Texas

Have you seen the pictures lately? If you haven't remember to go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30520769@N06/ November 1st, Saturday: It was a good couple days in the San Antonio area but it was time to keep moving. LaFawnduh is moving northwest on Interstate 10 towards Port Angeles. Recall my comment that Texans do it differently, today is another example of this fact for the speed limit out here in Western Texas is 80 mph. First time we have ever seen this (ever, Montana used to have open highways, but not any longer). Just west of San Antonio the scenery changed as well. Rolling hills made up of mostly live oak and juniper. The consensus of the family is that this was prettier than swamp land. The road kill changed as well. Less in number and more variety (Florida was reptilian, now the majority of the poor creatures are mammalian). Near Junction, Texas over a 200 yard section of roadway we saw a raccoon, a snake, and a fox. We never see any creatures out by the highway during daylight so the thought is that the animals are all perishing at night when they come onto the roadway for warmth. For the most part, these southern states (Texas included) has road kill that is more or less indiscernible. We haven’t seen a single road crew on Texas' I-10 and we have been on it for hundreds of miles. Shredded tire tread and animals are very abundant. We haven’t even seen anyone mowing in Texas. There isn’t grass as you and I know it, but there is something that is akin to grass along the median and road side. It is straggly and about eighteen inches high. Sparse. At Fort Stockton we headed northwest on a 2-lane highway (with a wide shoulder no less). We were considering stopping in Pecos, until we actually drove through it and decided to pass. North of Pecos on US Highway 285 we saw our first mountains since North Carolina. There were shouts of joy in LaFawnduh. An observation: This land is what you and I would refer to as being desolate. However, the original immigrants to the area were folks trying to farm (unsuccessfully) or ranch (we have seen more goats grazing than beef cattle). So, these folks were hard pressed to make ends meet. Then oil was discovered at the same time our culture decided that it couldn’t exist without it and these dirt farmers were almost instantly wealthy. Con has a former colleague in Missoula who has so much wealth from her family’s oil royalties that she owned Ali Sheba, a pretty fine racehorse in his day. Horse racing was a hobby for Pam S. You do such things if you have Texan oil. That is until the easy oil has been removed and all is left is the more expensive crude oil (requiring steam extraction techniques, etc.). We saw a number of capped wells but don't worry, these resilient Texans have been replaced the oil wells with wind generators. So, the moral to this little paragraph is that Texans take nothing and become filthy rich from it. Land that was thought to be useless. Air that is driven by the sun. Geez, Texans are bright people. Or at least very lucky, or very adaptive. As we neared the New Mexico border we saw the first large farm. A dairy farm. Probably 300 Jerseys in the pasture. Circle irrigation platforms were nearby providing water for hay (and cotton). There were also a number of drilling rigs working the land. Belching diesel exhaust into the sky as the RPM’s turned up to drill another pipe length. There are two grades of diesel. On road and off road. On road has practically no sulphur content these days and is actually very clean. I see this grade of diesel fuel as being an alternative fuel to gasoline powered passenger cars (Volkswagen for instance is providing diesel engines in most of its line, JEEP is even going to have a diesel option for the Wrangler). If you see black smoke belching into the air (as when a locomotive begins to move or as we observed on the oil platforms) that diesel fuel is “off road”. It has a different standard and is chalked full of sulphur. The worse fuel for pollution is however one that we have passing by us in Port Angeles. Bunker oil. One tanker produces as much air pollution in one day as 100,000 cars. And, we have seen a dozen ocean going vessels in front of the Bluff House at one time. Ponder that one friend. October 31st Trick or Treating in Boerne, Texas (pronounced Bernie), We drove the short distance into the small community of Boerne. The girls were glad we did. After a short while there were nothing but smiles and two jack-o-lanterns full of candy. They would have had more candy except the kind Boerne folks would inevitably ask, “Where do you live?” When they did this they expected to hear “two blocks from here on Oak Street”, but what the girls told them was, “Port Angeles, Washington”. And, the five-ten minute conversation was begun. One gal even took the time to call her sister and describe the girls to her. She also gave Con a newspaper article describing the founding of Boerne (German immigrants). Comments from this evening: Audrey: “This is the best Halloween ever! People are so sweet!” “Let’s go home I have enough candy to last until Christmas!” Hannah: “It’s a Halloween miracle!” “Dad, I’ll remember this Halloween for as long as I live!” Connie: “I think I’m going to cry.” Halloween is one of those holidays that we hold dear as children. For me it was a combination of quantity and quality. I hoped to reap enough candy to last me until Thanksgiving (Audrey apparently fares better than I). But, I also remember that the Baumgartner’s gave quarters, and Harry Lambert always gave full size Hershey bars, no little miniatures from him. Tonight will undoubtedly be a Halloween that the girls do remember. How couldn't it be? It was 72 degrees out. But, somehow I don’t think it is going to be the weather that the kids remember. Oh yeah, Cocoa was a hot-dog. We took her with us and she was a hit with the kids and adults alike. Tomorrow, unfortunately is November. August, September, October, three solid months of adventure and exploration and wonderful, unexpected treasures such as the people of Boerne, Texas. November means the end of the trip. Now that is sad. October 31, 2008, Friday here in San Antonio: Another one of those days where we experienced a destination that in itself could have been the reason for the trip. The Alamo is a place that we had never been before and it was worth the effort to see it. You know the history of the place and I won’t bother to repeat it here, absolutely fascinating. We know the names, Crockett, Bowie, and William Travis, who as commandant of the fort wrote the eloquent letter asking for reinforcements. To The People of Texas andAll Americans In The World --February 24, 1836 Fellow citizens & compatriots, I am beseiged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna -- I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man -- The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken -- I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls -- I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism, & every thing dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch -- The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country -- VICTORY OR DEATH William Barret TravisLt. Col. Comdt. Only 32 men came to the Alamo to reinforce the garrison. All from Gonzalez, Texas. They would all die in the end. Then there is downtown San Antonio. The River Walk and the River itself (actually flood control canals). Picturesque and the closest thing that we have in the US to rival Venice. Right now there are 3-1/2 miles of waterways and another six miles are under construction to go north (to a brewery) and there is talk of another construction project to further the waterways south. The girls enjoyed the cuisine, the walk, and the boat ride. Right now Con is napping in preparation for tonight’s trick-or-treating, and the girls are playing tennis. For it is Halloweeen in Texas. October 30, 2008, Thursday: Driving around the Houston area a few things were apparent. First, gas was cheap in this oil rich state. $1.99 per gallon of unleaded gasoline, and $2.49 per gallon of diesel at the TA Fuel Service Center off of I-10 approximately 20 miles east of Houston. They are similar to Flying J’s and they proudly display their prices on signs that can easily be seen from the highway. Secondly, there are skyscrapers in the Houston area, but they are difficult to see for all of the POLLUTION. . . . I haven’t seen pollution like this since I was a teenager and we drove through Detroit on the way to Grandpa Bob’s in Capac, Michigan. I've recently been in Los Angeles and for whatever reason, it was nothing like here. This place has air pollution that makes the sky brown. POLLUTION. Made for a great environmental science discussion in LaFawnduh. We drove southwest from Houston towards San Antonio and I was surprised by the heavy traffic volume, which lasted sixty miles or so before finally easing a bit. It was as if we were driving north on I-5 from Seattle on a Friday evening, but it was only Thursday morning. Go figure. Road kill has finally subsided. It seems that in the south they don’t bother to pick up road kill since they realize that eventually vultures will haul the pieces away or the semi trucks will flatten them out to indiscernible masses. Not so much in Texas, but definitely in Florida and Louisiana. Geez, there have been dead things all over the place. Not just a few, but folks, lots of them. So many, I'm getting tired of looking at them. Another thing that I have noticed here in the south. Right now the temperatures are very pleasant and I would expect to see a plethora of bicycles on the roads. But, alas I have only seen one in the entire south, and that was way back in Florida. One of the reasons may be that these southerners do not understand the concept of road shoulders. There are absolutely none on many of the 2-lane highways around here. Beyond the fog line (the continuous white line on the edge of the roadway) is dirt. I would not ride a bicycle on these roads. One could write a song, “Where have all the bicyclists gone? A long time passing.” With the cheap gas Texans have an abundance of Chevy Suburbans and Dodge one ton pickups. And, they drive these things like they were in Boston. Meaning very aggressively. A guy on an on-ramp is not going to yield to LaFawnduh and Kip who is in the traffic lane and is unable to move to the right for the heavy traffic. Geez. Another observation of mine. The roadways in Texas are different than any that I have encountered in America. Seems as if the Texans play by a different set of rules. They don't care what America does, they are simply going to do as Texans care to do. For example, the off-ramps and on-ramps onto I-10 are nothing like anywhere else. Signage is different and good luck in deciphering it. At home I have a collection of US Historical flags (about a dozen which I rotate on a daily basis, but not now, there are no flags at the house). One of them happens to be the “Gonzalez” flag. It is the simplest flag that I have. White with black letters saying, “Come and Take It” and a drawing of a cannon barrel. Pretty simple. It seems that a bunch of Texans had stolen a canon from the Mexican army and hauled it off to a fort in Gonzalez. The Mexicans wanted their canon back (a small, six pounder) so they attacked the fort. After awhile the American flag (stars and stripes) had been so riddled by musket fire that it was indiscernible. The Texans took a sheet and drew on it the cannon and added the above words. The fort held. The above is one of two versions of the Gonzalez Canon story. The second one is boring and I won’t bother to tell it. But, at mile marker 618 is a GREAT Texan rest area where we saw our first cactus of the trip, and the kids played on the playground (safe enough for Andrew to play without requiring suturing). And, there is a replica of the Gonzalez flag and the canon plus the story at the rest stop. I still hold Mississippi in the Number one spot, and West Virginia as number two, but this one now edges out North Carolina for the three spot of rest areas. Sorry, NC. The only reason that the West Virginia site is in the number two spot is that it had a spectacular view of mountains plus unfortuantely, a prison. If the prison weren't there, WV would occupy number one. Rest stops in Louisiana were absolutely non-existent. Most of the rest stops in Texas are actually called, “Picnic Stops” since they lack restrooms but do have covered picnic tables. Geez, that is great. I would not want to walk into the nearby “woods” for the stench of human urine and feces. Not to mention the diamondback rattlesnakes. But, at mile marker 618 on I-10 (westbound) is a great rest area. It is however after the well advertised Buckee truck-stop. This is advertised almost as much as Wall Drug is while driving across South Dakota. Buckee is apparently renowned for their restrooms. Apparently, being in a state where the rest areas lack restrooms means that the private sector has to step up to the plate and provide a place for citizens to go number one and number two. Thank goodness for capitalism. Strange to see billboards bragging about a place to take a pee (no fooling, one read: "Our Restrooms are so Clean You have to Pee our Restrooms, to Believe it"). The parking lot for Buckee was nearly full (on a Thursday afternoon on the day before Halloween no less). But, there was no place to park LaFawnduh and Kip so we had to reluctantly move on. This made for the second day in a row that we’ve been foiled by the lack of parking for our nearly 56 ft. long pair. Alas, I can’t comment about the Buckee restrooms. Oh darn. That’s about it. We are nestled in San Antonio. Actually, we are camping within the city limits, but that is a misnomer, for the city limits extends for miles around what you and I would call the city, heck, we are out in cactus country and we are still in the city of San Antonio. Tomorrow we hope to be tourists and go to the Alamo. For tonight, we will string our lights on LaFawnduh in preparation for the big day, Trick-or-treating RV style. October 29th, Wednesday: 34 degrees in Slidell, Louisiana overnight. Who would have thunked it? We made a list of the things that we wanted to do (see) on the way back to PA. Counting the remaining days in the trip (I do have to get back to work after all and the kids do have to go back to school) and considering the potential unknowns (illnesses, breakdowns (of people and machinery) and the weather), we decided it was time to continue this little venture westward. Fair the well New Orleans. We aren’t going to be at Big Al’s for the all you can eat crab feed on Wednesday night after all. A perfect day for driving. No air conditioner needed, so the windows of the RV were open and the air felt fresh and invigorating. A perfect temperature. There was an elevated section of roadway (I-10) near Baton Rouge that was miles upon miles upon miles of straight roadway above swamp. Swamp. And more swamp. We said, “Hello” to Saint Charles, childhood home of Ivy as we passed by. We tried to stop at the “Boiling Cajun” restaurant west of St. Charles but the parking lot was full and there was nowhere nearby to park the RV-Jeep combination. So, it was back onto the interstate and more smiles and miles. Gasoline in Baton Rouge was $2.11 that’s right. Two dollars and eleven cents per gallon of unleaded regular (87 octane). No typo, no 2 that was supposed to have been a 3 or a 4, Folks, it is a 2. Diesel in and near Baton Rouge was $2.99. After all, those are drilling platforms in the gulf and oil wells in the fields that we are driving past. I wished I had a 900 gallon tank instead of the 90 gallons that it is. Folks it had been up to $4.99 per gallon in PA, and when I filled up in July before the trip I’m pretty sure I paid $4.59, so $2.99 is almost fuel for free. Almost, not quite, but it is $144 cheaper per fill up. That’s significant. There were rice fields in Louisiana. Some recently harvested some near harvest, and some actually being harvested as we drove past. I had never seen that before. We entered the Lone Star State and felt closer to home until we looked at the mile marker. 880. Yep, 880 miles across the state on I-10. I sure wish Con could drive a bit. Her total driving contribution for the trip thus far was 43 miles or so in Minnesota and 1 mile in North Carolina. Around Durham there had been an accident and traffic had slowed to a crawl (stopping from time to time). During one of the stoppages I switched places with Con so that I could use the “head”. Con slipped into the driver’s seat. At the next stoppage we switched again. It was roughly a mile and had taken about fifteen minutes.. Today we are stopped just east of Houston. Today’s driving was 350 Miles including the failed attempt to eat at the Boiling Cajun. That brings the official total for LaFanduh to 8,055. The only reason that we stopped here was to get out the textbooks for the kids. As I’m pecking away at this letter, the girls are working on Math (again). If all goes well, tomorrow we will be in San Antonio and visiting the Alamo. It will soon be November, our last month of this journey and this trip that we have looked forward to for such a long time will soon be in the rear view mirror. That’s kinda sad, so I guess I’ll go toss the ball for Cocoa.