Our Texas holiday, Part 1 of 3

[Mr Kleb]

As I posted a few days ago Faye and I went on a three week holiday to Texas. Now that we have had a chance to relax, catch up on chores, and take in another foster dog (post here), I will share more about our trip. This is the first of three posts.

We drove our Mazda3 hatchback which had enough room for us, Achilles and Stella, and our stuff. We deployed a hammock-style seat cover and used Kurgo Tru-fit Enhanced Strength harnesses to secure them.

We also reduced expenses by often buying food and meals at grocery stores, then picnicking or eating in our hotel room. La Quinta was our chain of choice. Reasonably priced, pet friendly, comfortable rooms, and continental breakfast included.

The first day, Saturday, we made 540 miles in ten hours to Evansville IN. Day 2 saw us to Little Rock AR though there was a little unpleasantness on the way - moderate to heavy snow in southern Illinois.


Arkansas sees fit to not allow retail beer sales on Sunday - how backward! So we changed plans and went to BJ's Brew Pub for dinner and a sampler of their beers.

Once in Texas we mostly stayed off interstate freeways. Travelling on US and state highways as well as F.M. and R.M. roads was much more relaxing and enjoyable. We saw sights you miss while flaming down interstates.

Day 3 ended in Jacksonville TX, located in the region called the Piney Woods. We spent a day in the area and visited the pleasant country cemetery where my grandparents are buried.


A bluebonnet graced the cemetery.


We have interesting geneaological clues to that side of the family which I will follow up on. Does anyone do geneaology?

Driving a Piney Woods road.


This wisteria was about 20 feet tall and broad.


Nearby Palestine TX turned an empty school into a small museum which was unfortunately closed the day we were there.


A close-up of some brick work.


Across the road from the museum and right in the middle of town, a train came 'round the bend.


Jacksonville was once the centre of an important tomato growing area and whimsically painted concrete tomatoes abounded.






On day 5 we drove to Galveston, on the coast southeast of Houston, using the ferry to cross from Bolivar Peninsula to Galveston. This laughing gull kept a sharp eye on me.


Faye had acquired a cold so she unfortunately didn't enjoy this part of the trip as much as she might have. We spent a day here as well. We walked a little on the beach. Achilles the not-water dog was very unimpressed. We also visited Bishop's Palace, one of the buildings to survive the Great Storm [hurricane] of 1900, in which at least 6,000 people died.


A beautiful window.


Intricately carved plaster.


Dinner was at Fisherman's Wharf. Here's the appetizer - bacon wrapped shrimp.


The next day we had a late lunch at the Gumbo Diner. A shrimp po'boy for me and seafood gumbo for Faye which she really liked. We finished with warm beignets which were enjoyable though we probably won't have them again.

On Day 7 were were off to Austin. A couple wrong turns lengthened the trip by an hour or so.

We don't use a GPS and prefer not to. We can read maps and I have a decent sense of direction. When we got confused we consulted both and re-found our way. Also - to me, using a GPS eliminates the sense of exploration and discovery. And, it 'teaches to the test' in that one follows instructions instead of exercising independent thought as well as judgment.

Austin is my former hometown and we stayed with people who have two dogs, Charlie and Cato.


Achilles and Stella sorted things out fairly quickly with them. Achilles and Cato wrestled some and played chase. Stella chose to spend most of the time in our bedroom on the dog bed we took along. Understandable - Cato outweighed her by more than 2 to 1; Charlie by 3 to 1.

In Austin we ate most excellently. Our host grilled buffalo steak our first night which went wonderfully with salad.

Next: Days 8 - 14.

[POPTOP]

What a wonderful way to travel.

My parents traveled extensively every summer and always took the back roads to be able to see and enjoy more. They were always amazed at folks who were trying to visit a zillion sites in 10 days. Their travels were motivated by researching their family genealogy meeting some very nice "cousins" as my Mom called them. They carried cereal and the fixings for coffee, stopped and shopped for fruit and small containers of milk for breakfast every evening. They ate light at lunch saving that way and went out for a nice dinner.

Sorry Faye was not feeling good during part of the trip. Hopefully she recovered quickly.

Looking forward to the next chapter.

[Bamps]

That looks like a great trip. I did some of my genealogy and my wife did hers. She goes back back back in Texas to the battle of the Alamo on her maternal side. It's good too to back it up with DNA analysis.

Those are some awesome pics, can't wait to see more!!!

[labsnewfy]

Beautiful pictures! Hope Faye is feeling better. Nice that Achilles found a play mate so he could enjoy his vacation too, sweet Stella sometimes a girl just needs some alone time

I have no sense of direction so there are some trips if left on my own we see more of the area then we plan for since I have gotten older have relied more on GPS.

[Mr Kleb]

POPTOP, I dislike interstates and 400 highways (the Canadian analogue to interstates). One can cover a lot of ground on them . . . as long as traffic flows smoothly. And as I mentioned you miss a lot. Off of interstates, the emphasis is on making good time (seeing sights, stopping on a whim, and so on) rather than good miles. My parents never carried food or drinks; it's fortunate that we never broke down. Faye opened my eyes to this way of travel and it's been a very good wake-up.

Bamps, that's cool. One of my dad's ancestors was captured in the Civil War. He was eventually furloughed, found his way to Galveston, then walked home to Jacksonville . . . about 200 miles.

labsnewfy, Faye recovered fairly quickly. We all have strengths and weaknesses. There are many things I need help with . . . like math, finding stuff in our kitchen, visualizing moving walls around in a house . . .

[kimbersmom]

Very cool. Love the photos from Galveston. I read ISAAC'S STORM a few years ago; really interesting story about the 1900 Hurricane. I haven't been back to Austin since the late 1990s, but it's also on my travel wish list.

[barry581]

What a great road trip!!! Can't wait to hear more!

[Mr Kleb]

kimbersmom, that's interesting! I read 'A Weekend in September' which is another book about the hurricane. My grandparents, dad, uncles, and aunt lived in Galveston in the 1930s.

barry581, thank you!

[Zookeepermom247]

Wow.. two dogs.. and your things in a Mazda 3 hatchback? I just traded mine, same make , for a Jeep wrangler to get more room!! It barely had room for Sophie who is 91 lbs..
zoo

[Mr Kleb]

Zookeepermom247, thanks for your comment! Our dogs are 51 and 35 lbs so they fit well in the back seat.

We had quite a few planning discussions which helped us refine what to take. Here's an incomplete list of what we packed: Basic car toolkit, extra antifreeze and oil, a gallon of water plus several water bottles; a 10lb bag of kibble with food bowls and Kongs; dog gate (never used it) with dog beds and sheets for covering furniture; small cooler containing utensils and lunch boxes; small jug of laundry soap; small bottle of dish detergent; a day pack for each of us. Total clothing for each of us included two pairs of jeans; one pair of shorts; swimsuit; a few pairs of socks and underwear; toque; gloves; light jacket; rain jacket. The carry-on size suitcase we had wasn't really needed. And we still had room for souvenirs.