A year ago, the stretch of river off of Mitchell by Boneshakers and the perch where G&G Bistro sometimes parks its food truck resembled a lunar landscape. Today, its stunning wildflowers would inspire an Onderdonk to pick up a brush.
Took a tour, a bit unofficial, of the next phase of the Mission Reach, scheduled to open in mid-June. With no landscaping yet, it appears stark. But the scale is so much greater than one is used to on the more urbanized portions of Paseo del Rio; the sweeping vistas are breathtaking even now.
The San Antonio River Authority is applying lessons learned from the earlier phases. Temporary drip irrigation hoses are installed, which should jumpstart seedlings quickly.
Like me, the water birds are impressed by the dramatic environmental improvements. Impatient, they already have staked out their islands and fishing turf well ahead of the restoration of the riparian plants on the banks.
Update posted on June 27, 2012: Donald Ewers shares some great photos of the happy inhabitants of the Mission Reach a year later….
Postcards from Barton Springs 
Thanks for the heads up. Can’t wait to see it all Onderdonked out! We’ve only been there once, and it was trés lunar at the time.
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