A Thousand Miles of Texas

Ray Benson, and Asleep at the Wheel, do a very creditable version of “I’ve seen miles and miles of Texas.”

In three days, I saw, an estimated A Thousand Miles of Texas.

In a single three-day period, I saw over a thousand miles of Texas, from the driver’s seat of a tiny hybrid. Two hybrids, one a trusty stealth car. Not my first choice, but not a bad choice, either. From fishing at the Gulf Coast, up to the funeral for a distant relative, after drought conditions over much of my Texas, the brilliant green countryside was a change. Change for the better?

Wildflowers, abundant wildflowers, especially Bluebonnets carpeted the verge in places making the ride that much richer. After a few years with a relative lack of spring flowers, this was most welcome. Part of the show.

Used to be, I’d do a show in Corpus Christi, TX, in February, and that was supposed to be the first of the Bluebonnets. Not so much, this year, and the wildflowers were still abundant along the highway. From San Antonio, it was a straight shot up State Hightway 281, avoiding the Charlie-Foxtrot of the Interstate and Austin, remembering to slow down in the small towns.

Reminded me of another funeral drive, many, many years ago. Followed a similar route. Almost two decades of online writing. That link is a “proto-blog” of sorts.

The echo and the drive, a brilliant spring afternoon, passing some of the Texas absurdities, like the biggest rocking chair in the world, and the big spur, really, two spurs, a pair of spurs, in Hico, TX.

Tried to stop in Dublin, at the original Dr. Pepper place, on the way back, but alas, the storefront was closed.

Dependance on artificial navigtion systems is a problem, too. As many times as I drove from Austin towards Lampasas, instead of going straight to stay on 281, I took a turn towards Austin, old horse heading for the old barn, and added an extra 50 miles or so, which, adding up my mileage?

That’s over 900 miles behind the wheel, and then, with the unintended detour? A Thousand Miles of Texas inside three days, ending, of course, back at the rock shop.