The Trip

On Tuesday morning, I left Harlingen TX and headed north on Hwy. 77 toward Corpus Christi, TX in my little red Jeep. Day was just breaking in the east over the Gulf of Mexico and I settled in for the two hour drive through the King Ranch and into the Coastal Bend. At Corpus I felt my trip was about to begin. We always use Corpus as a guide post on any trip because it is the place where the first interstate highway can be accessed. I turned west on Interstate 37 and found a country music radio station with sufficient wattage to carry me for an hour or so. It is 127 miles from Corpus Christi to San Antonio. It took a little over two hours with stops to reach the outskirts of the city. I took loop 410 south for eighteen miles to its intersection with highway 90 west. I was almost five hours into the trip and was trying to find ways to get my mind off how numb my butt was. Gas was still running about three dollars a gallon in this section of the state and I was none too pleased. It had been $2.25 a gallon when I left home and I was hoping for better prices when I reached near civilization. Now I was headed back into the Nether regions. I eased through Castroville and headed for Hondo. Both towns used to be out in the country, but now are bedroom cities for the sprawling San Antonio. Care must be taken to maintain a ridiculously low speed when traveling through these burgs to avoid the always present radar guns of the local constabulary. It is about 70 miles from San Antone to Uvalde, TX. Just west of Sabinal, TX I found this early Texas fixer-upper on the side of the highway. Not far now. I wondered about the old cowpokes who rode this route to reach the border town of Del Rio, Texas. I know their butts must have been more numb than mine. At the traffic light in the heart of Uvalde, I knew my journey was only six miles from completion. As I approached the last house on the north side of the highway just east of the Nueces river I saw the familiar wrought iron gate work announcing arrival at the Ranchito Arboles. I turned in and approached the house. The big flat screen television was visible from the road and I could hear the talking heads from Fox News blaring their opinions when I opened my jeep door. If I could just wake up my feet I knew I could make it to the front door. My little 88 year old mother was working up a full head of political ire for the politicians who have robbed and cheated us for all these years. After six hours in the Jeep seat, I knew I would be in for at least another three hours of trying to talk over her favorite news personalities. Even though she is legally blind, one would be well advised not to engage her in debate on the current issues unless you are well versed yourself. We had a great visit and after some good bye hugs I left for home the next day just before noon. The journey was played in reverse with the addition of some rain to help wash the bugs off. I have regained most of the feeling in my lower extremities, but I don't want to hear any news for about a year. Have a great Thursday.

Road Trip

Well it's good to be home again. It is an abomination that Americans are forced to such drastic means to get their taxes done. We could do away with the entire IRS if we adopted a National Sales Tax instead of an Income Tax. You buy it, you pay the tax. Or, another option would be a flat tax. You made this much, this is what you owe. The entire Income tax process is an affont to the freedoms we enjoy in this great country of ours. I take a trip each year to visit a friend of mine in Norman, OK. He has done my taxes for thirty one years. I always enjoy visiting with him and his family, but the trip is never pleasant because of the purpose. I left Monday and drove to Dallas, TX where I stayed overnight. On Tuesday I completed the trip. This morning I got up and did the entire trip in one day - Fourteen hours (717 miles). I feel like I was ridden hard and put up wet.

I started near Oklahoma, City and travelled south through Dallas, TX, Austin, TX, and San Antonio, TX before hitting an open stretch of Interstate leading to Corpus Christi, TX. I then turned south and headed for the lower Rio Grande Valley. I did two hours on the King Ranch before seeing my first gasoline stop south of Kingsville, TX. It takes a while just to draw a line on the map between my starting point and destination.

And in case you are wondering - The gasoline was expensive. I am tired and broke after my little adventure.

A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done. - Dwight D. Eisenhower