Leaving our host and heading to a Wild Wild Windy West

(I am behind again.. this post is about Sunday and Monday) 

After our wonderful plane ride, we gathered back at Eric's patio to have a little lunch.   Then both guys donned their work overalls (so cute---they were matching!)   and they went to work on the rigs.  Eric's rig needed a brake fluid change, and Steve happened to have along his air power brake line bleeder.

They scrambled around and did a bit of this and that... while I got the rig road-worthy to take off.  Even though we had only seen a bit of the area, we didn't want to moochdock too long or wear out our welcome.  We invited Eric and Cathy to come up to Wisconsin anytime, and if they were going to attend the EAA in Oshkosh, it was within 40 miles of our home and they could moochdock or stay in our guest bedroom if they flew in.  The EAA is the largest gathering of Experimental Airplanes in the USA... maybe the world?   Anyhow, our home and extra vehicle are available, Eric, any time!

Eric loaded us up with a sack full of ruby red grapefruit from his tree, and a jar of fresh squeezed lemon juice... what wonderful travelling gifts.   We said our goodbyes to Eric and the puppies and hit the road .... looping up around through the bayou towards Lafayette.

The road was REALLY bumpy in spots (Eric had warned us)  but we made it up and across to Crowley.   I GPS'd the Walmart at Crowley... and it was getting dark.  Of course, the ONE time for the GPS to steer us wrong is in the DARK!   It told us to go north at the exit and the Walmart would be on the left.  Nope.. nothing but a field-----  and nowhere to turn around.  We managed to head up the road another mile or two, and around on a single lane residential road in the dark, to make a big loop and back down again.  As we got back to the exit ramp, we could see the partially lit sign "WA"  and nothing else.. on the SOUTH side of the highway!   There it was... whew~!

We pulled in and got settled and got permission to park, just as the rain started with TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS!   Eric called to make sure we made it alright before the storms hit....

As we slept, the rig rocked with the winds, and the rain hammered on the roof.  East of us over New Orleans were tornado warnings and bad winds.  Glad we made it off the road when we did!

On Monday morning we woke up to kinda dreary weather and some splatterings of rain.  Just as we got to the Texas border, the rain started coming down HARD ... we pulled into the Welcome Center on I-10 and sat while it just came down in sheets....

What was that sound?  ON MY.... HAIL!!!!   It splattered on us, our solar panels, the pavement and the windows.  We held our breath and hoped that nothing would be damaged.  It ended as soon as it started.  We were able to get out and walk around and get some brochures from inside the visitor center.  Behind the center was a long walkway through the swamp.

We ambled along and snapped a few pics.  They had a big statue and informative plaque about the Alligator Turtle, but we only saw this little guy....

Lunch on the fly, and off we headed towards Houston.  It was 3 p.m, right before rush hour.  Whew... we slid right through the center of the city on I-10 and didn't have any problems.  The East bound traffic was backed up for miles and miles, but we were clear to go West.

As you can see.. the skies were clear, and it was warm warm warm!  It was high 70's and we were enjoying it to the fullest!  We had the windows open, and the dogs were sniffing any good smell that came in the screens.  Ahhhh this is what we were looking for!

We got a few emails from concerned friends... seems up in the panhandle it was snowing.. and not just snowing, but a great big freakin blizzard!!!  It was up into Kansas, Missouri and on it's way to Illinois.  We called up our father-in-law who is traveling west through that way.  Seems he just skirted around south of it and was okay in Springfield, MO.

We headed on over towards San Antonio... but the winds started to pick up. I am sure the bottom edge of that big storm north of us.  When they reached about 25-30mph and gusts in the 40mph range, it was time to pull off.  We found a Wal-mart/ Jack in the Box/ HEB store by Columbus TX and got permission to hunker down there for the night.  Did our first shopping at an HEB store and got fresh/frozen Texas Gulf Shrimp to cook up. Yummmmm

About 9 pm the winds were really gusting.  We were rocking even in the protected area between the Jack in the Box and the strip mall.  Some semi trucks pulled in next to us and I peeked out the windows.... (a la Agnes Cravitz style)  and there was a big smiling Nascar racer face looking at me from the side of a truck!

I don't follow Nascar (it puts me to sleep when it's on tv)  but I know this was interesting.  It was called a "souvenir truck"  that carried five or six different driver's names and numbers.  Cool.

The truck got settled in, and along came a second black truck... this time it was Dale Earnhart JR's truck.    Now THAT was something!   Now  I had to go out and snap some pics!

I told my friend Dee (who follows Nascar religiously) that I was gonna go over and knock on their door and tell them to move because they were blocking my TV signal!   LOL   (I didn't) The guys from in the trucks gathered inside the Jack in the Box... but we didn't go talk to them.  It was late and we went to sleep.

We drove 271 miles today.


We had a good night's sleep and are now headed in towards San Antonio.  We have reservations at the Travelers World RV resort and are going to meet up with a couple fellow bloggers!

Stopped for fuel just out of San Antonio....  73 gallons at $4.02  $295.00.  Ouch!