Scribble World Travel Blog

Houston Space Center

We spent last night in an empty restaurant parking lot in a small town near Brehan~then drove to Houston, where we went to the Space Center.  It was another expensive day-$5 for parking, $23/person, which included an extra fee to rent an ipod for the audio tour-(we probably could have done without the audio).  It was entertaining just walking around and reading about the many things.  I wish we’d have gotten there sooner, we didn’t have time to do everything before closing.

We’re spending a second night in our van and are only about 100 feet from the Gulf of Mexico in Galveston, TX.

My Perfect Day

It was Chris’s 33rd birthday and my wonderful uncle was letting us stay at their ranch while they were out of town.  So when I awoke at 5AM it was still dark, I lay in bed relishing in my dreamy thoughts, then grabbing a couple blankets to keep cozy, I slipped out to make myself a cup of tea, and let the birthday boy sleep in.

I sat plopped down on the hammock outside in the dark, senses piqued, noticing every rustle of the leaves, wisp of wind, drop of heavy dew falling..it was just this beautiful poetic beginning to a day, almost surreal.

I patiently watched as the beautiful sun began to rise over the distant hills.  I ran to grab the camera and ask Chris if he wanted to see his 33rd birthday sunrise (he opted to stay in bed), and I got back just as the sun was disappearing behind gray clouds.

It was just such a perfect and leisurely day, I began thinking up a new story idea and just felt so happy and content with my existence.  Chris played his guitar.  I thought about my life, thoughts and experiences freely flowing in and out of my mind-understanding things more deeply and fully than ever before.

The Alamo in San Antonio, TX

The Alamo in San Antonio still stands after all these years, and we walked around looking at the relics-the old guns, the beds, the dust and the stories.  The Battle of the Alamo, which is a famous turning point in the Texas Revolution, was a victory for the Republic of Mexico, but the siege, which lasted 13 days from February 23, 1836-March 6, 1836 stalled the Mexican Army giving the Texan Revolutionaries time to gather troops and supplies for a victory at the Battle of San Jacinto.

San Antonio River Walk

Beneath the crowded streets of downtown San Antonio there is a refreshing retreat, an urban River Walk where pedestrians can walk along more than 17,000 feet of pathways and admire the beautiful oak trees,  old stairwells, bridges and calming waters.  The idea for the River Walk was that of Robert Hugman in the late 1920s.  His design allowed for both flood prevention and commercial development.

If you visit the River Walk, you’ll notice the many shops, restaurants and hotels.  Many of these establishments have street side entrances and separate River Walk entrances down below.

The Hyatt Regency makes for an convenient place to stay as they’ve built a beautiful pedestrian walkway connecting the cities two largest tourist attractions-The Alamo Plaza and the River Walk.

New Year’s Eve in South Padre Island, TX

We spent one night on the beach and then found a great rate at the Beachside Inn. We got a great deal- it was cheaper than camping at the KOA would’ve been.
We walked around town, and drove the length of the island and explored the beaches. We saw our first jellyfish.

For New Year’s Eve, we spread a huge beach towel on a secluded beach and could see the fireworks from all around the island.

South Padre Island night on the beach

After arriving in South Padre, we followed directions to a public beach access, that turned out to be closed, but it’s a narrow island, and it wasn’t too hard to find another beach access. This one was deserted except for us and one other truck. We got out and walked around the dark beach, taking in the starry sky and the smell of the ocean. The other truck eventually left and we had the whole beach to ourselves for the rest of the night and a very peaceful comfortable night by the beach. By morning, there were dog walkers, runners, and sea-shell combers walking the beach.

We drove around the island and found lots of other beaches to explore.

Night on the beach

We just spent our first night parked on a sandy beach, mere feet from the ocean.  It was both soothing and kind of scary listening to the powerful waves so nearby. I had a hard time sleeping because I kept wondering how close the waves were getting to the van, but it was too dark to see.  But when the sun finally surfaced, I saw everything was just fine and I regretted having to leave so soon, wishing for a 2nd night without the worrying this time.  But alas, we were one our way to South Padre Island, TX to spend New Year’s Eve there and had to be on our way.

USS Lexington Museum on the Bay

Passing through Corpus Christi today, we decided to stop to take a tour of the USS Lexington ship, which is now a museum-complete with movie theater.  We easily could have spent more than 2 hours weaving our way through the many rooms and exhibits, but our parking meter would’ve expired.

Austin, TX

My cousin was kind enough to show us around Austin.  We walked around a very nice running park and saw a Stevie Ray Vaughan statue. We went to the awesome Whole Foods headquarters, which had all kinds of goodies including fresh unpasteurized juices-they are so heavenly.  We treated ourselves to unusual customized drinks at Momoko’s tea room.  They had bubble tea (boba) drinks.  I tried a peppermint boba tea, not bad.  Oh! And we went to our first Hookah Bar. 

Trail of Lights; Austin, TX

We made it to Austin, TX just in time to go to the Trail of Lights with my relatives.  It was quite a sight.  We all twirled beneath the Christmas tree lights until we were dizzy and then walked by the many decorative displays.

Dr Pepper Museum

We stopped in Waco Texas and toured the Dr Pepper Museum.  It was pretty much what one would expect-lots of old ads, commercials, memorabilia, and info on the changing ownership.  In the cafe, we split a cup of piping hot Dr. Pepper.