Sun’s up in Tallahassee, so I don’t want to waste the light. Hoping for the bayou by lunchtime, and when the times comes for tonight’s appointment with Hypnos, I expect to be (as the old song goes) deep in the heart of Texas.
Though the radar indicates rain on the road ahead. At least this time, unlike my trip coming to Florida five years ago, the air conditioning works in the car (or at least it did as of last night), so I won’t be getting rained on with windows open in the steamy climate.
[Friday night update]
Yes, I’m alive, didn’t sleep in a truck stop, wasn’t abducted by aliens in Roswell, and wasn’t tempted to stay in TX by the brisket, contra comments.
I stayed in a Days Inn in Kerrville, about forty-five minutes west of San Antonio, that had free wifi. It was worth twice the price. Or half. It doesn’t really matter, because either way, the point is that it didn’t work. Some hotel could do good business by advertising “Free wifi that really works, or we’ll refund half your room rate,” and make it happen.
Anyway, I’m in Phoenix, staying with a niece and her husband and new (well, relatively new — seventeen months) son, whom I hadn’t seen. Back to LA in the morning.
Welcome to Texas! Will you have time to visit Houston?
Eat some brisket for those of us in true BBQ deserts.
Beware traffic on I-10 thru Baton Rouge, LA. Lots of construction + local driver IQ = bad news.
Rand, you are not fooling anyone with this talk of rain. It’s no secret that you control the weather.
The Brisket must have been great, Rand disappeared in TX!!
I bet he just spent the night sleeping in a truck stop and kept going. That is how I used to cross west Texas when I was traveling between Houston and San Diego. Gets you 200-300 miles further down a very empty road.
He drove by Roswell and was abducted.
I bet he just spent the night sleeping in a truck stop and kept going.
I have been known to do that, but not this time — the car was packed so full that I couldn’t recline the seat, and there’s no way I’d sleep without doing that. No, I just stopped at a place just west of San Antone that didn’t have functional Internet.
I heard from Rand early this afternoon after he’d crossed into New Mexico – he’s making good progress – he ended up at a place in Texas last night that promised internet but didn’t deliver. No telling if we’ll hear from him again before he gets to LA, sometime Saturday most likely.
Henry
Figures! Rand logs on while I’m (de)composing a reassuring note to his legions of fans…
I don’t believe that’s really Rand in the comment above. Look at the evidence: 1) mysterious disappearance, 2) wi-fi “not working”, 3) vague explanation, denies brisket, 4) Roswell. Connect the dots, people.
It was Bush!
Rand,
Yea, that is a bummer if you are not able to recline the seat.
I have only stayed in Days Inn a couple of times and was not really impressed with their service. But it might be worth filing a complaint with their head office. They might send you a coupon for gas or refund some of your price for you stay. If noting else it will alert them to a consumer problem.
Hah, your car must be as stuffed as mine was when I drove up from Florida to Virginia. And I had my cat in her carrier in the passenger seat, hating on me with a vengeance!
Drove From New Hampshire to San Diego in 2001,
had the largest UHaul they rent towing a car, with Cat and Dog.
One night around Denver we woke up and could not find the CAT in the Motel….he had crawled up inside the box springs really really did not want to get back in the truck.
When my husband was flying our homebuilt airplane over Texas on the way to Oshkosh, he declared that for all practical purposes, Texas could be represented by an infinite flat plane.
Rand
Many times I have offered to fix broken Wi-Fi’s at the Minimal Comfort Inn and other like places. Most of the time it was simply resetting the router. Have made many friends that way.
I’ve done that, too, but it was 11:30 at night, I had to get up and drive some more in the morning, and I wasn’t (literally) up for it.