It was a drive day, as we needed to get to
Houston at a decent hour. The tent was
just as easy to take down as it was to set up!
It was a cool 72 when we were ready to take off about 8. Texas has speed limits of 75 on two lane
highways!! Zip, Zip, Zip! It was a bit nerve-wracking at times and Andrew did the driving as he was in the zone!
There were lots of ranches on our journey
today, all different sizes, with the gated entries that a person associates
with ranches, and with names like the “Double D” and the “Triple S.” Ranches were mostly of the cows and/or horses variety, but some hay fields, cropland, and a few
oil rigs thrown in for good measure.
Several fields were FILLED with oil rigs, the rigs looking like giant praying
mantises bobbing their heads up and down, like those “birds” that dipped and dipped up and down into
water (surely some remember those!)!! The smell was extremely gassy as we drove
by. It was so strong I can’t imagine how
those people that live there do it! They
really have to be used to it.
We passed fields of windmills and a field
of adorable goats, along with subtle changes in the landscape—less flat and
more of the flat-topped hills, sort of like Utah, and back to flat again! We went through small towns and larger ones, and
a city or two before dropping into Houston.
Houston is a very large city; Andrew says it is
one of the largest geographically, as it is really spread out. AND, of course, with cities of this size,
there are a zillion lanes of traffic to weave through. It wasn't as congested as I thought it would be, but then again, Andrew was driving. :) Texas is a also pretty hot and humid state! The temperature rose above 90 early and
stayed that way for most of the evening nearing 100. Apparently that is pretty normal for July.
Brian and Eileen were home and we sat to
visit a bit before heading to a restaurant we'd missed the last time we were here,
as we had an earlier flight to catch than our traveling companions and had to head to the airport. Andrew and I shared a swordfish special and grabbed a taste of Brian's flounder and Eileen's tuna and there were all truly AMAZING! We then adjourned to a
neighboring restaurant for a rooftop view and cheesecake! This second restaurant hosted a celebration with Astronaut
Alan Shepard Jr. in 2011 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first American in
space!
As we drove past the Johnson Space Center we saw the 747 that actually transported the
shuttles from the East coast to the West, with a mock-up of a space shuttle (Houston
wasn’t “awarded” a real one when they were decommissioned.).
We went back to their house to ready for
our final two legs of the journey home.
We did watch a few episodes of “The Ranch.” We rarely if ever watch TV, and this show
had some really funny moments!
We get to sleep in a most comfortable bed and take a wonderfully hot shower, before we take off around 8 in the AM.
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