No More Texas

Today was mostly about getting from there to here. We traversed the rest of big ol' Texas (and it really is big when you slice through it horizontally) on our old standby, I-10, spending 9 hours (including stops) going from Austin to New Orleans.

Somehow, though, the drive didn't seem so onerous. In fact, given that David had woken me up at 8:30 so I was operating on about 5.5 hours of sleep (and he on even less, which he made up for with two hour plus naps along the way), we really seemed to sail along today. Partly, I think, that was due to having the top down, which makes the drive more fun. Certainly it wasn't due to the breathtaking scenery because there was hardly any.

Here's how the world looks when you're the passenger in the convertible in east Texas.

And here's how it feels.

If you ever look at I-10 on a map, you'll basically see a clean horizontal line that slices across the lower US. I've driven it Phoenix to LA, Phoenix to Tucson, Tucson to El Paso, El Paso to (almost) Austin, and (almost) Austin to New Orleans. We've been involved with I-10 for days.

This particular stretch was not so scenic, so I entertained myself when I wasn't driving by playing with the camera. I took pictures of transportation stuff, since those things caught my eye. Here's a variable toll sign in Houston.

And the abstract beauty of interlaced interstates, also in Houston.

Here's another shot of something neat (I think) that they do on the interstate in Texas. I've never seen that elsewhere and I'm totally impressed that I actually snagged this shot as we zipped through.

In addition to signs above indicating lanes and directions, they simply paint the appropriate interstate number on the actual lanes. So you know which lane to be in. Terribly clever, those Texans!

Here's something else that caught my eye in Houston.

Both David and I thought that was George Bush on the left end. But after some research I've learned that it's actually Austin, Houston, Lincoln and Washington and is entitled, "A Tribute to American Statesmanship." It's a rather jarring sight sitting right by the highway, Houston's own Mt. Rushmore moment.

Some other ways I entertained myself when I wasn't driving:

Took a nice shot of David while he was driving.

Noticed that my upper body has gotten quite suntanned and I now look like I am two different races (that's my hand on my leg).

And snapped the requisite photo of us in the car zooming down the highway.

I even took some photos of particularly unsightly spots and didn't even try to make them look good.

At one point when I was driving, the road coursed through the Atchafalaya swamp. I can't share photos because they're on David's phone and I don't have access to that right now. But after writing all about how it was built (for the website we designed for Federal Highway), it was pretty darn neat to travel that 18-mile span.

I will point out that the terrain has transformed yet again. No more hills or mountains dotted with scrub pine and sagebrush. Today was mostly flat stretches saturated once again with lots and lots of green color.

Were it not for how spacious it is (and my first glimpse of Spanish moss), you could be on the east coast. All the jaw dropping terrain of the west and southwest is now a memory.

And then, finally, we arrived in New Orleans. Our hotel is in the French Quarter, on a quiet and charming street. Here's a shot I snapped as the sun set and we waited for a cab.

We dined at Cochon, a Cajun-inspired shrine to pork. Oh what a delicious dinner we had! We started with grilled oysters (look at me having oysters two days in a row -- haven't I just completely transformed overnight!), some charcuterie that included BBQ pork shoulder, tomatoes and watermelon, and a shredded zucchini salad. Oh, and the chef sent over a complimentary terrain accompanied by horseradish coarse mustard and homemade pickles. Fortunately I didn't quite hear what it was before I tried it. Turned out to be head cheese and some other nasty components. Truth be told, it was actually quite delicious.

Here's a photo of the appetizer spread.

Our main courses were grouper and pork shoulder. That's about as descriptive as saying that in Paris there are art galleries. But by now I'm getting really tired and just can't recollect what made each one a tasty and perfect composition. I just know it was fantastic.

After dinner we walked over to Frenchmen Street. Lots of music blaring from lots of bars and sometimes right on the street. We ducked into a place, then were joined by some of David's NY friends (some of the ones we had met up with Marfa). The party moved on to another spot but by then I was ready to call it a night. And so it's to bed to prepare for a full day of checking out Nola tomorrow.