Texas is not flat.

I don't know why I thought Texas was flat. Maybe it flattens out later? I'm in San Antonio, having trekked through West Texas. For awhile I was cruising through mountains, but they eventually flattened out somewhat into mesas. I like mesas. It looks like someone went through with a giant scythe and cut off the mountain tops.

I woke up this morning in El Paso and stepped outside (still hiding Kobee) only to be slapped with a freezing wind and to discover that my car was covered in ice. I thought Texas was a WARM state? It's not like I haven't driven through here before. Nia and I did it when she moved to Florida. We did it all the time when I was a kid, and I took a bus to Texas Tech to visit a friend in college - hey Karen! And yet I've been left with all of these misconceptions:

Texas is not flat. Texas is not always warm. Texas is not a vast wasteland of nothingness. I have not seen a single truck with a gun rack. Texas does not have drive through espresso stands (are you snickering, David?).

Texas is quite pretty. Texans are very polite on the roads. The speed limit on highway 10 is 80 (how happy was I?). Texas has plenty of tasty Mexican food to choose from. Texans are very friendly.

Texas is still very big, but I think the drudgery of driving through it is psychological. I left yesterday morning from California, went all the way through Arizona and New Mexico and stopped in Texas. That feels like progress. Two solid days in Texas leaves people feeling like they're not getting anywhere. From here on out I will remember that Texas is not hell on earth; it's simply BIG.

I had the munchies all day. Boredom, of course, but I think it's also because I didn't have a hot breakfast, and it was very (VERY) cold outside. I spent all day munching on the things I had in the car - my last orange from California, the granola I bought at Trader J's, some nuts I had from home, my Trader J's salad. That was fun - 88 miles an hour down highway 10 eating my salad. My hotel last night came with a free continental breakfast, but because I'd smuggled my dog in, I just wanted to leave before I got busted, and so left hungry.

Tonight I'm in a Super 8. It's pretty darned cozy, and they offer breakfast. Kobee is allowed here, so I'll be partaking of the free offerings in the morning.

My internet connection is spotty tonight, so I haven't yet checked my route for tomorrow. I'm either going to stop in Lafayette, LA or hustle down to Sandestin. Lafayette should be interesting. I once dated a guy from there. He was a real treat; if he's typical of the population of Lafayette I'll be blowing on through ...