Through Tallahassee, Baton Rouge and across Texas
It was an easy ride up the west side of the Florida peninsula. It was a bright sunshiny Sunday. Chuck had described it as very flat. It was as green as its stereotype. I was surprised at how many farm animals there were along the way, cattle, hogs, sheep, horses. From I-75 I took I-10 west. It would be my interstate highway of the month of February.
The goal of arriving at the RV park before dark was achieved by an hour and a half. It was my first cold day in Florida. Monday was Martin Luther King holiday. The Historic capitol was closed as was a museum each of which would have been a cold bicycle ride to reach. I was headed toward Baton Rouge across the bridges and along the water on both sides of I-10.
In the morning there was stop and go traffic for 30 or 40 minutes to begin the trek to Texas. After that travel was at speed limit travel straight through Huston all the way to the RV Ranch just east of Flatonia, Texas. The owner was a friendly guy. Evidently most of his campers were there for extended periods. He said he kept two sites open for RVers who were just spending the night. During our conversation he told me his father had been in the navy. He had moved around many places as a youngster. I was just coming from Florida where I had visited a couple returned peace corps volunteers. He gave me two dollars off for my service.
In the morning my swift and uneventful trip continued through Texas. I drove straight through San Antonio up to Fort Stockton RV park. Like the RV Ranch, there were no commercial ventures near by, fields and deserts plants in every direction and the sound of an interstate, mountains in the distance to the south west of the park.
Faith wanted to know if I was visiting some one else. I answered, “You’re next.”
My experience in Texas has been that there may be loops around the cities. But you can drive straight through the cities unhindered. El Paso, la ciudad bilingual, was no exception. I drove straight through it and into New Mexico. I found US 70 and took it north. It seemed narrower and less busy than I remembered it. I planned to stop and take a picture of the “Welcome to Arizona” sign including my vehicle.
I missed the state line. There was a multicolored sign the size and shape of a speed limit sign. I couldn’t read what it said. I was in Arizona.