Into the west

We broke all of our self-imposed rules of road travel today in an effort to reach our goal destination of El Paso and it paid off. We traveled 600 (yes 600!) miles today and are happy to say all but about 30 miles of Texas is safely behind us. Because most of western Texas along I-10 is sparsely populated and not conducive to stop-overs, we felt it best to press on through the achy legs, drivers' elbow, glaring sun in the eyes, whining and sheer exhaustion to just get here. We still can't believe we did it. Before we left Florida we said we'd take it easy--no more than five hours of driving a day--and we wouldn't eat fast food. Today we were on the road (with short three short breaks included) for 11 hours and the only restaurant to eat at for lunch that wasn't fast food in Fort Stockton, Tx., was IHOP. We plopped our weary selves down in a booth and N said "At least it's clean." I then asked if he'd noticed the flies buzzing around our heads or if he'd seen the bathrooms. We kept our eyes on the food and got back on the road ASAP.

I must say Texas hill country made for a scenic drive. I didn't know there were mountains in Texas and the low greenery contrasted beautifully with the yellow-brown rocks and dirt. For the first time, we're solidly in the west now and it feels great. Sadly, L lost the curls in her hair somewhere in Texas when we left the humid south.

I should add that the cats are the most contented travelers of the bunch, save the littlest one's propensity for escaping. As we were settling into the hotel tonight, Zuzu slipped out of the room and headed down the open stairwell. N and I frantically searched the hallways of a couple of floors until I managed to spy her two flights down on a stairwell landing, just before she was to make her entrance into the lobby (no pets are allowed here) and expose us all for the rule-breakers we have come to be on this trip. Whew!

Today's blessings: Holiday Inn Express, Pei Wei Thai coconut curry with extra veggies, $2.33 gas outside of San Antonio and gaining an hour upon entering mountain time zone.

Curses: C's fat lip from taking a header on the tile floor in the Seguin, Tx., hotel room, N's one-armed farmers' tan from driving the vehicle with no AC, my sore arm from reaching to the back seat with snacks and books.