Texas - Drought?  What Drought?


Saturday, March 10.

I am staying the evening in Sonora, a quiet town of 3,000 in western central Texas sitting on a high plateau, having driven from Houston, where I spent last night.  I have driven over 500 miles in Texas and it was raining, sometimes torrentially, for about 480 of them.  I have seen virtually nothing of the state, other than noting skyscrapers in the distance in Houston and San Antonio as well as something of the Hill Country north and west of San Antonio.

This messy passage began, suitably enough, with a spot of dumpster-diving at the Texas Visitor Center just over the border from Louisiana.  After tossing some trash, I noted that I did not seem to have my car key.  Yep, after a few frantic minutes, I saw it at the bottom of a disgusting bag of trash too tall for even my long arms to get to the bottom of it.  Texans must have thought I was another crazy New Yorker when I took apart the metal trash container (fortified against racoons, I think), to get at my keys.  I stank like stale coffee the rest of the way to Houston.

My inexpensive but out of the way hotel did not offer any food options, so I found a not bad Thai restaurant after a soggy search around the area.  And today began the same way, with pouring rain and heavy traffic.  The rain lasted almost until Sonora but did not slow down traffic that much.  Given the speed limit west of San Antonio on I-10 eventually works its way up to 80 mph, it was white knuckle all the way.

The nice lady at the hotel desk is recommending the little Mexican family restaurant across the street and I will be there shortly.  Perhaps I will see more of Texas tomorrow before I finish the day at Las Cruces, New Mexico.  2100 miles so far!