|
|
 |
Ghost Ride
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ghost Ride into History
Don Bouchard
10/01/2005
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Don Bouchard
|
Upon making the decision to explore Goliad, Texas, an
area rich with history from the time of the Texas revolution, some research
online reveals a one-of-a-kind destination just south of Goliad: the Presidio la
Bahia. Built in 1749, it is the oldest surviving Spanish mission and presidio
(fort) in North America. The fully restored presidio is owned by the Diocese of
Victoria, which still holds mass in the chapel. And if you don’t mind bunking
with the 322 ghosts of Fannin’s men—the Presidio la Bahia is said to be the most
haunted place in Texas—you can spend the night in the former officers’ quarters
and have the entire complex to yourself.
 |
| (Click image to enlarge) |
|
|
Not ones to burn daylight, we had
fired up the Harleys and rolled early, throttles and dawn cracking
simultaneously. Determined to stay off of any road with more than two lanes, I
had mapped our route to the presidio with care to take only back roads. Texas
has the finest system of two-lane blacktop in the country. I have found that
every road—even in the middle of nowhere—leads to something interesting. Though
the Presidio la Bahia at Goliad is our destination, we choose a roundabout
route, and plan to stop at each historical marker along the way. This is what
elevates motorcycling above driving in four-wheeled conveyances: the experience
of being there, not merely whizzing through, oblivious to the sights, sounds,
smells, and sense of each special little place. We pass through Eagle Lake (the
goose-hunting capital of the world), Shiner (home of the Spoetzle Brewery, the
maker of Shiner Bock), Cuero (an antique hunter’s treasure trove), and more. Our
route follows no straight lines and frequently proceeds 90 degrees off the
most-direct route until intersecting with another road—or four—that brings us,
eventually, to the next settlement on the way to Goliad.
 |
The wonderful Texas farm-to-market roads provide scenic, winding,
rolling, delightful paths for our journey back in time. (Click image to enlarge) |
|
|
Seldom do 10 miles
pass without a historical marker. They keep us well-informed and immersed in the
time travel of this road trip. We discover the Stage Coach Inn, an 1850’s
version of a biker bar, in an area settled primarily by Lithuanians during the
same decade. We find the starting point for a prong of the famed Chisholm Trail.
Along this route, Texas cowboys drove more than 10 million cattle north to
railheads in Missouri, the largest movement of animals under human control in
all history. We read of Texans who went to war, ordinary men who fought in the
Texas Revolution, the Mexican War, the Indian Wars, and the War Between the
States—even a few who fought in all of them. We discover that many Texans,
particularly those of German descent, who did not agree with Texas’ decision to
join the Confederacy fought for the Union, returning to Texas only at war’s end.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();){kind=link}