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Published: February 25th 2007
Looking for a Gun Fight!
I was ready for a gun fight, but no one would challenge me. All I got were a few laughs! The laughs were better than a fight anyway.2/14/07
The next morning I grabbed a quick breakfast at an IHOP. It was interesting the person waiting on me actually handled the monetary transactions without a cash register and simply made change from her pocket. I asked her about that and she said that’s how this one is ran. There was no register in the store anywhere and yes it all was on the up and up. I guess the IHOP folks get a percentage. Not sure of the details.
As I drove through Houston I was amazed at all the elevated highways. These guys are not afraid to put a highway in the air. These are some of the most amazing highways I have ever seen. Was not impressed with Houston, but then again I was only seeing a small part of it. It just seemed like a big City with not much character. I know their roads are big and wide and plentiful. That’s kind of nice for getting around.
From there I moseyed west to my destination of San Antonio. I still was feeling a little run down from my cold which I had gotten in New Orleans and did not really feel like seeing
any of the City tonight. I began looking for motels. The first motel was around $70 a night. I asked them why so high when I see signs on the interstate that say $39.95. She said there is a big rodeo convention in town and all the hotels have inflated their prices. I just love motels. They are so inconsistent. Anyway I ended up driving all the way through San Antonio and was really impressed with the City. The part I was seeing anyway was really new and kept up. As I drove west out of the City I decided to check motel prices again. The first place I stopped at again was over $70 and that guy said you can get a motel room for $40 and he briefly told me where it was and said the name was something like the dew-drop-in, but it will not be nearly as nice as this one. I decided to keep on trucking west. About a mile west of this place I found a Super 8 that was very nice at a price of $40. I quickly snapped it up.
I had not had pizza on this entire trip so I
Texas HIGHways
They are not afraid to put a road in the air in Texas. This photo is in Houston. went for pizza at Cici’s. It was very cheap, but not that good. It did fill the craving for pizza however. I also had a craving to watch American Idol and that was filled that night as well. Most of the night was spent working on the blog. Man does it feel good to sleep in a bed!
2/15/07
The next morning I left around 11 after working on the blog awhile longer. From there I went to the Alamo. I was very impressed with this monument. I had heard some people say that the monument is a let down, but I didn’t think so. I thought it was way cool Dude! I spent about an hour there and enjoyed it immensely.
From there I headed to the River Walk in downtown San Antonio. I really enjoyed the walk. It is very clean and modern looking while still holding true to a southern feel. They have boat tours on the river walk, which is essentially just a canal connected to the San Antonio river. I want to learn more about how they control the water levels . I’ll have to research that some other time. I stopped at
a Mexican place along the River Walk for lunch. I struggled understanding the menu and when they brought it out I still wasn’t sure if it was what I ordered, but I ate it nonetheless and it was good.
A lady that I met while doing the River Walk suggested I go to Buckhorns and said on my way to Austin to skip the interstate and go into the Hill Country. She said to stop at Boerne and have a brownie at their bakery and then wind through the hills to Austin. I thought that sounded like a great idea. I have been trying to get off the beaten path as much as possible on this trip.
Buckhorns was a pretty cool place. They have what seemed like a billion horns. It is a restaurant, but I had already eaten and they had what appeared to be a very cool museum, but I decided against paying the admission to see the horns. I am sure it would be cool however.
I enjoyed San Antonio a lot and would love to come back some day, but decided it was time to head for Austin. I went into the
San Antonio Skyline
Sorry Houston I like San Antonio's skyline much better. Hill Country as suggested and decided to stop and have that brownie. The brownie was ok and the milk tasted even better! Hadn’t had any milk for a few days so that hit the spot.
The Hill Country is very cool and looked pretty rugged. I saw a deer in one location, but it looked a little mainge or something. The vegetation in the area was rather sparse. I noticed the entrance gates to the ranches are big. I think the gate entrances often depicted a bigger ranch than what was there. I think the people in Texas are a little full of their big state, but what do I know? They call it Texas pride I call it something else. But wait a minute isn’t our sitting president from Texas? Don’t mess with Texas. Don’t mess with the United States. Cowboy diplomacy. Wanted dead or alive. It’s all making since now.
At one location they were doing road construction on a two-lane dirt road and they had flag men at both ends. They then have a truck that drives in circles all day guiding people through the construction zone. I would think with competent flag men with
Is this the Alamo?
I suspect Davey Crockett would not even recognize this place today! radios they could have eliminated the driver. I noticed a sign along a lot of the highways in Texas that states. “ Don’t Mess With Texas $2,000 fine for littering” I was wanting to get a picture of this sign, but kept missing my opportunities to do so. The amount often varies, which I assume is a County thing.
I made it to Austin around 8:00 pm that night and headed for the Hostel I was to stay in . My gps computer program put me on the Hostel, but I was looking on the wrong side of the street. I drove around for awhile and then decided to ask a person. He said it was just across the street. On the other side of the street was the hostel in a park like area. It seemed weird for this building to be way over there in the park, but that was definitely it.
I got checked in and ask about the music in Austin. There was a modern band playing at the Continental Club and a Honky Tonk Band playing at the Broken Spoke. It was a no brainer on where to go. Of course I was
going Honky Tonking. Between 8 and 9 they have 2-step lessons and then after 9 the band is there and you can dance to your heart's content. The place was built in 1964 and I don’t think they had done any maintenance since then. There were pictures all over the walls of celebrities with the owner such as Dolly Parton, Willy Nelson, Chris Kristofferson, Troy Aikmen etc. They said some nights they put sawdust on the floor so your boots would slide better. Yes this was definitely a boot scooting place. I loved it. I met several people and ended up having a blast. My shoes were not conducive to sliding on the floor so my poor performance I blamed on my shoes, but I had a blast nonetheless.
I left about 11:00 and headed back to the Hostel. I was still fighting that cold a little and thought I should get some rest. I slept pretty good that night even though one guy was snoring a little.
2/16/07
The next morning I got up and went down to Congress St. to check out that St. as recommended by the lady at the hostel. She said there
are lots of cool shops there. That didn’t thrill me a whole lot, but I thought what the heck I will see what that street has to offer. There did appear to be some nice places to eat, but really nothing that interest me enough to actually stop and look. I decided to take Congress St. in the more northern direction to the Capitol building. It was neat seeing the capitol in the distance as you drive down Congress. Nice view. I found a parking spot, fed the meter and started walking to the Capitol. There were several security guards standing around wearing Cowboy hats looking tough. I asked a lady what she recommended doing in Austin. She said she would probably go to the shops along Congress St. She said it is all business around the Capitol. I laughed as that is where I just came from. I decided to walk into the Capitol to see how far I could get. I was surprised they just let you pretty much walk wherever. I saw where they give tours of the Capitol so I decided to join a tour as it was free. I heard more about the Alamo, Sam
Houston, Crockett, Travis, Bowie, Santa Anna etc. I actually enjoyed learning about those guys. Texas had a very interesting history. I also heard about how the current president was a governor of Texas. I was surprised they even admit that, but they do. I also heard about how Texas is the biggest this and the biggest that which got old after awhile. The tour guide called it Texas pride but it sounded like Texas arrogance to me. The guide was very good and it was very interesting and I am glad I took the tour. Remember the Alamo and Goliad!
After that I headed towards Fort Worth with my head up looking for a place to eat. I found a Mexican place near the Capitol. I hastily put a coin in and realized the flashing word says fail. The parking meter was not working. In Boston if the meter is not working you can not park there, but in New Orleans you can, but they call New Orleans the Big Easy. I read the meter over and over and it said nothing about faulty meters. I took a bunch of pics of the meter and the information on it
Streets over the River Walk
Throughout the River Walk area there are City streets that cross it. and decided to take my chances. I would fight them all the way to the Supreme Court if need be on this one. Was I messing with the Texas? Not sure.
The meal was great again and I wasn’t exactly sure what I was eating, but it tasted good and the jalapeno garnish was cool. I then was ready to get to Fort Worth. I was really looking forward to seeing some people I know. As Bruce says it is nice to be amongst friends!
I made to Fort Worth around 4 and was relieved to see John in the house. He was playing with his grandkid Pete. I also met Berva and their other grandkid Jack. The kids are extremely smart and polite. John and I went outside to Pete’s imaginary playland. Pete was playing with an imaginary chainsaw. I wonder if he will want a real one someday?
Steve arrived and it was great to see him again as it had been way too long since our last meeting. Steve said Shelly was going to meet us at a Mexican Restaurant. We got everyone rounded up and head for dinner. The Mexican restaurant was very
Since WW II
The River Walk was completed in 1941. I had no idea it was that old. good. I had a stuffed pepper. The margaritas were flaming as they delivered them as well as a lot of the food that was brought out. That is how I distinguish between a high end Mexican restaurant and a low-end by the amount of flames in the serving area. After the meal Shelly gave Steve permission to take me out to downtown Fort Worth. We went down there to check things out and I really enjoyed the tour. The downtown area is very cool and we stopped at an Irish Pub for a cold one. I got a German wheat beer and it was awesome. Steve an I talked about a lot of stuff and I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with Steve. The downtown area is cool and I would like to go back there some day.
We got back to the house and sat around and talked to everyone for awhile and I showed them my pictures of the trip. Pete decided he wanted to sleep on the air mattress and I snatched his bed. I slept great that night, which is always a great feeling. A good mattress makes a big difference.
2-17-07
The
Lunch is served!
Gotta eat Mexican while in Texas. next morning the men went to the stockyard ,while the women went shopping. The stockyard is no longer used as a stockyard, but instead is mainly a tourist area. The old stables have been converted to shops. The place has lots of character and is a place I would like to see sometime at night during the summer. They have an indoor rodeo there as well. It has been a long time since I was at a rodeo and would like to see another sometime soon. After moseying around the stockyards, we headed for Kincaids. We got there about 10:50 and there were lots of cars waiting for the doors to open at 11:00. This was a great sign. This place started out as a grocery market and then got into fixing burgers. When we pulled up I was wondering if it was even a restaurant as it looked like an old grocery store. They grind their beef each morning. It was the freshest beef I think I have ever eaten. It was great. It is nice hanging with someone that is local as they know where all the good places are. John bought me a book called Blue Highways
Great Maps
Unlike Boston San Anotnio has great directional signs throughout the City. You can't get lost! about this guy who travels the less traveled roads across the US kind of like I am doing. John also mentioned he thought he had a Time magazine cover of Bruce Springsteen, back when Bruuuuuce was up and coming that he was going to give to me if he can find it. Wow you can’t imagine how excited I was about that. Christmas is coming early this year!
When we got back to the house I finished my laundry, thanked them and headed down the road. I had mentioned to Steve that I wanted one steak before leaving Texas. When in Rome eat what the Romans eat right? Steve had a book that he gave to me about traveling in west Texas with recommendations on things to do. One of the places mentioned eating at the Blue Star Inn in Midland Texas. I was riding that way so I decided to do that. I made it to Midland about 6:00 pm and found the Blue Star Inn. There were very few cars there and I wasn’t sure it was even open. This is a bad sign as it was Saturday night. The old sign out front said Chinese and
River Walk from Above
River Walk from a different angle. American food. I thought well maybe this place has lots of character. I went in and the place just looked old and didn’t have much character. I looked through the menu and at first didn’t even see steak offered, but eventually I found it. There were Chinese people running the restaurant. I ordered a rib-eye and it was actually pretty good.
I left and decided to look for lodging. I found a motel on the outer edge of Midland and saw that George W. is from this town. Great. The motel was an ok place and the rooms were better than expected. For $46 I decided to take it. I was a little concerned about security, but there was a state police headquarters just across the parking lot which helped ease my mind.
2-18-07
The next morning I tried to work on the travelblog and the internet access was not working. I asked the motel staff about it and they were trying to fix it. I explained to them my predicament, that I seek out motels with wifi periodically so I can work on my blog and that is the only type of motels I stay at. I
Buckhorns
This place supposedly has more horns than any place in the US. They have a musuem, but I didn't take the tour. told her however I was not going to complain, but if she would give me a discount on another night and if they got the wifi working, I would consider staying another night. They called my room about an hour later and said the best they could give me is straight up $30 including tax. I told her I would take it. Another good nights rest would do me good as I was still trying to lick the cold I had picked up in New Orleans. A little while longer they got the wifi working so I spent most the day working on the blog and watching tv. I had not watched any tv since I left and that was actually kind of nice. I found this show on the Discovery channel called Man vs Wild that I became addicted to. They had it on for several hours in a row. Maybe all day, not sure, but the show was great. This guy was in the British special forces and now does this show, where they drop him off in a very wilderness area with just his water bottle and a knife. The hour long episodes I seen were in
Employees Wash Your Hands!
Unfortunately, when I was there the employee was not present so I had to wash my own hands. :) the Mojave Desert, French Alps and some remote island I think in the Pacific. It was great. He’s amazing.
I went to get my prescription filled and picked up some lunch (bag of popcorn). Midland is not that impressive. It appears to be an oil town that is past it’s hey day. There’s some big buildings that are just that, buildings with no character. I would be hard pressed to live there.
For supper I decided to go back to Wal-greens and pick up these $1.00 microwaveable pizza’s. I suspect if you ate those things many days in a row you would be dead soon, but hey what’s one day. Why not live a little on the wild side!
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Amy
non-member comment
Looks like fun! I'm glad you included pictures with Shelly's fam! I'm jealous. I really want to get down there to visit again. Are you in AZ now? I need to call soon. If you are bored and driving, please choose me to call and keep you company!