DAY 101- Galveston & Houston, TX…

In the morning after having a waffle shaped like the great state of Texas, I took advantage of the convenient laundry the hotel had down the hall to my room.  I washed a load of laundry while I showered and changed for the day; that’s multi-tasking in my current world.  Shortly after the laundry was done, I was packed and on my way out of Bay City, TX.  I will admit that I drove through town found the post office and didn’t see much else to visit in the area.

I headed north on Texas Hwy 35.  After a while I pulled into a picnic area and ate a bit of a snack.  There’s quite a few picnic areas along the highways instead of rest stops in Texas; no restroom facilities.  You best stop at one of the gas stations if you need that.  This picnic area had two covered picnic tables, a couple of bright blue garbage cans and a historical marker about Texas’ dairy industry.  A lot of people were slowing down and looking at me.  Could they tell I was one of them Yanks?  Or did I badly mismatch my outfit this morning?

I continued on my drive eventually turning onto I-45 to head south towards Galveston, TX.  I started to be driving on a series of bridges and there was a lot less land that was visible until I got near Galveston.  There were tall blue towers on the each side of the interstate bridge with Galveston in bold white letters vertically.  I guess I was in Galveston.  The interstate ended and I was on a main road through town.

Photo- Entering into Galveston, Tx.

I saw the signs for Pleasure Pier and started to follow those out of curiosity.  It ended up being a large pier that had an amusement park on it.  That looked fun but it was looking rather dead.  It was the off season from what I could see.  I drove along the seawall area for a while until it ended and then I turned around to head back down along it.  I pulled over a couple of places and got out to look around and take pictures.  There were statues that were memorials to those that were lost in hurricanes that had come ashore in Galveston; the most devastating one occurred in 1900.  The Gulf was very choppy with white caps.

Photos- Along the seawall in Galveston.

 

Photo- Memorial statue along the seawall area in Galveston.

Next I drove over to the Bishop’s Palace which was one of the few houses that survived the great1900 hurricane that hit land in Galveston.  That hurricane wiped out 3500 homes in the area and over 6500 people died or disappeared.  The ornate Victorian house had been built of stone and railroad ties ended up serving as a sturdy shelter for several nearby residents during that storm.  It was built for lawyer and politician Walter Gresham between the years 1887 to 1893.  In 1923, it was purchased by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston to serve as the Bishop’s residence.  In 1963, the house became a local museum.  It was amazing going through the house with a self-guided audio tour.  Unfortunately, I could not take any photos of the inside of the beautiful house to share with you.

Photo- The outside of the Bishop's Palace that I stole off a historical site.
Darn camera was acting up again!

I next wandered over and around The Strand in Galveston which is their old downtown like historic area.  It’s a block or two away from where cruise ships are docked.  I drove through admiring the old buildings.  It was busy and there were no places that I could find to park.  But I needed to head north towards Houston, get checked into my hotel and meet a friend for dinner.  So, I found I-45 and headed north.

Photos- Inside the Aquarium restaurants.

Later, I had a wonderful late birthday treat of a dinner at the Aquarium restaurant in downtown Houston.  This restaurant had HUGE tanks that you could see in the dining room area.  It was rather great to eat, watch and relax.  We then walked around some of a park setting area not far from the restaurant and I got to see downtown Houston a little more.  Then, we drove through downtown area and I got to see the City’s Christmas lights.  Then, we went Up Town.  Yes, Houston has a downtown and an uptown. We had a quick drink in a nice bar in Uptown and then it was time to call it a night. 

Photo- Christmas in downtown Houston.

 

DAY 70- Sultan Sea, Dunes, & Border Patrol...

Having regrouped and gotten a few days off from my BIG Adventure, I was ready to head out again.  This time I was heading south east to Yuma, AZ.  I had already covered most of the northern territory of Arizona but really felt like I needed to get south.  I will admit that this wouldn’t be my first time to Yuma.  I was there years ago during a couple of Spring Breaks in college.

Before I was even headed out of Palm Desert, I was stopped at a light when the guy in a pickup truck rolled down his window to talk to me.  “Hey, I lived in Salt Lake for 16 years!” he said.  “What part of the valley are you from?”  He continued to ask questions while we waited for the light.  He moved to southern California because you can have it all and he hated the cold up north.  He said that he could ski in the morning and then drive a couple of hours and be surfing on the ocean.  The light changed and he gave the parting comment of “… You’ve got to love California!”  As he stepped on the gas and left me and my station wagon in the dust. 

Okay, I thought; as I headed east on I-10 and shortly after went south on the Hwy 86 split.  I went along for miles with not much for scenery in this southern California area and then out of the blue comes the Sultan Sea.  Yeah, Sultan!  Of all of the names to choose for a name of a lake.  The Sultan Sea is like an oasis out of the middle of nowhere and just happens to also be below sea level.  This sea was created by accident with a flood in 1905 and is still maintained through yearly run offs of water from agriculture and is fed from New White Water and the Alamo Rivers in the area.  It is the largest lake in California and is the second saltiest lake in the US; The Great Salt Lake is the first.  I just drove by the lake but there didn’t appear to be much going on its surface.  There was a fair amount of green areas with houses and I’m sure businesses along its shoreline on the west.

Photo- The Sultan Sea, a huge lake in the middle of California's desert country. 

I continued southeast direction.  My plan was to drive through the Imperial Sand Dunes in southern California.  I had seen the dunes years ago once and I figured it would be something scenic that I could see along the way; there’s really limited scenery between California’s and Arizona’s borders.  I went through a couple of smaller towns and in each one I kept on seeing signs mentioning about purchasing your Glamis permits.  What was this?  Well, it turned out if you wanted to do some off road time or do any recreational things around the sand dunes you needed a permit.  The Imperial Sand Dunes surround a town called Glamis; which is really more of an outpost in the middle of the sand dunes where you can purchase supplies and hook up RV’s.  I drove through and didn’t purchase a permit.  I stopped only once for a quick opportunity to take some pictures.  It was like a giant sand box and I didn’t see that many people playing in the sand box which I found disappointing.

Photo- The Imperial Sand Dunes near Glamis, CA.

I continued on the same road and the landscape changed dramatically to a red like mountains.  There was a HUGE mining operation I drove by that had tall chain-link fences and razor wire along the top.  I’m guessing it was a successful mining operation that REALLY didn’t want trespassers.  Of course, every few feet there was a no trespassing sign; that was a big clue too.

Photo- From sand dunes to red rock mountains in a matter of miles.

The road started to change and the scenery and road began to get really dippy.  The suggested speed limit went lower and then there would be a series of dip after dip after dip that you could see on the road.  It was a little like driving a car on a smaller version of a roller coaster; which is totally not my thing.  I felt my stomach lurch up and down as I drove along; hoping I wouldn’t have to hurl.  The next thing I know I see a warning signs about all vehicles must stop and the speed limit keeps on lowering.  I see stop signs and a covered area above the road where four guys and a dog are standing.  What’s up with this?

Photo- Driving on a mini roller coaster ride and hoping I didn't hurl.

I pulled up and stopped.  The guys are all wearing dark green uniforms that say border control.  One of the guys asked me,” Hi mamm.  Are you a US Citizen?”  Yes I say and then I teasingly say,” Did I wander in to Mexico by accident?”  Oooops! NOT the thing to say to a border control officer.  His face got stern and serious.  He then asked where I started my day, where I was going, and where I had last driven through.  I answered them and thinking to myself all along-”Oh great!  This guy has no sense of humor and he’s going to make me unload my car.” 

Then, he says that did I know that I was heading north to Blythe.  No, I thought I was heading south and hoping to find I-8 to head into Yuma.  I must admit that I played up the dumb part a bit more than I normally would have.  I got out my atlas and asked if he could show me where I was.  I must have really gotten turned around and I needed help I said as I tried to look as dumb and doe-eyed as possible.

He showed me where I was and said that if I turned around.  I could take the second left turn and then I would be about 25 miles to I-8.  I thanked him profusely and he said to be very careful of oncoming traffic when I turned around.  The whole time the other three guys and the German Shepard dog were just standing on the other side of my car.  Okay, I thought as I drove away… Note to self- The US Border Control does not have a sense of humor and to just play it straight the next time.

The rest of the drive was uneventful and I managed to get checked into my hotel for the night in Yuma.  I ended up deciding to stay close to the hotel for dinner since it was dark and went to an Olive Garden.  No one interesting to talk to at the bar, and it was just an over stressed woman who was bartending.  This was no fun and the food was just okay.  In fact, if it hadn’t been for a friend who called to see how I was doing on my adventure; I wouldn’t have had any dinner conversation at all.  Boring!  Note to self- maybe no more Olive Garden meals for a while.