March 26, 2026 Day Five: I left the beach in the morning just as the sun was starting to heat up and continued east driving the southern coast of Texas. Loved the architecture where everything is built on 10 foot stilts! Or 20 foot stilts! They are definitely prepared for high tides or tunamis!
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| Does this one even have a ladder? That would be a steep climb. |
Finally I reached the eastern side of the state and my dream Texas emerged: green grass, green trees, rivers, creeks and bayous. Butterflies and wildflowers abundant. And DONUTS! There is a donut shop on every corner!!! Although Google Maps kept trying to force me onto the interstate, and into Houston, I refused and drove the smaller, country roads: 87, 124 (where I saw dead alligators on the side of the road), 73, then farm to market road 87 all the way to the Sabine National Forest.
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| This is CR (country road) 253. |
I love their "farm to market roads". Quiet, country roads where I can drive below the 75mph speed limit which is way too fast in my opinion, and look at gorgeous farms with acres of manicured fields. I could live here. The humidity decreased to 57%, too!
I camped on the Toledo Bend Reservoir near Huxley. It's very quiet. I am the only one here, although I have read there are alligators, water moccasins, copperheads, wild feral boars, coyotes and black widow spiders to keep me company. Hmmm...Big Blue will be closed tight all night!
March 27, 2026 Day Six (March is flying by...): The next morning I left to find a laundrmat and ended up in Center, Texas. Cute town. There was one laundry with all brand new front loading machines. It was popular. The whole room stunk badly of laundry detergent. I went down the street to the "Washiteria" and they had older top loading machines. Hardly anyone in the laundromat. A very nice attendant asked if I needed help. Reasonable price at $3.00 per wash and 25 cents for six minutes of drying. I love clean clothes. As I waited for the loads to be done, I washed my hair with a cold bucket of water. It was hot out.
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| I thought it was a nightclub until I noticed the cross. |
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| The woodwork is wonderful. Look at the spikes! |
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| Window |
Then I saw the matching house on the corner, walked around it. Wooden stakes jut out from the beams. Lots of huge drawings of demons or angels, and a sign that said "I SEE CROSSES". There was also a little Toyota pickup truck out in the front covered in black painted sawdust with the same designs.
I couldn't help myself and headed to the neighboring business. I asked, "What is going on next door?!" One of the women came out explained in great detail about the man who is a professional carpenter and loves gothic stuff, plays gothic music that sounds like a horror movie soundtrack full blast for the whole neighborhood. He'll climb to the top of his architecture, wearing his black trench coat and stand like he's been crucified for four hours. The city hates him. They tried to prevent him from building, but he sued them and won. I said it sounds a bit like performance art. She said he is the nicest guy you'll ever meet just a little unusual. I was fascinated. I would have liked to meet him. She said if he were home he'd happily give me a tour, but then she told me his bed hangs from chains and I thought, "I don't want to meet him alone!" LOL!
I hightailed it to Dallas through Nacogdoches, the coolest old town with a western feel and cobblestone streets covering the whole downtown. Most of the little towns are gorgeous with main streets that look like something out of the wild west, town squares, and lots of round-a-bouts. I attempted to drive around the eastern side of Dallas instead of through it using backroads as Google Maps yelled at me to turn around. The closer I got to the city, the worse my headaches got. My lungs hurt, I started coughing non-stop. Darkness descended and the rain started making visibility challenging. I don't like driving in the dark, in the rain, in an unfamiliar city! I passed Walmart and decided to stop and stay in their parking lot.
March 28, 2026 Day Seven: I got up early to head to the Ford dealership for the oil change. First come first serve and I was told to get there by 7am. I got there just after 6am and there were already three cars in line! Ford decided I needed new brakes. Damn. There is always something. I think it's a scam. I probably should not have opted to have them replace the brakes because I know it's a scam. I could have waited, but then where would I go? Back to the scammy Tucson Ford? No thanks! And brakes are really important on those mountain passes or downhill grades.
While I waited, a pen pal I have written to for years came to keep me company! We'd never met! We didn't even know what we looked like, well, other than the sharing of childhood and young adult photos! That was delightful!
After the appointment and visit, I headed west determined to put as much air between me and Dallas. It rained all the way out of Dallas, but this was just the beginning of bad, mold-inducing weather. The forecast for the whole of next week is rain in every location I'd plan to visit...except Tucson. I was determined to drive until the rain stopped. I stayed at a fishing boat ramp just west of Breckinridge. The sun is shining! I know that won't last for long! I'm heading back to Arizona where the weather has cooled and there is no rain forecasted for a long, long time!
March 29, 2026 Day Eight: Northern Texas on Highway 180 was delightful once away from the overpopulated towns. The highway itself was well-maintained, smooth with few vehicles. The little towns along the way often had huge courthouses that looked like they were built in the 1800s. Gorgeous. Lots of agriculture and good smelling air.
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| Orange Texan dirt would make a glorious cob house! |
West of Breckingridge the desert started enclosing, the trees disappeared replaced by scrubbrush, and west of Snyder the winds howled trying to push me off the road. I saw several oil pumping machines. After all, I am in Texas!
Arrived in New Mexico about 2pm...it's still the ugliest state!
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