The Texas Independence Trail Ride
The ride covered four days and 890 miles through the scenic back roads and byways of central and southeastern Texas and the Gulf Coast, traversing the very towns and places where Texas history was made and a new country was formed, the Republic of Texas. This ride had special meaning for me, being a sixth generation Texan and a Son of the Republic of Texas. I traveled through the historic towns and sites where battles were won and lost in Texas' fight for independence from Mexico, including Presidio La Bahia in Goliad, the Battle of Gonzales site near Gonzales, Fannin Battleground near Goliad, the Alamo in San Antonio and the San Jacinto battlefield in La Porte.
I visited Washington on the Brazos in Washington, the site where a group of Texans convened and signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. I visited historic towns where the likes of Stephen F. Austin, David Crockett, James Bowie, William Barrett Travis, Sam Houston and Juan Seguin ate, slept and fought, including San Felipe, the original capitol of Stephen F. Austin's Old 300 colony, Goliad, Gonzales, Seguin, Floresville, Victoria, Brazoria, Galveston and San Antonio. One of my most inspiring moments was the view as I approached the San Jacinto Monument from the deck of the Lynchburg Ferry. At over 567 feet tall, the San Jacinto Monument is the tallest masonry column in the world, and is 12 feet taller than the Washington Monument.
Of course as is always the case on a ride, I ventured upon some other most interesting places, including St. Martin's Catholic Church, the smallest active Catholic Church in the world; the Watermelon Water Tank in Luling; the Women and Lunatic Cell in the Gonzales County Jail; a strange taxi in Round Top; the Battleship of Texas in La Porte; and finally a stop at the W.C. Lueckemeyer General Store in Independence, where I had a refreshing libation with the locals while watching a re-run of Gunsmoke. Check out the web album to see these, and other pictures of this great ride.
Day 1 – Austin to Victoria; 337 mi., 9 ½ – 10 hrs
From Austin: 183 to 71 to 20 South
Short Side Trip: Continue 3 mi. past Hwy 20 turnoff to Bastrop
Bastrop
POI: Courthouse
Backtrack on 71 west
Take left on 20 South (Texas Independence Trail) to Lockhart
Lockhart
Continue on 20; left on 80 SE to Luling
Luling
183 South; right on P11 to 2091
Left on Alt 90 to Gonzales
Gonzales
POI: Downtown Historic District
POI: Courthouse
POI: Historic County Jail
POI: Historic Mobil Station
POI: Gonzales Museum (Come and Take It Cannon)
Lunch: Gonzales Food Market (great barbecue)
Continue south on 183; right on 97
POI: Battle of Gonzales Historic Site
Right on 466; left on Alt 90 to Seguin
Seguin
POI: Juan Seguin Statute; Pecan Statute
Right on 46; left on 78 to Schertz
South on 1518 toward Elmendorf
Optional Side Trip: Take I 10 West 17 mi. to San Antonio
POI: The Alamo
Backtrack on I 10 to 1518; continue south
Elmendorf
Continue 327 to Loop 1604 South
Left on 1303; right on 2579 south
Left on 536 to Floresville
Floresville
POI: Wilson Co. Courthouse
Falls City
181 South; left on 81 East to Panna Maria
Panna Maria
POI: Immaculate Conception Church
Helena
Left on 239 east to Goliad
Goliad
POI: Presidio La Bahia; Fannin Memorial
POI: Mission Espiritu Santo
POI: Courthouse Square
POI: Market House Museum
Continue 59 toward Fannin
POI: Fannin Battleground
Continue 59 North to Victoria
Victoria
Lodging: Friendly Oaks B & B
210 E Juan Linn
Dining Options: Fossati’s Deli or Taqueria Victoria, Main St.
Day 2: Port Lavaca; Palacious; Galveston, La Porte; 234 mi., 6 ½ - 7 hrs
185 south; left on 35 east
Port Lavaca
POI: Calhoun Co Courthouse
POI: Halfmoon Reef Lighthouse
Continue on 35 east
Palacious
Right on 521; left on 60 north to Bay City
Bay City
POI: Matagorda Co Courthouse
Continue on 35 toward West Columbia
Right on 36 South to Brazoria
Brazoria
Go 523 to 332 to Surfside
Surfside
Left on Blue Water Hwy 3005 East
Galveston
I 45 North to 146 North to La Porte
La Porte
Lodging: Comfort Suites La Porte
902 South 8th Street, La Porte, TX 77571
Dinner Option: Baytown Seafood
Day 3: San Jacinto Battleground; San Felipe; Washington; Brenham; 177 mi., 8 – 8 ½ hrs
North on 146; left on 330 spur
Left on Lynchburg Rd.
POI: Lynchburg Ferry
POI: San Jacinto State Park; Battleship of Texas
Continue Battleground Rd south
Right on 225 to 610 west to 90A west to 59 South
Rosenberg
Lunch Stop: 2M’s Burger Mart, Rosenberg
To 36 to 60 to San Felipe
San Felipe
POI: San Felipe State Historic Site (First Capitol of S.F. Austin’s 300)
Backtrack south to Sealy road; take right
Sealy
Go 36 north
Bellville
POI: Austin Co Courthouse
Right on 1456 north
Left on 1371; left on 290 E
Chappell Hill
Late Lunch Option: Bevers Kitchen
Continue 1155 north to 912 to Washington
POI: Washington on the Brazos State Park & Museum
Continue 1155; left on 105 SW to Brenham
Brenham
Lodging: Best Western Inn
1503 Highway 290 E
(979) 251-7791
Dinner Option: Ant Street Inn Capitol City Grill, Downtown
Day 4: Austin from Brenham; 133 mi., 5 hrs
From Hotel take 50 north to Independence
Independence
POI: W.C. Lueckemeyer Country Store
POI: Sam Houston’s Wife’s Gravesite
POI: Independence Baptist Church (Sam Houston’s Church)
Continue West on Scenic 390 toward Burton
Take Hwy 290 west to 237 SW to Round Top/Warrenton
Round Top
POI: Round Top Festival Institute
Warrenton
POI: St. Martin’s Catholic Church (Smallest Active Catholic
Church in the World)
Continue 237 to Hwy 71 to 183 north
Austin |
