Final...Final Preparations - Saturday December 15th - 2007

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Good Nite sleep and More Procrastination

Red Roof Inn is way too comfortable. We spent way too much time in the morning dealing with maps, reading other travelogues and getting the VPhone to function properly. Of course there really is no pentence to pay as the only judge of our latency is in our own mind.

Spare Parts for the Condo

Belts
Hoses
Flares - no go-no drive at nite-rocks in the road
Tire repair kit
Timing Belt
New battery
Fluids, etc

Reactions to Vaccinations

Seems as if every nick and scrape Diane gets turns into a local infection. She seems to think this may be a side effect of the various vaccinations and medications routines we have been going thru for the trip. Nothing too serious but still disconcerting and uncomfortable. I (Jeff) have not suffered any ill effects.

South Padre Island

Decided to drive to the island just to say we had seen it. Don't bother. Just another touristy beach crap with condos, bars and other stuff of conspiciuos consumption. Besides, they had a DUI checkpoint in the middle of town, middle of the afternoon, with cowboy cops on motorcycles circling the side-streets like the OK Corral sweeping folks into the snare. Much to be said about a resort community which advertises itself as a 'goodtime-drink'em up destination' and then when they have you swooped up in their den of iniquity....busts you for their final tip. 'Don't Mess with Texas' (as they proudly promote). I say the USA should pay Mexico to take the state back. Good people live here. Bad politicians run the state of affairs.

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