I wondered why the heck you were so eager to go to Menard
Well I coulda looked it up if I was looking for it I guess but actually when I turned right going out the gate instead of left to I 10 I had no idea that a) Menard was on the San Saba and b) the mission would be there.
Plain ol' noseyness pays off on occasion
Birdwatcher
Birdy, my wife & I had a similar experience last spring coming back from our bass-fishing expotition on the Llano River... we decided to mosey back on 2-lane roads rather than hit the I-10 stock car races on a Sunday morning, and our meandering path took us through Menard. We stumbled across the San Saba Mission west of town, and spent over an hour poking around there, watching the turtle sunning themselves on a log in the river, and eating a leisurely picnic brunch.
It's a fascinating story, as you pointed out in your post.
Up until we stumbled across the Mission, Menard was not my favorite Texas town... I'd been pulled over for "speeding" both times I'd passed through the town previously. (Literally ONE mile per hour over the 35-mph speed limit, on TWO separate occasions!) Just a word of caution to other 24HCF members who may feel compelled to travel there to see the old Presidio...
