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SWIMMING
TO MEXICO
Part
IV
by
John Troesser
WATER: Fort Clark and San Felipe Springs,
Lake Amistad and Devil’s River
TOWNS: Brackettville, Del Rio and Ciudad Acuna
FROM DALLAS : Glen Rose
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Swimming
to Mexico, Part III
FORT CLARK SPRINGS is a former Cavalry Post,
which has been turned into a private resort, owned by its members.
Berms have been added to the old parade ground, which is now a golf
course, but the main attraction continues to be the spacious spring-fed
pool. (Las Moras Springs). Rooms are available at the 38-room
hotel which was formerly a barracks. Guests are allowed the use of
the pool for the length of their stay. 210-563-2493. Rates are comparable
to hotels in Del Rio and Uvalde. The pool is not comparable to pools
in Del Rio or Uvalde. When you go, just remember that the pool closes
Thursdays for cleaning. A museum and many well preserved buildings
make it easy to imagine life here in the 1860s. The Post Theater remains
as it was in 1946, the year the Post was decommissioned. |
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The
pool at Fort Clark (Las Moras Springs)
TE photo |
BRACKETTVILLE
is named after Oscar Brackett who was a sutler to the Fort. This is
the county seat of Kinney County and the 1910 beaux-arts Courthouse
will be seen at the intersection of James and Ann streets.
ALAMO VILLAGE (Information
updated April, 2000)
If you follow the signs north on Hwy 674 you’ll find Alamo Village,
the movie set built for the 1959 John Wayne movie.
Open nine to five, seven days a week. Call them for information at
830-563-2580 or visit their website t: www.alamovillage.com
In addition to the Alamo replica (which most tourists prefer
to the real item), there’s a complete western town circa 1880s
on one side and a Mexican village on the other. Lonesome Dove was
one of the more recent productions filmed here. This is the largest
movie set built outside of Hollywood.
There is a complete full service restaurant serving homemade
Barbecue and Mexican food and the restroom facilities are much nicer
than they were in the 1880s.
As you leave town, follow the signs to the Seminole Scout Cemetery,
just west of town on 90, then south on 693. Continue west on 90 to
Del Rio.
Del
Rio Hotels > Book
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SAN FELIPE
SPRINGS
DEL RIO
Besides Ciudad Acuna, Del Rio will be the last city on this particular
tour. As you enter Del Rio you’ll notice a golf course on your right.
The road through the course is San Felipe Springs Road and will take
you to the source of San Felipe Creek. The springs
release 90 million gallons of pure water daily eventually reaching
the Gulf of Mexico via the Rio Grande. Moore City Park
with its stone banks offers a safe and shallow place for kids to play
in San Felipe Creek.
The Del Rio Chamber of Commerce is at 1915 Avenue
F. 830-775-3551. Check with them for walking and driving tours of
Del Rio, and information on crossing the border to Ciudad
Acuna. The bridge to Acuna is nearly 3 miles from Del Rio,
but all day parking is available at reasonable rates on the U.S. side.
Del
Rio Hotels > Book
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LAKE
AMISTAD
CIUDAD ACUNA
has a population of nearly 120,000 but is surprisingly clean and tranquil
compared to other border towns. The Dam at Lake Amistad
is a good photo opportunity for the magnificent twin eagle statues
(fraternal not identical). If one is there at dusk, a flag lowering
ceremony takes place on the Mexican side with the Mexican national
anthem provided by a tape on a cassette recorder.
The big attraction of course is Lake Amistad. With 1000 miles of shoreline
and 65,000 acres, this is one lake in Texas (and Mexico) that is not
over-fished. Besides fishing, Lake Amistad offers swimming, boating
and even scuba diving. Managed by the National Park Service, the headquarters
is on Hwy 90 just west of the city limits. The U.S. side has 3 marinas
with one reserved for Air Force personnel. The Mexican side has a
marina and a Mexican fishing license is required if you fish that
side, but it is sold at the U.S. marinas as well.
Every October the two cities have a month long Celebration of Friendship,
with races, beauty pageants and all sorts of festivities, which proves
that U.S.– Mexican relations would fare better without politicians.
Del
Rio Hotels > Book
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For
The Adventurous:
DEVIL’S RIVER
Devils River
State Natural Area
: 830/395-2133
From Del Rio take Hwy 277 north for about 40 miles to Loma
Alta. Continue north for three and a half miles, left on
Dolan Creek Road for 22 miles. The Devil’s River State Natural Area
has a 12-mile hiking trail. Here the springs feed the river which
empties into Lake Amistad. The Devil’s River would be river # 10 but
due to its remoteness we only mention it briefly.
Texas' least-known Lover's
Leap is a cliff on the Devil's River... more
Del
Rio Hotels >
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We hope you’ve enjoyed traveling with us and look forward to serving
you in the future. Please remain in your car until it comes to a complete
stop. Look for next July’s feature "Swimming back from Mexico".
Mexico
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GETTING
THERE
FROM DALLAS :
For our Dallas / Ft. Worth readers:
If swimming to Mexico doesn’t fit your schedule, get out your compass
and draw a 50-mile radius on your map, using Arlington as a center.
See all those lakes? You can explore on your own or wait for next
summer’s "Swimming around in Circles" article.
In addition to all these lakes, the Brazos and Paluxy Rivers
provide excellent tubing and canoeing.
The two rivers converge just south of Glen
Rose in Somervell County, a charming county seat that hosts both
the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant (Tours Mon. – Sat. 9-4)
and Dinosaur Valley State Park (254-897-4588). Split atoms
and dinosaurs is a combination second only to alcohol and firearms,
as far as we're concerned.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/dinosaur/dinosaur.htm
Dinosaur footprints are visible in the rock, under the water.
Glen Rose Chamber of Commerce: 254-897-2286.
To pick up the Swimming
to Mexico trail, go south on I-35 to San Marcos and Aquarena
Springs.
Book Your Hotel Here &
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Hotels >
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Rose Hotels >
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| "Now,
go take on the road." |
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