this park enough to know where I can cut through to make the hike shorter. The Upland Range Trail is an easy cross-over back to the Main Loop Trail. I had already done two miles and it was 1.1 mile to the exit. I turned right and enjoyed the rest of the hike down. 

Upland Range Trail and another
mountain laurel. 

The breeze was so pleasant and birds unknown to me were carrying on in the trees. I passed some ladies heading down the hill, but I didn't know any of them.

The sign by this plant said
"Mountain Grape, Vitis monticola."
I don't think so, this isn't a 
vine!

Wildflower identifier kiosk.

Yuccas blooming next to the 
parking lot.

This is a very popular park and not everyone here is a volksmarcher. In fact, this park is so popular on weekends that you have to get to their small parking lot as soon as they open the gate at daybreak. If you don't get there early, you have to park along a busy road or at an elementary school about 1/2 mile away. 

As I was leaving, I saw Sheri Logan and asked her if she was going to lunch. She said she hadn't thought about it, so I invited her to go with me. We had a very nice lunch at Panera Bread. Thanks, Sheri, for taking a lunch break.

After lunch, I ran a couple of errands. First, I had to go pick up a Rabies Certificate for my cat in case they want to see it when we go through Canada this summer. Second, I needed to get air let out of my tires. I had them filled when it was cold; but now that it's hot, they're at 47 psi. They should be at 36 psi so Discount Tire took care of that for me.

Tomorrow, I am off to Castroville (the Little Alsace of Texas). My plan is to do a 10k walk.

Susan Medlin couldn't walk with me today because she was busy marking the walk in Castroville for tomorrow. And tomorrow, she is volunteering at a checkpoint, so I will see her when I walk by. She does so much for Volksmarching! Kudos to you, Susan!