Day 10 - Grand Canyon to Prescott, AZ

Just another incredible day!  And the Ghia just keeps going and going.

Well.. the weather couldn't be perfect forever.  Today was cold and rainy.  Just a very dreary day.  We went back up to the Grand Canyon to take a peak.

We couldn't see a thing, so we turned around and headed back to Tusayan (that little town right outside the park) to see the National Geographic IMAX Grand Canyon film. Apparently, it is the most watched IMAX film ever. At $14 per person, somebody is making a fortune. I thought the film was pretty good; Angela thought it was hokey.

From here on out, it was a day of elevation changes.  From 4,000 feet to 8,000 feet - back down to 4,000 feet - then 6,000 feet - then 3,000 feet... and so on.  The Ghia was magnificancent.  At these high altitudes and steeps grade, the car did great. Every time I open the engine compartment to check the oil, I look at that tiny engine and say "way to go little guy".

We took a scenic route back down to Flagstaff to go by AZ's highest peak at 12,633 feet. An incredible climb; and with this weather, it was mostly in the clouds.  It was up this road that we saw our first coyote (sans roller skates and jet pack).

Flagstaff is surrounded by National Parks.  In fact, 42.3% of Arizona is Federal Park, Federal Monument, military base or some other federal property (e.g., Yuma Proving Grounds).  We know that over a quarter of the state is Indian Reservation (see yesterday's blog) and 42% is Federal property.... that leaves less than a third of the state for the rest of the population.

We passed through Flagstaff on our way to Sedona. We were retracing the bike route I took in 2009 and 2010. It was an incredible back road that, in one section, climbs about 1500 feet over a 4 mile stretch.

Check out the switchback to the right

On a map, it looks like this: 

Even covered in clouds, Sedona was gorgeous. I had been through the town twice before, but it was much bigger than I remembered.  Very upscale.

From Sedona it was onto Cottonwood and then to Prescott - again, all along roads that I had biked. Angela took the wheel as we headed up to Jermone - a former copper mining town that has been converted into an artsy community. We couldn't see 50 yards in front of us, and the drop-off was lethal. There was a 5 mile stretch where it was impossible to get the Ghia up into 4th gear.

You have to appreciate something about this car... it is a bit older than you think. It was actually built in October 1970 (the date imprinted upon the frame).  But the design is from the early 1950's - and it is virtually unchanged. Just look at the back of the car. It has fins! Seriously... what car in the 70's still had fins? For that matter, what car in the 60's still had fins? For such an underpowered car, it handles these roads like a charm. We're not the fastest car on the road, but we are the ones having the most fun.

We stopped in Jermone, and again in Prescott, to check out some art galleries.  Very, very impressive. I wish we could do something similar back in Amelia. In Prescott, we stopped at The Palace - the oldest continuously open saloon in Arizona. We sat at the same bar as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday. There were a few characters there this evening obviously trying desperately to channel Wyatt or Doc, and to some extent they succeeded.  Great food and friendly owners.

Tomorrow we head to Palm Springs.

Day 09 - Winslow AZ to Grand Canyon

The day started off in Winslow, and I was determined to give this town another shot.  We drove through town again to where I had stayed on my two previous bike trips – right by the interstate. We made one wrong turn, and ended up by the hospital, which appeared very nice. And we saw what appeared to be a new Walmart. But other than that, this town is just not a happy or happening place. We hopped on the interstate headed to Flagstaff and could see a bit more of Winslow. There was a nicer subdivision with new construction, but it was right on the interstate. I don’t understand the appeal of building a 4,000 square foot brick home with the front door facing an endless parade of semis - while the views outside the town in any other direction are absolutely stunning. Strange.

Weather was a bit chilly (in the 40’s) and overcast. Our goal was the Grand Canyon and we needed to get through Flagstaff.  It was a 50 mile drive on the interstate.  As mentioned, the landscape out here is stunning and vast.  It is a beautiful sea of sage prairie in all directions with mountain ranges miles in the distance. While it is gorgeous, it is also very desolate. It was along this stretch of interstate that I was biking to Winslow in both 2009 and 2010 – 50 miles of interstate biking right on the heels of 70 miles in the morning through the mountains.  Looking back, it seems very surreal.  And that is exactly how it felt at the time.  The last time I did, it was snowing – making it even more bizarre. Even though I biked way over on the shoulder of the highway, bicycles don’t belong on the interstate.  But out in the west, you can do it in certain sections.  However, other than the people in my group, I’ve never seen another bicycle on the interstate.

We got off on Route 66.  Actually, US66 no longer exists.  It is arguably the most famous highway in the US.  Movies, TV shows and books tell the stories of Route 66. In the “Grapes of Wrath”, Steinbeck described it as the “mother road”. However famous it was, the interstate system killed US66; the highway was officially retired in 1985.  Here in the west, you simply don’t need a US highway if you have an interstate.  The landscape is just emptiness for hundreds of miles and that second highway is superfluous.  Not only did Route 66 highway number die, in some sections they laid the interstate right over the road.  Having said that, some states (like AZ and NM) have gone a long way to preserve Route 66’s memory.  Old sections of the highway, now labelled with different route numbers, are also assigned a “Historic Rt 66” designation.  Sometimes it’s little more than a frontage road running parallel to the interstate. In Albuquerque, it is a major road with a large neon sign spanning from one side of the road to the other.

Wow… that was a lot of background information just to say that we drove on Historic Route 66 for about 4 miles and it was the roughest section of road we have encountered since Louisiana.  I think I lost a filling.

From Flagstaff, there are basically two roads that can get you to the Grand Canyon.  Apparently, we took the one less travelled.  The benefit was that it brought us right by another National Park system - Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater National Monument.  We took a tour through these parks.

You may know that volcanoes are common along the continental plates; but what you may not know (I certainly didn't) is that the area around Flagstaff is a hotbed of volcanic activity that geologists cannot explain.  In the middle of the North American continent is this region that has a (relatively) frequent occurrence of volcanic eruptions.  The most recent of which occurred only 1,000 years ago and displaced all of the local natives.  Today, you can see the lava flows and the volcano cones.

Continuing along this park, you come across multiple early American pueblos. These were absolutely beautiful and looked like condo's specifically placed to view the wide open plains.

click on these pics to see the actual size (not 1" = 1", but you know what I mean)

Archeologist believe that this particular pueblo was occupied for only about 90 years.

At another site (miles away), there was an entire complex complete with what is believed to be a ball court.

This particular park (like all the others) was gorgeous and we had it practically to ourselves. I quizzed one of the park rangers on what it was like in the summer. 

"Is it packed in the summer?"

"Well... there are a lot of people that visit us in the summer months."

"But it is like a mad house, right?"

"Well... it can be a bit crowded."

"But it is like Disney on a school holiday, right?"

"Well... the Federal Government doesn't pay me enough or allow me time off to take time to visit Disney World on a school holiday, but ... it can be a bit crowded."

"Well... you'd be an idiot to come here in the summer with all the crowds"

"I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that...."

Yeah, right.  They know how to toe the company line.  It is a madhouse in the summer.

One quick thing... we saw some jack rabbits in the park. These things are HUGE!  We get bunny rabbits in our yard back in Florida, but what we saw today looked like small kangaroos.  

Upon leaving these parks, we continued northward towards the Grand Canyon.  As I said, there are two ways of entering the park from Flagstaff.  Our way takes us through the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation. The word "Indian" may not be politically correct these days, but.. that is what it is called... so deal with it.  If you've never been through an Indian reservation, let me tell you that they are incredibly poor.  I've been through several and they are not necessarily pretty.  The landscape is gorgeous - but it is not fertile land.  If it was fertile, we wouldn't have given it to them. We gave them land that had almost no value. And if we gave them land that was subsequently determined to have value (like an uranium deposit), we took the land and moved them. Not a proud moment in our history.

Over 25% of Arizona is Indian reservations.  Navajo, Hopi, Hualapai, Apache and so on.  On this type of land, it takes 50 acres to raise a single head of cattle (i.e., a cow). So even though there are millions of acres in the reservations, they don't produce much. As you enter the Grand Canyon from this direction, it is a beautiful sight from a landscape perspective - but you really feel for the native Americans.

Cutting to the chase... everyone says the same thing about seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time... it is indescribable.  What did it look like?  I can't describe it.  Didn't I just say that? But to try... it is huge beyond what you can imagine.  I personally believe that the curvature of the Earth prevents us from seeing anything on this scale.  But because the Grand Canyon has carved out an enormous chunk of the Earth, we can see so much more for miles and miles.  And the best part? We had it to ourselves.

Like every other one of the Grand Canyon, the picture above simply doesn't do it justice. The day was cloudy and cold, and the Canyon was still absolutely stunning.  We traveled along the rim for another 25 miles... stopping at various points to hike or admire the different views. It was always breathtaking.  

Bit of trivia: In 1956 (and I'm not making this up), a United Airlines DC-7 and a TWA Super Constellation collided at 21,000 feet above the Grand Canyon.  Right above the buttes in this picture.  The debris rained down right in the middle of this picture.   

We saw elk and deer.  At the first elk sighting, we went crazy. "Stop! Stop! Look! Look! OMG!" in a high pitched little girl voice.  And then Angela said "Ok..Ok...calm down... I see them."

We spent the night right outside the park in a "town" named "Tusayan" - the polar opposite of the Navajo side we entered.  It was clean, modern, prosperous. The Best Western we stayed in was the best Best Western I've ever stayed in.  And it was cheaper than the one in Winslow AZ. It even had a bowling alley.

As a closing note, the Ghia is doing great.  No problems starting all day today. The car was warm and cozy. We are both really amazed at how well it is performing.  

Day 08 - Santa Fe NM to Winslow AZ

Both Angela and I are suffering from a bit of sensory overload.  We've seen so much that by the evening we have started to forget stuff that happened in the morning.

We started the day in Santa Fe, NM.  Both of us have been to Santa Fe and like it a lot. However, we did not believe that we had enough time to really give the town its proper due - so we vowed to come back again another time.  Instead, we hit the road early to make up some time we lost in Austin.  We took I-25 down to Albuquerque and connected with I-40 over towards Arizona.

While we have been taking some interstates (our goal was to use back highways), in some instances the interstate is the only way to get from one town to the next.  There's simply not a lot of roads out here.  In fact, on my 2009 and 2010 bike rides, I rode a lot of these interstates.  Looks a lot different from a car than it does from a bicycle.

As we headed out to western New Mexico, we stopped in Grants at the Northwest New Mexico Visitors Center (NWNMVC as it is known locally).  Tremendous visitors center (still no big maps of NM).  It was big. Super clean. Full of great exhibits.  And we had the place completely to ourselves. The NWNMVC had a section that detailed 8 tours that could be taken in the area - to places like state or federal parks.  

Did I mention, we had the place to ourselves?

Angela picked a tour of El Morro - a National park about 40 miles away.  We took Route 66 to a SR 53 - an incredible true back road that led us up into the pines.  Shortly before the park, we crossed the Continental Divide.

I won't go into a lot of detail, but... there is very limited sources of year-round water in this part of the country.  El Morro has a large natural "bowl" that catches rainwater and is a oasis in this barren land.  There is no other such source of water for over 100 miles in any direction. Consequently, it has been a favorite site for travelers in the area.  The sandstone cliffs are covered with inscriptions going back 1,000 years or more.  Furthermore, there are pueblo ruins on top of the cliffs over-looking the pool.

After viewing the pool and the inscriptions, we climbed to the top of the cliffs (via a less vertical route).

The park was excellent.  We had the place to ourselves.  The park ranger was very helpful. The paths were great... but steep.

These are a few of the 800 rooms in the pueblo.  The only way to enter from the outside is from above.  Like prairie dogs.  When it was occupied, it was huge... nearly 1500 people lived there. Archeologists have excavated a limited number of the rooms; they know where the others are - but once uncovered, they begin to deteriorate.

It tooks us a couple of hours to get around the park. It was a welcome change. Incredibly silent and serene.  The air was pure and incredibly fragrant with pine and sage. We hit the back roads again and headed to Arizona. Along the way, we drove through the Zuni Reservation.

Both of us can't get over the views in this part of the country.  I've been through this area several times, but it always surprises me with its beauty and emptiness.  Miles and miles of nothing but nature.  No houses, barns, stores,....  The only sign of man is the fences that border the road.  We have gone 20 minutes or more without even seeing another vehicle.

The land out here is so clean.  The one exception was miles of road in Arizona that were littered with thousands of empty bottles of alcohol. They were almost hidden in the sage brush, but you couldn't help but see them.  And there was nothing around.  No homes or businesses. Finally we came upon the source of the bottles.

It is a drive-thru liquor store. It is the first structure we hit after going through the Zuni Reservation and is across the state border about 30 miles away.  There was absolutely no sign of littering as we headed away from the liquor store in the other direction.

Both of us are continuously amazed at the vastness of this area.  Scenery changes, but it always stays so big.  We are so lucky to have taken these state roads.  They're in great shape and take us to places that we would not have seen otherwise.  We are also so lucky with the weather. Temps reached the 60's again today.

We stopped in Winslow AZ for the evening.  I've spent the night here twice before.  The town is trying, but it is dying.  They've repaved the roads and put in brick pavers and new lamp-posts.  They've added new curbs and bike lanes.  However, it is so hard to pump life back into the town.  Route 66 used to run right through the middle of the town, but Interstate 40 replaced it. Tomorrow's goal is the Grand Canyon.

Day 07 - Littlefield TX to Santa Fe NM

First let me say that I forgot to mention the prairie dogs from yesterday.  They were right by the road as we approached Littlefield and they were (you guessed it) prairie-dogging.  We saw probably 50 and Angela wanted to take all of them home.

This morning was in the mid-30's in Littlefield and that smell from yesterday was gone.  Not a whiff of it.  The wind must have changed directions.  As we left town, however, we came upon several more feed lots and the wind was blowing our way.  It is powerful stuff.  I don't know how those people do it.  Some of them have their houses right next to the feed lot. And they are nice houses. However they manage it, well... God bless them... cause I sure love a hamburger.

Weather over the past couple of days has been absolutely incredible and today was no exception.  They must have had a ton of snow recently, because it is still on the ground after several days of temps in the high 60's and 70's.  We hit the high 60's again today, even though we were in higher elevations.

We took US84 over to New Mexico and stopped at the state line Welcome Center - which was closed, but provided directions to the Clovis Chamber of Commerce.  We mainly wanted a big map of New Mexico.  We drove the 7 additional miles to Clovis (because it was on our way) and stopped at the Clovis Chamber of Commerce, which doubles as a museum for Norman & Vi Petty.  Norm and Vi were musicians, but Norm was most known as a record producer for Buddy Holly & the Crickets, Roy Orbison, Waylon Jennings and others.  I learned all of that from Wikipedia because I wasn't going to fork over an entire $5 for a museum for people I never heard of.  Anyway... the whole state of New Mexico is out of the big New Mexico maps (per the representatives of the Clovis Chamber of Commerce).

We went back to the Ghia and found it didn't want to start.  BTW, we have found the non-starting pattern of the Ghia.  If we park facing down a hill, it fires right up.  Pull into a parking space or park at the bottom of the hill, and you'll need to push start it.  We elected to tour downtown Clovis and see if the problem would rectify itself (it didn't).  Despite being a major recording town at one point, the historic downtown district was dead or dying. There were a couple of real cool apartments/condos (http://www.tierrarealty.com/portfolio_shell.php?id=44#), but everything else was scary.  That prompted us to push the Ghia back out onto the main street of Clovis (which was dead) and then a quarter of a mile down the road until we got it started.  Didn't have a problem for the rest of the day.

From Clovis, we finally got on some real "back" roads.  These were state roads leading to Tucumcaria NM.  On my cross-country bicycle ride, we biked to Tucumcari and spent the night there.  The day we biked into Tucumcari was one of the most stunning routes of the trip; the day out of Tucumcari was my personal best day on the bike (an average 26.4mph for 100 miles).  I wanted to show Angela what it looked like.  You may have heard of Tucumcari.  The lyrics below are from a song named Willin' (performed by Little Feat and Linda Ronstadt):

I been warped by the rain, driven by the snow
I'm drunk and dirty don't ya know, 
and I'm still, willin'
Out on the road late at night, 
Seen my pretty Alice in every head light
Alice, Dallas Alice
I've been from Tucson to Tucumcari
Tehachapi to Tonapah
Driven every kind of rig that's ever been made
Driven the back roads so I wouldn't get weighed
And if you give me, weed, whites, and wine
And you show me a signI'll be willin', to be movin'

We back-tracked along the road from Tucumcari to Las Vegas, New Mexico ("whoa" you say... there's a NEW Mexico?).  It is about 120 miles of incredible scenery - the pictures below don't do it justice.  The road is a little rough, but the speed limit is only 55mph - great speed for the VW. The road is so empty and there were hardly any other vehicles.

There is another vehicle in the picture - one of three that we saw over a 60-mile stretch.

This area is so desolate.  There will be a farm/ranch every once in while... but mainly just emptiness.  If you did live out there, it would be 40-50 miles or more to the nearest convenience store.  It would be a day trip to WalMart or Target.

It was out in the middle of this emptiness that we found a state park with a lake.  A dam was built in the middle of the depression and it created a small lake (the area is pretty dry).  We had the entire park completely to ourselves.  It was eerily quiet.

We continued onto Las Vegas NM.  We saw horses, cattle and a lot of bluebirds along the way.

Las Vegas was great,... but we decided to push on to Santa Fe to make up some time lost in Austin.

Day 06 - Austin to Littlefield, TX

The plan this morning was to push start the Ghia and head to a large air-cooled VW shop in Austin.  For giggles, we decided to just turn the key.  The Ghia fired up immediately. Apparently, it just wanted a day off.  Nevertheless, we headed to the VW shop to see if they could diagnose the problem.  

The guys at Austin VeeDub were great.  We met a bunch of the staff... they came out to see the car.... including the owner and Mechanic Mike.  They dropped what they were doing and pulled the car into the garage.  Of course, it was starting like a charm; and it is difficult to diagnose a non-existent problem.  But they tried.  Turns out that the electrical system is pretty good.  The battery is fine - plenty of charge in it and getting to it.  Mike cleaned some connections and performed several tests.  Mike asked some questions and offered some explanations on what might be happening - but it wasn't worth doing anything until we could recreate the problem.  He also showed us his split-window Beetle with a highly modified engine (2300cc versus our 1600cc) and explained how our Ghia still has its original generator and regulator - most have been replaced by an alternator by now.

Given that the car is so easy to push start, we decided just to head out.  And the charge from Austin VeeDub?  Absolutely nothing.  Just a handshake and a "have a great trip".

We headed out of Austin with a goal of Lubbock.  Along the way, we stopped at a huge Texas store called H-E-B - and this one was an H-E-B Plus.  The picture below doesn't do it justice.  It was easily the largest grocery sore I've ever seen.  Angela and I believe that every single grocery store in Bermuda would fit inside this one store. It is so big and the ceilings are so tall, that it has its own climate. It had everything.  Even a doctor's office and a pizzeria.

We got these Mexican breakfast pastries called Kolache.  I don't think Kolaches are originally Mexican... but the Mexicans perfected it.  It was covered in melted cheese and had a hot dog in the middle.  Perhaps the most delicious non-PopTart breakfast food I've ever had.  We also got gas (for the car) at the H-E-B... for $1.65 per gallon.  It cost less to fill up my car than it cost to fill up my scooter in Bermuda.

We headed northwest out of Austin toward Abilene.  We were finally on roads that I had imagined.  Beautiful scenery with minimal traffic.  In the beginning, we were in hill country. Gradually, we reached the mesas and saw hundreds of the huge wind turbines.  Next we reached the true plains where you can see all the way into the next county in all directions.

It was mainly US84 today.  As an even-numbered highway, it predominantly runs east-west. This highway actually runs through my university back in Valdosta GA.  Out here, it is four-lanes in some sections, and then down to town lanes in others.  When it drops to two lanes, there are huge lane-wide shoulders.  If a fast car or truck comes up on a slower vehicle, the slower vehicle drives in the emergency lane for a bit while the faster car or truck passes.  I saw this practice while bicycling across the Texas panhandle in 2010.  It only seems to happen up in this part of Texas.  It is very efficient mainly because everyone seems to be very courteous.  

We went through Briggs Texas (very small), but what is really interesting is that Harold's Used Cars & Parts is in the background of the city limit sign.  Of course, my son is named "Briggs"... but just as interesting is that my father and grandfather were named "Harold Briggs".

We skirted Abilene and went through just a part of Lubbock (the home of Buddy Holly).  We wanted to make up some ground, so we travelled a little further west to Littlefield TX (half way between Lubbock and New Mexico).  We had one hiccup with the car; at one fillup, the starter didn't want to work again.  I pushed it and Angela got it started.  Based on some hints from Mechanic Mike, we have a bit of an idea of what may be happening (i.e., the starter may be getting overheated from extended driving).  But otherwise, the car started like a dream every time.

Littlefield is a quaint little town.  However.... it is apparently a cattle town.  You can smell it the minute you step outside.  I've been in a cattle feed town before (Dalhart, which is a bit north of here) and it is intense. Locals say it smells like money.  I say it smells like manure covered in ammonia with spritz of methane. Don't get me wrong - the people here have been nothing but very friendly. But... WHOA... it will take you're breath away when you are walking down the street.

Weather has been perfect.  Just a little cool first thing in the morning, but warming to 70 in the afternoon.  Tomorrow is expected to be somewhat similar, but we'll be a bit further north.

Day 05 - Austin

As Angela mentioned in yesterday's post, the Ghia is not starting in the traditional manner. We have to push start it to get it going... but it fires right up when we do.  We should find out tomorrow what the problem is when we visit a very large air-cooled VW repair shop that is nearby. Did you ever see the movie "Little Miss Sunshine"?  In it, the family travels in an air-cooled VW bus that they must push start to get it started.  So... we're just like them.  Except that we're not competing in a creepy beauty contest for 6-year olds.

Given our down time, we took this opportunity to explore Austin.  And it was an absolutely beautiful day to do it. Temps started out in the 60's and worked their way into the 70's. Skies were clear all day long.  We are staying about 6 miles from downtown.  Being Sunday, we knew stuff wouldn't start opening up in town until around noon; we took a cab and arrived right about then.  

For those of who don't know, Austin is the capital of Texas and the home of the University of Texas.  It is the 11th most populous city in the US - 4th in Texas.  It labels itself as the "The Live Music Capital of the World". It is definitely a hopping city.  Angela and I estimate that there are over 40 bars on 6th Street alone (get out the toolbox, we're about to get hammered).  It also has something like a little version of San Antonio's River Walk.

We visited a couple of the bars - very friendly. Did you know that Austin is the 3rd largest growing major city in the world?  Our bartender told us that.  Do you know what is the favorite mixed drink in the US? Margaritas. On average, Americans drink 185,000 Margaritas per HOUR.  I learned that from my daily Total Wine Store email.

I know that Austin is known for live music, but we actually saw a lot more live music during a recent trip to Nashville.  In all fairness, we were visiting Austin on a Sunday afternoon. There are probably more acts in the evening.  Austin beats Nashville hands down on people watching.  

We are hoping to start out very early tomorrow and get to the VW shop first thing.  We both fully expected some sort of mechanical difficulty. Let's hope it is not too serious.

Day 04 - Houston to Austin

For your reading pleasure, today's blog is written by Angela.  Mike didn't like that I said his was too long so now I've been given a turn at it.  We'll see how he likes it.  smile
We spent most of the day in Houston, TX with our friends Jackie, David and Emory.  Today Emory celebrated her 1st birthday at the Houston Zoo.  Her mom went all out and created an adorable zoo/animal theme.  Of course, our favorite part was Emory diving into her cake and the cupcakes we got to indulge in.  We had some time to check out the zoo as well-- a nice way to spend a pretty day.  

In the early afternoon we hit the road again to head to Austin, TX.  Easy drive, good roads (nothing like the rock shaker in LA) and perfect weather-- though 60 for me is still a bit cool. Mike and I fought a bit over the lever to bring heat in the car-- let's just say he wasn't helping hold the lever up.  As you may recall, the car has a couple of levers that in some mysterious combination bring in heat to the car.  It works incredibly well but the lever that brings heat to the floor in the front won't stay in the up position-- so you either hold it or tolerate the cold.  It's amazing how you can rationalize to yourself that it's really not that cold-- just a little cool-- I can no longer feel anything above my wrist on the right hand...

We decided to stop at "Buc-ee's" (a combination gas station, convenience store, deli, tourist shop) which apparently is famous in these parts but merely looks to me like a huge beaver staring down at you daring you to drive in and check it out.  We obliged the aquatic rodent & discovered you can buy every sort of jerky at what looks like a regular deli counter.  You have to love how serious TX takes their jerky.  

We had planned to check in to our hotel and then head downtown to have a what would have been a delicious dinner at one of the many great restaurants in Austin but the Ghia had other plans.  Upon arriving at the hotel and checking in, we discovered that the Ghia would not start.  We're not sure if it's the battery or the alternator or the starter but we've found a VW repair shot not far from our hotel that we'll investigate when they open MON.  So, we're stuck in Austin for the time being but there are certainly worse places to be stuck then Austin. It's a great town.  We moved it out of the reception area by Mike pushing and me popping the clutch.  It's been a few years since I've had to do that but it worked.  Mike gave it everything he had and it worked!  So, our Ghia is parked on a hill facing downward-- we fully expect to repeat this "popping of the clutch" trick to get it going again.  Again, it's all part of the adventure and we'll take it in stride!

Day 03 - Covington LA to Houston TX

So glad we called it an early day yesterday.  It was POURING!  It was raining so hard I could hardly see the dashboard.

Fun fact about yesterday: the portion of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi that we passed through is affectionately refer to as the "Redneck Riviera".  I'm not kidding... it is not an insult.  The area in Florida and Alabama is sometimes called "L.A.", which is short for "Lower Alabama".  People down there call it "LA" all the time.

Today was cold, wet and overcast.  No real rain, but temps in the low 40's.  The good news is that we found out that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Ghia's heating system.  Well... almost nothing.  Via a lever near the emergency brake, the car routes heat coming off the engine into the passenger compartment.  We got some very serious heat.  The only problem (and it is very minor) is that the lever slides down to the "off" position over time (like...immediately).  Shoving something under the lever remedies the problem.

We were way behind schedule, so we took I-10 again to get started.  And then, US90 merges with I-10... so it was basically interstate driving all day today.  It actually wasn't bad.  We got some great views of the bayou area.  Way too cold for any gators however.  We sampled some Louisiana cuisine at lunch today.  Something new for me... boudin.  It is a deep fried mix of sausage and rice that is rolled into a ball (you had me at "deep fried").

After lunch, we hit the roughest roads of the trip.  Let me just say that the Ghia doesn't have a "plush" suspension.  And since I had the seat springs firmed up right before the trip, half the suspension has been effectively removed.  So we feel every bump in the road.  A speed bump feels like we are driving over the curb.  Certain sections of the roads in Louisiana along I-10 are ridiculous.  It was a bit like an amusement ride... for about 30 miles.  It was bone-jarring.  You could stick a piece of gum in your mouth and it would effectively chew itself.  

When we hit Texas, the speed limit increased to 75mph.  We immediately stood out because a) even going 75mph, we were the slowest thing on the road and b) the Ghia is not a truck.  I'm not kidding about the speed.  People were passing us like we were dead armadillos. People on the frontage road (that runs parallel to the interstate) we going faster than us.  We were passed by a loaded school bus.  I have no idea why everyone in Texas is in such a hurry.

We're going to be in Texas for several days for a couple of reasons.  First, we are visiting some great friends of ours in Houston (Jackie, David and Emory, whose first birthday party is tomorrow).  Secondly, Texas is HUGE.  It will take us days to cross the state.  And we are going to the northwest corner... way up in the panhandle.  

Texas is so big, that is could be its own country (and should be say the people from Texas). If Texas was its own country, it would the 40th largest country in the world based on land area. If Texas was its own country, it would be the 14th country in the world based on economy (GDP).  If Texas was its own country, it would the the 48th largest in terms of population (FYI, the CIA lists 240 countries).  If Texas was its own country, it would have nuked some other country into oblivion by now.... so those previous statistics may be irrelevant.

I actually lived in Texas for a while... during my formative years - kindergarten through to the start of second grade.  We lived in Houston.  My best friend at the time was Terry Thompson and his dad worked for NASA.  Specifically, the Johnson Space Station.  During the height of the space program (somewhere around Gemini, but before Apollo) I attended the NASA company picnic.  The one event that sticks out the most to me about that picnic occurred while I watching the softball game, as I was standing along the first base line.  I don't know who was batting (could have been Neil Armstrong for all I know), but I took a line drive foul ball directly into my gut that knocked me back a couple of weeks.  I think I was the one who coined the phrase "Houston, we have a problem".  I vividly remember how nice everyone was to me afterwards (not that they weren't nice before).

Enough nostalgia... The only sight-seeing we did along the way today was at Blue Elbow Swamp. Like the Okefenokee or the Everglades, swamps can be incredibly gorgeous landscapes filled with life.  At this time of year, the swamp is cold and quiet - but still beautiful.  It was freezing and Angela had enough sense to stay in the visitor center.

We made it to Jackie, David and Emory's place by about 5pm.  They live in the city of Houston (not the suburbs) in an area that is undergoing a revitalization.  Their place is one of the new developments and is very cool.  Dinner was at a classic Mexican restaurant in what appears to be a somewhat industrial part of Houston.  There is a competing Mexican restaurant right next door... but no other shops or restaurants in the area (that I could see).  Both places were absolutely packed.  Standing room only.  And while Emory had an exhaustive day at school, she was perfect - possibly in anticipation of her first birthday, which is tomorrow.