LOUISIANA

WHERE HAVE ALL THE STARBUCKS GONE? (With apologies to the late Pete Seeger)

One hundred seventy-one miles we drove - from Fort Sam to the outskirts of Houston - without seeing a single Starbucks. Bless Katy, TX for providing Linda with the boost to drive through Houston and on to the Elks in Beaumont. 

Edmund P. Kuempel I-10 Rest Area, named after the US Representative, who died in 2010, and built at a cost of $1 Million. Texas provides excellent rest areas for travelers.

Find the Lazy Daze.

Houston, TX skyline from I-10.

Interstate lane makings. A big help at 60 MPH.

Elks parking lot, US 90, railroad tracks and refinery in that order.

The next morning, Linda was as happy as a cat in a sunbeam. At a Starbucks stop by 9AM, it was almost 70 degrees and sunny. Warm at last!

Speaking of happy cats...

WALTZ ACROSS TEXAS

We have now driven the entire width of Texas, 877 miles to be exact. We enjoyed pretty much every minute of it. We reminisced about past trips, planned this trip (Carole doesn't allow planning future trips), took evasive measures when the "Polar Vortex"  threatened, and watched the variety of landscapes unfold. There's a pleasure in realizing you've reached Hill Country or the Piney Woods, of coming into a favorite city like San Antonio or seeing bayous unfold. Although glad we had two days at Fort Sam Houston, we're sorry to leave without re-visiting the many other places we've come to know. But Florida is still 400 miles. 

Foiled again! It was a beautiful plan. Carole has never been to Louisiana. We didn't have to be in New Orleans until Wednesday. We would stay at Lake Fausse Pointe State Park, near St Martinville, visit Avery Island  (http://www.tabasco.com/avery-island/) and get a taste of the Cajun part of the state. Right after the state line, we stopped in the Louisiana Visitor Center for maps and information. While we were there, the Department of Transportation began erecting signs warning of icy roads. We knew another cold wave was predicted but here it was, a day early. As we started to drive again, total cloud-cover moved in. It made little sense to do anything but proceed to New Orleans where we could wait out the storm. The prospect of seeing snow in New Orleans was somehow appealing. 
 

Grayhound has a new competitor. We are seeing these everywhere now.

This was a Comfort Stop on the way. Free wifi is included.

Inside the Visitor Center Carole gets her first look at Mardi Gras decorations.

We had invited Sally, Linda's college roommate, to spend the weekend in New Orleans with us. She and Linda roomed together there forty years ago. It would be quite an experience to re-visit old haunts together and show Carole 'their' New Orleans.

Sally and Linda worked for Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries, giving this poster real meaning.