Texas

Tuesday we practically crossed Texas in a car. We drove from El Paso to San Antonio, a distance of about 550 miles, most of it mindnumbingly boring. With four breaks on the way we got slowed down a little, but on the other hand I floated above the asphalt at 100 mph for most of the latter half of the distance. We never saw a cop on the road. (Note to the Texas Highway Patrol: The above statements are for entertainment purposes only, and not meant to reflect reality. Any similarities with actual people, dead or alive, is purely accidental. Contents may have settled during transportation. Void where prohibited. Etc, etc.)

Let me also add that no one could ask for a better travel companion than Astrid. It's long, long drives like these that can make or break a friendship, but so far it's been going really well. She likes Denny's and Walmart and even sings along to the obscure country tunes I've brought along. She insists on chipping in for gas, even though I've already budgeted the money. And if I turn the CD player off, she goes to sleep within seconds! Perfect!

Some pics from today:

...and traffic cops...


Western Texas. Yaaaawn.




This antique pump belongs to a gas station in Roosevelt, which saved us when the car was running on empty. I half expected to hear "Dueling Banjos" and "you got a purdy mouth, boy", but the gas pump worked, the bathroom was clean and people were nice.