El Camino Real Tour Update - October 21, 2005

We experience Guerrero, Piedras Negras, Eagle Pass, El Indio in that order!
Wait, you say, you arrived in Eagle Pass yesterday, but we’ll explain shortly why we really didn’t experience it until today. But, first, meet Al Kinsall, whom we met with at the Eagle Pass Chamber of Commerce parking lot this morning at 9:00 am (Mikail and I first met Al in June on our scouting trip.)

Guerrero, Mexico

Al is in his 80’s, a sports writer for the Eagle Pass News-Guide. He is also an avid student of the local history – Native American, Spanish, Mexican and Anglo. We immediately crossed the Rio Grande, passed through Piedras Negras, and headed to Guerrero, about 30 miles south of Piedras Negras but still only about five miles from the Rio Grande. Al is author of The Rio Grande Missions. We scored a copy. Yale University asked him for an autographed copy for their archives. Al and Buddy had a good time swapping historical stories as Buddy has visited Guerrero several times over the years to see relatives.

Guerrero was where the Spanish established there missions in the early 1700s to support the crossing of the Rio Grande for the El Camino Real de los Tejas. There is no crossing at the Rio Grande there anymore. The decision was made in 1857 to locate Fort Duncan at the present site of Eagle Pass, so that is the crossing now.

We visited the Mission San Bernardo, where Al treated us to an "a cappella" rendition of some of the Spanish hymns that were used at the time. We then went to the town of Guerrero – about a half mile away – to visit another church next to the square that was built in 1780 and is still in use. When we got there, Al (and we) were shocked to learn – to see for ourselves - that recently the steeple had collapsed! The mayor of Guerrero, Jesus Saucedo Ornelas, came out from the adjacent City Hall and we all, but especially our Spanish speakers Al and Buddy, had a good time in the square going over the recent and distant history. His Honor was pretty impressed that we were going to ride 600 miles of the EL CAMINO REAL DE LOS TEJAS to Louisiana. I was pretty impressed with His Honor’s handlebar mustache. I swear he had two good nested loops on the end of it. It’s been 30 years since I’ve had a mustache but it I may be ready to go for it again.

We drove back to Piedras Negras and wound up at the Restaurant Cabanitas in Piedras Negras. Three blocks from Al’s house. That’s right, Al lives in Piedras Negras, Mexico and commutes across the border to Eagle Pass for his sportswriter job. His wife is a nurse and I believe he said he has two school age kids. I told Al we needed to make him a cyclist as he wasn’t active enough.

Eagle Pass, Texas
So we finally dropped Al back at his car in Eagle Pass so we could put on our cool The Texas Heritage Cycling Experience jerseys and cycle from our motel down to Shelby Park on the Rio Grande to dip our rear wheels in the Rio Grande. Sixteen days from now we will dip our front wheels in the Red River in Natchitoches, Louisiana. That’s the plan. A damn good one, I hope.

So Al came again to visit us at the river. So did the mayor of Eagle Pass, Chad Foster. His Honor (second one in the same day) was wearing shorts. That’s because he wanted to show off his new ostrich boots. With the symbol for Eagle Pass in them. We know because we got some cool Eagle Pass pins to put on our jerseys and they matched the mayor’s boots. Except for the ostrich bumps.

Jesus Olivares, former Parks and Rec director for Austin, was also there. Jesus is now City Manager of Eagle Pass, his home town. I had worked with Jesus on some park issues when I was chair of our neighborhood planning team. I enjoyed seeing him again.

A bunch of press were there. We dipped our rear wheels into the Rio Grande and chatted and had a great time. Also collected water from the Rio Grande as we will from each river we cross. Then, off to El Indio for our short starter ride of 22 miles.

El Indio is south of Eagle Pass and a few miles from the Rio Grande – not far from Guerrero. But, remember, there is no crossing there. Felt good to stretch out on the bicycles. Buddy set a personal record of 16 miles before driving the van the rest of the way to El Indio. Buddy had to leave tonight to head back to Fort McKavett.

Tomorrow, the four of us head for Crystal City and the Triple R RV Campground on the Nueces River, among the Pecan Trees. Dudes and Dudettes, we be on our way.

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