Running into the coast

Today we started out for the Gulf Coast where we'll spend the next few days. Along the way we stopped at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Leaving Houston we drove through quite a storm. At one point traffic on the interstate slowed to a crawl because the driving rain reduced the visibility to a couple car lengths. And we had to drug the dogs because there was a lot of lightning and thunder.

We arrived at our camping spot on Bolivar Peninsula, just east of Galveston Island.

Turns out this area was really hit hard by Hurricane Ike in 2008. The guy camping beside us showed me a picture of this area right after the hurricane. That yellow house is right in front of our spots. Pre-Ike this area had a lot of homes and had hotels. There are very few buildings now, it is quite striking to see before and after photos of the devastation.  

Quick! See the Gulf before the storm hits!

We had to hurry and get the RV secured and connected. The storm we drove  through was heading our way.

We got inside just in time. It ended up raining really hard and the thunder got really close. We prepared to stay in for a little while and played some SkipBo.

After I won the game of SkipBo, the storm passed and it was pleasant. We ate dinner and walked along the beach. There is a lot of seaweed on the sand! This is a nice place to stay, so different than where we've been so far.

to Houston

This morning we left San Antonio to visit family in Houston on our way to the gulf coast.

Along the way we needed to fill up our thirsty gas tank so we stopped off at a place that had great in and out driving space for RVs like ours. Strangely it had a sign telling 18-wheelers that they could not use the facility. Even more strangely there were piles of fire pits and smokers beside the building.

What kind of gas station is this?

Perusing the hot sauce aisle.

There is a jerky section in the deli!

I spoke to the manager. I needed to better understand what's going on here. Buc-Ee's is a chain of thirty convenience stores, seven of which are large like this one. This store is not the biggest but it is the busiest. Fifty people were working there during our visit.

By the way, I get asked what kind of gas mileage the RV gets.

The fuel economy is terrible, and worse this year because the new four-door Jeep is a lot heavier than the two-door we pulled last summer. We are getting around 6 MPG. 

Today's calculation for going 291.9 miles using 48.85 gallons.

We found a really big beetle. It was lying on its back, so we assumed deadness. Tessa said, "If this bug is faking it I'm going to be really upset!"

We stopped to get our picture taken in front of the security shack at the Igloo cooler factory.

What happened to the focus? I don't know. I was rushed and didn't get the iPhone focused before I started the timer.

The Igloo factory has a company store, too, we loaded up. They sell items you can't find in stores, including development samples that may or may not be sold as products.

On the way to the Igloo factory we saw a giant can of beans so we stopped for a photo there too.

Dear Wes, please learn how to use the app you used to take these pictures. These focus problems are embarrassing.

We stayed the night with my cousin Kathleen and her family in Houston. It was nice of them to let us stay and enjoy a real bed and space to spread out. We barely saw the girls as they played and hung out with SM's cousins.

Everything is Bigger in Texas

Including the pools, especially the one at the KOA camp. And convenience stores, but that is besides the point. We had so much fun playing in the pool and having a good time, I still don't know how long we were in there.

The pool water was incredibly clear, so you could see underwater to the other end of the pool, if not for the shape. It was so refreshing, especially with the heat in triple digits.

Uncle Wes had the idea of bringing the GoPro in the pool, and we had even more fun! Fooling around with a camera is great, but more great when it is in a pool.  

Barney Smith's Toilet Seat Art Museum

Wow and Wow. This was a fun time. We had the pleasure of meeting the sweetest 93-year-old man named Barney Smith who for 50 years has been turning toilet seats into works of art.

We were there 90 minutes and only just got started. We are in love.

This is Barney Smith's Toilet Seat Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas. Photos follow the video.

Boating the River Walk

The Alamo is just a couple of blocks from the River Walk, so we went back to have lunch. Afterward we took in the 35 minute river boat tour with Captain AJ. I liked him until he broke out the "AJ stands for Always Joking."

The River Walk is especially nice in the daytime when the sun is beating down. The water seems to offer hope and some well-placed breezes helped too.