Month: March 2026

Well, I joined the group at Drago’s, an oyster bar inside the Hilton. Our little group did a fair amount of damage to their stock of oysters (I should have taken a pic of the pile of shells). It wasn’t long till we gave each other big hugs and parted ways.

My first goal was to get to Pascagoula, MS. I went through more beautiful country getting there and was pleasantly surprised that it was a really pretty town. I think it will make more short list.

The drive between there and Pensacola was beautiful. Gorgeous homes and great landscapes.

I might look closer at Mobile, AL but I got there right at rush hour and wanted to continue on…so I did.

I’m checked in to the hotel for the night but think I’ll go find a local dive to grab a beer and chat with the locals.

Pretty countryside on the way to N.O. The weather has turned. Most of the day was in the high 40s to low 50s.

I got into N.O. without much fanfare. Damn phone signal has been crappy (so much for buying a new iPhone in Houston!), so had a bit of fun navigating downtown and had to go around the block an extra time till I found the entrance to the Marriott. Thank god for valet parking…at $55 per night…ouch!

Got into the room and unloaded, took a quick nap, showered and caught a taxi for a pretty short ride to the restaurant I was meeting Scott & Andrea MacLeod and Andrea’s sister Susan.

The staff there was wonderful…the hostess, Doc had a great sense of humor when I told her that was my nickname and my guest showing up I always called Doc. Go figure.

It wasn’t long before they all came in. So good to see them. We had a good dinner at Palm & Pine, before moving on to Arnauds. I picked this spot because Anita and my good friends Nils & Elaine said I had to stop by. Nils said his great Uncle opened the place and they’d had many family members work there to boot.

It was a good time though our waiter was a surly shit…he did okay but his presentation left a bit to be desired.

We decided I should Join them in the morning for brunch before I left.

Was wonderful to get out of the Super 8…again nothing super about it, but I did get a good nights sleep. Thank God for gummies. The goal today was to get to Port Arthur, TX.

The first place I stopped for gas ($3.29 gal) was about an hour out. While I was getting gas I saw a paramedic unit close by. I asked them for a good place for breakfast…they said without hesitation, “7-11, that’s where we are headed right now. They make fresh tacos”. Apparently everything else in town was closed…no tacos for breakfast for me!

I continued on to College Station, home of Texas A&M (the Aggies).

I ended up at a place across from campus…Red’s something or other. It was dead inside due to spring break, so I had the attention of three wonderful waitresses who were wonderful at answering questions. The will be a place I consider. It is beautiful and not too crowded (around 70K population).

I know there are those of you who will appreciate the fact that spring is here as evidenced by the wildflowers on the sides of the road.

There were blues, purples, orange, pink, white and yellows in abundance. Don’t worry folks…spring will be with us all soon!

As I cruised along I saw what could only be a tent revival off the sides of the road.

I felt the need for a little spiritual uplifting so went it. What a great deal…all the menfolk were in cowboy hats and boots…including the Pastor, Dan. Yeah, me in shorts, HD shirt and tennis shoes was a bit outta place but no one batted an eye. I heard an actual sermon the likes of which I haven’t had in years! Like I said, I’ll be coming back to this stretch of Texas.

Made it to Port Arthur with no further things to comment on. Was a wonderful day on the road.

Today started off with a send-off breakfast with Greg & Coleen at Chops & Eggs. OMG what a great breakfast..shade of The Hash House a Go Go in Las Vegas.

This was a vegetarian version of eggs benedict…what no meat? Nope.

This was a great day of driving. I was intending on going to my friends in Somerville, but decided to wait till I’m on my way back to Corpus Christi. Wait!! What??

That’s right, Greg & Coleen graciously offered up their home in Corpus for me to caretake from May to October! God works in strange ways. So Anita correctly pointed out that it made more sense to drop the car off at their house, fly home and then fly back in May rather than slogging my way back and forth. Since I’m looking in this neck of the woods it only makes sense.

So what made this day of driving special? I started getting into the Texas hill country. What a beautiful transition from the arid conditions to the beginnings of green countryside.

Some of you know I have an affinity for abandoned brick buildings. Here’s a couple from El Campo, TX.

Ended up in Bastrop. Had BBQ inside H.E.B. (Think Fred Meyer on steroids). It was pretty good for being what it is.

Stayed the night at a Super 8…though not very super. Rattiest room I’ve been in at darn near the highest cost. Ah well.

More west Texas driving….which is to say boring. I’m so glad I got the XM/Sirius radio prior to leaving…it makes these stretches easier to handle.

I’ve come to realize I’m sure I’m more interested in a smaller community as Brownsville is over 190k plus and Harligen is a bedroom community of 81k…so they are pretty spread out together.

The good news about today is a good Mexican seafood bar and grill. The food was good but this…

This is called a ballena (referring to it being as big as a whale). I guess they go by other names in other parts of Mexico.

The end of the day was capped by a trip to the liquor store across from my hotel. The had my favorite brand of rye whiskey Sagamore. But they had two other variations I’d never seen before, so my good friend Nils will get to enjoy opening the bottle together.

Lots of west Texas driving today, but not too much to speak of. This area at first glance seems to be in decline. Perhaps a closer look would reveal more than what’s on the surface.

It was interesting to note that between Laredo and Brownsville there were at least 100 miles of electrical towers being erected. These are high transmission style towers…apparently they are for the oil companies drilling in the Permian Basin (Midland, TX area…think Landman). They need it to be able to continue and expand their operations in the area…who knew?

Amazing the amount of money being invested in the infrastructure.

I’ve made it to Corpus Christi and to our friends Greg & Coleen Walloch’s home. They’ve taken me in and we enjoyed lunch at the beach and an opportunity to see spring break in full progress!

The photo doesn’t really do it justice…and I missed the girl on the skateboard being dragged along by her dog!

Not much to say about today…west Texas is desolate. It’s a lot different than the deserts of Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. I’m not a fan…does that come through?

Having said that I should mention that I saw a large body of water with the most amazing turquoise green water I’ve ever seen. It’s the Amistad Reservoir. It’s a really big body of water. Like most places out west the level is down but it’s still big and beautiful.

Tomorrow is getting me closer to the Gulf…and hopefully some good Mexican food along the way.

So I got to start the morning looking at the type of country I had driven through the evening prior. It was gorgeous…lots of red/orange/purples. Did I mention it was gorgeous?

Got a bit of a late start but had a great drive. It started with a stretch between Morenci and Silver City, NM. For aspiring Tour de France riders it would be a great training ride…equal to Ida Baker pass in northern CA. It would be a world class motorcycle ride across!

About 25 miles outside of Silver City I went by this place;

This was a great day of driving. It was overcast the entire day with squalls of rain throughout. Between Sierra Blanca and Van Horn I drove through several of them and they all carried the clean scent of the desert with the smell of sagebrush…one of my favorites.

So I got a late start to Morenci because I was able to have breakfast with my good friend Mark Baker. Mark has been there for me through thick and thin. He’s one of the good ones.

After breakfast I made a run to Costco to gas up and then over to Dr Tino’s to get myself adjusted. Bill turned me on to him several years ago and I go to him every time I’m in LV…this trip was no exception.

I’ve ridden the Harley through much of Arizona but haven’t spent much time in the southeastern mountains….they are beautiful. There would be some pretty good riding (both motorcycle and bicycle) here.

It was a long drive and the last hour was done at night. I am not of fan of driving at night!

Morenci is a little corporate owned town…apparently they own everything. One of the few left in the states. From what I’ve read it’s a great mining company and this is the largest open pit copper mine in the U.S.

I hope to meet some of the folks tomorrow.

Another long day of driving but at least the scenery was different. The desert has its own kind of beauty and this time of year it tends to show off the best.

I wish I had taken a moment to stop and take a pic of HUGE chunks of rock that have broken off the tall cliff faces that border the highway on both sides. You get to snake through two or three miles and it is truly spectacular. I can’t imagine being there when they dropped. They had to make the ground shake.

It was a long drive but I got there in time to have dinner with Bill & Laura and Terry & Kathy.

I told them the news and again, nothing but supportiveness. I should mention that our breakup is mutually agreed upon and it seems we are treating each other better since the decision was made. Anita is a wonderful woman. We hope to be able to work on our friendship.

I’ll end by saying I stayed the night at the Circus Circus…yeah the price was right and comfortable enough, but spend the extra 10-15 bucks and get a better spot….one that has valet parking a accessible bars!!