update from Louisiana...

We left Texas.. Woo-Hooooooooo!!!!
Not that we didn't enjoy it or anything..... nice campgrounds, expensive but nice... I didn't know where to dump except at a campground until Christine got here and showed me the fabulous travel centers called Flying J and Pilot... wow...for free!!!! I thought we would have to go to a 25-40 dollar a night rv resort/campground every few days...Now I'm a happy camper for sure!!!...
While in Texas:
We went to Austin and saw the capital- very beautiful, another IKEA cool-, a street fair where Hanna found some more rings--we have been looking for about a year- Jake got another great hat that he really loves..straw- his other one was too small...
Next on to San Marcos, NewBraunfels( cool hardware store and a neat German bakery) and San Antoinio- really cool Natural Bridge Caverns-Jakes 2nd time but he was doesn't remember the first time- he was 3... drove around about an hour looking for a place to park our rig so we could go to The Alamo..we finally found one- about a block away-- while I was walking over to stuff my money in ($30! a day) the pay box, a guy (6'2" or more) big black gentleman without front teeth, but dressed very clean and nice looking clothes, came up to me and said "Did you just pull in or are you leaving?" I told him I just got there(if he worked there -wouldn't he know?) he tried to make small talk about AK, all the while I'm thinking-who is this guy?!, and so he tries to hand me a ticket and says to" put in in your windshield ma'am" and says I can just give the money to him.... I told him, No the sign says to put the money in the box or I don't get the credit and I'll be towed--the sign did not say that..--so I also say I'll just put the money in the box and you can get it out later..he says yes ma'am I'll just take that ticket back and goes over to another MARK that just drove up -and that guy takes the ticket gives him the money... so big black guy starts quickly sauntering across parking lot, leaving the scene...while he is walking away I look around the corner and there is a huge sandwich board with NO ATTENDANT ON DUTY _ PUT MONEY IN NUMBERED BOXES....so I point this out to guy who gave guy money..who wasn't happy..and repaid. So that is my big long involved boring BIG CITY story..sorry :-)
When we were done in San Antonio, really wanted to be magically transported to Louisiana- the next leg...instead we got an early start(for us, anyway) and thought this is great, we're on our way!!!, except we weren't.... next long slightly exciting story.... I felt a big thumping on right rear...and started saying we have a blowout, people- more than once...and the truck was not pulling or anything so then I thought we had run over something...
We hadn't and it was a blowout......
We drove on some fun backroads for about 16 miles to get to the tire place(who were fabulous)...and were back on the road after learning alot about tires... more than I wanted to know .. :-) only about $470 and 4 hours later than our plan(what plan?!!) We finally made it out of Texas at 12:15 on Sep 28....


We need to go listen to some Cajun music now...more later Julie