Galveston, TX to Brownsville, TX
(From Monday... on the road... no access to the Internet)To describe Galveston as beautiful is to horridly understate its attractiveness. We woke this morning in a resort town too quiet for its peak period and weather too lovely to call summer and had to fight the urge to lollygag as we had so many details to finalize before we cross into Mexico. While traffic on the Seawall Road may have been minimal, the logjam in the dining area made up for any absence of life on the strand. A sea of families congregated at the breakfast bar, and we were able to wedge out a few muffins, bagels and coffee before packing up and heading into town. We took a quick tour of the historic downtown and finalized some banking before heading south along the gulf coast.
While our dear friend Julie may have less than high marks to give to Houston, this should in no way reflect the rest of the region. I could not help but think of the Outer Banks minus the sand dunes. What struck us was how little development was to be found along this beautiful windswept coast. While it may be dotted with offshore oilrigs and dispel any myth of a shortage of refineries (sorry, but Americas capability to refine copious amounts of crude was quickly dispelled as we had a difficult time turning two digits on the odometer without stumbling across a miles long refinery) the region is comprised of vast empty stretches of grasslands and barrier islands.
While I drove, Pen worked the phone finalizing changes of address and securing our Mexican Auto Insurance one of those little details we failed to finalize before hitting the road. We secured a reasonable policy with a reputable company but needed to find someplace where I could go on-line and download the policy. Had we thought about this detail 24 hours earlier we could have availed ourselves of the services of the La Quinta Business Center in Galveston this morning before leaving.
We stopped for gas and a late lunch in Rockport, TX and enjoyed a little time at one of the countless picnic areas you find along the Texas coast. A quick note Texas really does go out of its way to provide picnic and camping areas on some of its most beautiful stretches of coastline. Our lunch stop was one such location with trails and tables ideal for chilling out after a very long drive and a distraction for travelers with kids and dogs. We laid a plan to find an Internet Café in Corpus Christi and got back on the road. Our first thought was another La Quinta Business Center, but the one we visited on the outskirts of town catered more to travelers rather than business types. The clerk directed us to what she believed was an Internet Café in downtown and we backtracked and triangulated our way to Agua Java Café. Two very cool baristas poured up some great coffee but, while blessed with Internet, they were minus printing capabilities. We put our heads together and came up with a solution to try the main branch public library. Thanks girls. If I could actually learn to follow verbal directions, yours would have been spot on. Obviously the Corpus Christi Internet at the public library is the real hotspot in town as a sizable queue was formed waiting for Internet access. The very kind attendant suggested that, if I didnt mind standing, I might find an open one in the back of the library. Sure enough, between two kids entertaining themselves on the Yahoo Games site, I saw an open terminal, logged on and, voila, there was my insurance policy. I sent copies to the printer at the attendant station, burned a few extra copies and rounded up the girls for the final drive to Brownsville.
As we had gotten off the main highway we were a bit turned around but found a very kind man and a dog who bore a striking resemblance to Petey of the Little Rascals series who got us reoriented and, in three hours, and three Spanish language lessons later, we were in Brownsville, 15 minutes from the border crossing at Matamoros. I got a chance to introduce the girls to food from Jack In the Box, one of my favorite chains that I heavily patronized back in Los Angeles. The desk manager at the Super 8 cut me a great deal for a room with two queen-size beds, pet friendly accommodations and very cool guests. We ate our dinner, took a dip in the pool and settled in for a few hours sleep before our 5 a.m. wake up call and 7 a.m. border crossing attempt. My only failing in securing this room was the lack of Wi Fi. Chances are you wont see this update until we are in Mexico. Were shooting for Tampico, totally dependent on how smoothly we cross and whether or not we can make the 300 miles before losing daylight.
More tomorrow or whenever we can get Internet again.
posted by Dave Carroll @ 8/10/2006 01:49:00 AM
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