On highway 100 in Missouri, the sign reads "Auto / Meat sales"
Absolutely no fun to take a road trip in, but I wasn't paying for gas. Trying to fall asleep in it is worse than waterboarding. You cant put your arms anywhere and the seats are -just- uncomfortable enough to prevent you from dozing off. The whole time you're rubbing shoulders.
Gross. He insisted.
Scion TC. The plastic trim right above the license plate fell off and was dangling by a wire.
Stopped in OKC to see Terry and Jessica and check out his M3. I havent seen them in four years. Terry is a NICO member (ceniack)
Go to San Antonio. I was introduced to the migas plate at Jim's Restaurant.
Gobs of open space.
The purpose of the trip was for Ian to register his Ram with TX plates, which his mother is driving.
I got bored and wandered over...
100F outside.
At the DMV I took a nap. A Dodge Ram is as good as a king size mattress after you've been trapped in a Geo Prizm for 900 miles.
Note the nice pants.
Tried Whataburger.
Its food.
This meatball sub from Zito's was pleasing. Like all good sandwiches, the magic was in the bread.
Standard on every table in TX, apparently. Ketchup often had to be requested.
The Alamo. Short version: TX and MX fought over some land. After 10 years of being its own nation, TX was annexed to the US.
The Riverwalk. It snakes through the city and sucks in tourists like a Hoover.
I couldn't figure out why the hell Travelocity thought I was in Norway. I later realized it was because I had Opera Turbo enabled, which routes all data through their servers in Norway and compresses images.
Gas station food. En route to Corpus Christi.
Surprisingly, Travelocity's "Secret Hotels" got me a room for less than I was trying to bid for on Priceline. Shatner is losing his edge.
Not bad for $73 on a weekend in a tourist town.
They ran out of doubles and I had no intention of sharing a bed.
Went to Cheddar's where margaritas were only $3.50 (and surprisingly not terribly diluted)
Scarfed down a plate of fried shrimp.
Crossing the bridge to Padre Island
The road to the national park coastline didn't look promising. It was barren and quite long.
Then out of nowhere, BAM! Gorgeous coastline with 60 miles of drivable beach. Non-4WD vehicles are restricted to 5 miles.
Immersed my feet
Entry was free for the weekend, probably to attract visitors due to oil concerns (there was no contamination)
TONS of people.
I ventured out into the Gulf of Mexico.
brb, going to Cuba
PRO-TIP: SALT WATER IS SALTY
Went to Padre Island Burger Company for what was supposedly the best burger in Corpus Christi -- it was pretty spectacular.
I ordered "The Mexican" for $11. Generously seasoned with a little kick of pepper, avocados, jack cheese.
USS Lexington
Almost the entire ship was open for exploration, but most of it was insanely hot.
AWESOME. Never stood on an aircraft carrier before.
"Jet intake"
Awesome
Standing here was like being in a wind tunnel. The air was powerful and constant, enough that I had to hold my phone with two hands while taking pictures.
Made my way to the bridge.
Amazing view
Main quarters
Chart house.
Stuff that does stuff.
LOL, only in Texas would it say "You are welcome to play on the gun." A jerkwad state might replace the actual gun with a foam-based representation.
Barber shop on board
Tight sleeping quarters
Engine room
Cafeteria, generously sized with a separate butcher shop and prep room.
Dentist office on board.
That monitor says "Zenith Data Systems", a brand I havent seen on computers since I was a kid.
Operating room
Back on the main level. Here's a Jeep.
Heading back to San Antonio. Looks like the causeways in Tampa
The Geo Prizm's factory radio sounded like garbage. I propped my Kindle up on the dash and listened to music on that instead, since it has two speakers.
The impressive 5-stack Dallas interchange! The tallest ramp starts at the ground level and climbs all the way up.
More gas station food.
At the Days Inn, "Made of virgin material". Tissues that actually brag about not being recycled.
LOL, this guy ended his life on the windshield of a Geo.
As soon as I got home I grabbed the dog and went for a drive to undo the misery of that f*** Corolla/Prizm.
Overall, despite the uncomfortable but dependable car, it was a nice trip to the gulf.
You ever tried Blake's Lotaburger when you're in the southwest/New Mexico Jesda? I always remember it as the best fast food I've ever had from when I lived in Albuquerque.
