Day 2: Galveston Island, Texas

There will be more day 2 coming, but we spent some quality time in Galveston and I want to post some of the better photos from there.

We watched sunrise on the beach and picked up a few shells along the way.

Drove by the new Pleasure Pier a few times.

We took the Bolivar Ferry back and forth, saw quite a few dolphins from the observation deck.

Stopped by the ruins of the supposed former home of pirate Jean Lafitte.

Bishops Palace, one of the many beautiful homes along the main road. Also one of the few survivors of the devastating 1900 hurricane that nearly leveled everything on the island.

Tune in tomorrow for more photos from Houston and surrounding area!

The First Day: Long and Winding Road

  The first day of the trip was an unspectacular journey from one place to another: South of Nashville, Tennessee to Galveston, Texas. And there were few stops in  between. 

   We left at 6:30am and arrived in Galveston around 7:30pm. The only stops were for gas and rest stops. We ate lunch at the Louisiana Welcome Center. The bridge in the photo above is the Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge. 

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Swamp Bridge, Atchafalaya Swamp, Louisiana

  We did stop at the Tiger Stop in Gross Tete where they have a live tiger in a cage(LSU Tigers, you know). But it was hot and the tiger wasn't easily visible. I felt sort of bad pulling in to see this, felt bad for the tiger laying there in the heat(though I suppose tigers are used to heat, aren't they?). 

   We cut south off of Interstate 10 to go through Baytown, across the Fred Hartman Bridge over the Houston Ship Channel as a quicker way to Galveston. 

  By the time we got our motel room and some dinner, it was dark-and they cut off the lights at the Pleasure Pier JUST as we pulled over and I got out with the tripod to get some shots! Disheartened, I took some really bad shots without the tripod of the ferris wheel, the only lights left on. 

   The first day was somewhat uneventful-but it was the only day that was. There are so many more photos to come!

Iconic Places, Iconic Faces

  Ok, ok, I couldn't wait to get to some of the places we visited by going day by day. Day one will be posted tomorrow, but honestly, there wasn't much to see on day one and I was anxious to show you some of the best places we saw along the way. 

   This is a teaser, if you will, then. A short photo essay to show off some of the iconic places and things we saw on our trip to the west. There are many, many more, but I thought these few images summed it all up pretty well. More info about each of these places will be posted when I get to the day when we saw them.

The Art of the Welcome Sign

While traveling through other states, one of our traditions is to get a photo of the "Welcome to 'Our State'" signs. No, not like many tourists, where you stop the car and have all the family pose in front of the sign-we don't have time for that sort of thing! But I get the shots nonetheless. And I love seeing how different states choose to welcome visitors who have arrived from their neighboring state.

"Welcome to Alabama the Beautiful" and an addition mentioning the current governor; Interstate 65. Short but sweet with a  nice little slogan and an extra sign that might have to be changed every few years.
Many more after the break....

Back In More Ways Than One!

    Yes, I am back. With so much to post, so much to say. Back from an illness that had me doing zilch from about April Fool's to mid-May. And then dealing with all the end-of-school-ness for the kiddo(OMG end of 8th grade, I'm the mom of a high schooler now! *faints*). And then finally back from a mega-vacation. Probably the best one we have taken, well maybe the best one of my life so far.

     It was the Wild West Trip, The Trip That Wouldn't End, The Trip to See As Much As Possible! We visited 12 states(not including our home state) in 9 days-west of the Mississippi-and 4 of those days were in Texas! I am going to post photos and comments day by day, just as soon as I get a chance to really go through all 3000 photos that I took. I hope to get a new post up every few days so keep checking back!

  Basics of the trip:

1. Tennessee to Galveston, Texas via Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana
2. Galveston to San Antonio, Texas via all over Houston where I grew up
3. San Antonio to Austin, Texas 
4. Austin to Pecos, Texas via Abilene and back roads
5. Pecos to Roswell, New Mexico via El Paso, Las Cruces, Alamagordo
6. Roswell to Cheyenne, Wyoming via Colorado
7. Cheyenne to Rapid City, South Dakota via Devils Tower, Mt Rushmore
8. Rapid City to St Joseph, Missouri via Iowa
9. St Joseph to Tennessee via Illinois, Kentucky

  So yes, many of my photos(again) are taken from the front seat of the rental car(such as the shot of the beautiful Rocky Mountains in Wyoming seen above). And somehow I have an extreme knack for getting shots of bushes and signs in so many of the photos I attempt! And every now and then I get something somewhat decent to show(even a blind squirrel finds a nut, blah blah blah).

  Prepare for photos from Galveston, San Jacinto Monument, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Manor, Eastland, Abiline, Midland, Pecos, Toyah, Las Cruces, White Sands, Alamogordo, Lincoln, Roswell, Denver, Cheyenne, Devils Tower, Mount Rushmore, Sioux City, and much more from the road.

  Stay tuned!