East Houston to Austin, TX

We leave East Houston 9:40 am under bright blue sky and sunshine.  It feels glorious to see the sun after two days of steady rain, but the temperature is in the mid 30’s as we start out and the coach was cold when we first got up this morning.  By 10:15 am we are passing through the heart of Houston and traffic is slow in both directions.  Slow enough for us to notice that all of the support columns of the overpasses feature a decorative lone star in a super-sized coin-shaped medallion.  We pass super-sized warehouses also for Igloo, Goya and Rooms To Go.

We reach Sealy, TX where BAE Electronics features multiple military vehicles and trailers parked in their parking lot facing I-10.  In 1881, Daniel Haynes, a cotton gin builder, filled a request for a cotton-filled mattress, which started a company. He named this the Sealy Mattress Company after the town.   Turning off I-10, we head northwesterly toward Austin on Texas Route 71.  Near Columbus, TX we see the “Roadside Quail Farm” and a pasture of what appear to be deer lying in the grass.  Later the animals become even more exotic at an animal ranch featuring ostrich, gazelle and kangaroo!  Even cuter further down the road is a ranch with miniature horses.  We are definitely in ranch territory.

The countryside becomes rolling hills near Bastrop, Texas (established in 1832.)  Here for miles we drive through the remnants of a huge forest fire with just the burnt trunks of trees standing like wounded soldiers around foundations of homes that succumbed to the flames.  How many lives did the raging fire instantly change?  How many more who survived the onslaught now gaze out from homes across acres of burnt, dead trees?  It is a sad commentary of how fragile life is when confronted by the strength of nature. 

At 1 p.m. we arrive in Austin and settle into “Austin Lone Star RV Park.”  Here we connect with Jim’s friend of fifty years, Mary Louise.  BBQ is in order for dinner and we watch the sun set from a nearby restaurant atop one of Austin’s hills called “The County Line” where the BBQ is good.  Good friends, good food and good conversation end another day.

Snoopy’s Corner:

What Mom did not tell you is that we stopped for a delicious pastry called “Kolaches” (in true form for our travels) at a place called Hruska’s Store and Bakery.  Now I am watching my weight and did not try them, but Mom and Dad thought they were great.  They are filled with cream cheese and strawberry jelly in a roll that tastes a little like Hawaiian bread you can get at the grocery store these days.  But I will take salmon any day over that!

I am glad we are spending two nights here in Austin.  It will be a nice break from driving all day and give me a chance to watch for birds which I have been doing a lot lately!