Saturday, August 6, 2016

Road Trip 2016 - Presidio La Bahia

Our first night camping at Palmetto State Park was nice. The kids fell asleep and did not try to sneak out of their tent. I woke up at the crack of dawn. Boogs is definitely my child, he woke up shortly after I did while D and the J-boys slept for another hour or so.
It was very quiet this morning. The day visitors had not yet started to arrive and the other campers were still sleeping.
The boys had to play a few more rounds of badminton before breakfast. Unfortunately, J4 walked a little too close to a swinging racket and ended up with a slight black eye. That and a waffle iron burn were the only injuries this trip. Wahoo! We are improving our safety record.
We stopped at the scenic overlook near the park entrance.
While we were at the scenic overlook, a small gray and black kitten came up near the rocks. The boys started talking to it and decided it should be named Twix. A little while later, a little bit bigger kitten came up, too. The boys named it Yogurt. We gave them a some water before we left.
We drove to Goliad (it was a bit further than we originally thought) to visit the Presidio La Bahia (Fort Goliad). The Goliad location of Presidio La Bahia, was built back in 1749 as a Spanish Mission and fortress. Later on it became a major garrison in Mexican Texas. It was also the site of the worst massacre,  of 341 men under the leadership of Colonel James Fannin, during the Texas Revolution.
There is a museum area and gift shop when you enter the Presidio. We watched a short movie about the history of La Bahia before touring the museum area.

The entire fort and chapel have been carefully documented and in the 1960s were restored to look like they did in 1836.

It is hard to imagine so many soldiers and people living inside the walls of this fort. The boys loved exploring all parts of the Presidio.
They even found a little lizard.
We made them put him back. We could not keep the cats and we could not keep the lizard.
D and I enjoyed the shady benches while the boy's explored.
There are parts of the fort you can rent to stay in overnight. We thought about doing this, but the $200+ nightly fee was more than we could spend. It would have been an amazing experience.
There were many items to look at. Boogs and J3 ended up in jail.
We even played a little bit of hide and seek inside the grounds.
After we left the Presidio, we went over to visit the Fannin Memorial Monument where Colonel Fannin and his men were buried after Santa Anna ordered their execution.
We were all very hot and hungry by early afternoon.
We had a picnic lunch at Goliad State Park before heading back to Palmetto State Park for another swim to cool off.

This post is linked to:
Country Kids from Coombe Mill

18 comments:

  1. This looks like a fantastic place to explore, love the tiny lizard #countrykids

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    1. Thanks. They had fun and learned more about Texas history while visiting there.

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  2. what a great visit for the boys. somewhere like this is so important to a country's history and the best way to learn is by visiting. All those poor soldiers that lost their lives. The fort looks great for exploring and with friends too a perfect day trip.

    Thank you for sharing with me on #CountryKids

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  3. Thank you for sharing an insight into the area with us. I imagine that the cats roam free there as the lizard does. #countrykids

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  4. Looks like an amazing place to explore, with lots to do and enjoy, same about the cost of the stay though #CountryKids

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    1. The boys had fun exploring there during the daytime.

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  5. Looks like an interesting historical trip. I always think practical history like that is so much better for children than in school. It sinks in better. #countrykids

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    1. I think they retain the info better when they can experience the places they read about in history books.

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  6. Like you I also love gettimng up early on camping trip and tries enjoying the camp by myself! I usually walk around and bring my camera with me and try to record as much as I can while everyone is asleep!

    Congratulations on having less accidents in this trip =P

    #countrykids

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    1. I don't want to get up early, I simply am incapable of sleeping in. Thanks, we were hopping not to have to break out the first aid kit this year.

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  7. Looks like a fantastic historical trip!
    Well done on the low accident score too :) #countrykids

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    1. Ha! It is quite an accomplishment for us to have safe travels.

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  8. What an amazing experience this must have been. Haha I love that the boys named the cats that just so sweet. Xx #countryKids

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    1. They are still talking about those cats and how they with we could have brought them home.

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  9. What a great place to explore! Awww that lizard is so cute. :)
    #countrykids

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