Livingston to Aransas Pass

We got a pretty good start this morning.  We were ready to go at the stroke of 8:30.  We generally like to travel only about 200 miles a day; 250 is tops.  Today, our drive was over 300 miles and the consensus is (including Peanut’s vote) that is just too far.

We left Livingston heading south on US 59.  It is a 4-lane, divided highway with somewhat limited access.  Between Livingston and Houston, there is only one area of construction and, with fairly light traffic, we made good time.  We had decided to take the outer beltway around the city to connect on the other side with US 59 instead of towing the Montana through the big middle of the 4th largest city in the country.  Route 8, Sam Houston Parkway, was a fine highway, but we had to stop every few miles to pay tolls.  We stopped at 3 toll booths with a payment of $4 each time.  I guess they felt hitting you up for $12 all at once was too much for the average traveler.  We would have preferred to pay all at once.  This outer beltway, though fine, was a long way around the city and took much more time than we anticipated. (It was all that stopping at the toll booths)

Back on US 59, we sped along at our usual 60-65 in light traffic.  This is not an interstate and there are no rest areas.  The need for a pit stop soon became critical.  There were numerous exits that led to gas stations, but we were reluctant to go speeding down an exit ramp without knowing if there was sufficient clearance at the underpass or a parking lot large enough to turn around.  We finally resorted to pulling off onto the frontage road and parking on the shoulder.  We both ran into the bathroom and I made a quick sandwich which we took back to the truck and ate while driving.  It just so happened, that the particular exit we took did not immediately reenter the highway.  We (well, I was driving at that time) had to drive through the small town of El Campo before getting back on the highway.  The only rest area available on the 307 mile journey today was just north of Victoria.

We were in a pretty strong head wind all day causing us to burn more fuel than usual.  This required a fuel stop.  While I drove, Gene studied the “trucker’s atlas” to find available truck stops.  We got ice cream while there.  Ice cream always helps, especially double fudge.

South of Victoria, we picked up Route 77.  It too was a 4-lane, divided highway, but with more cross streets than 59 and even a couple traffic lights.  We finally wound our way around through a maze of streets, including one without a surface, to arrive at our campground in Aransas Pass, just across the bay from Corpus Christi.  As soon as we got unhitched and attached to life support, I collapsed on the bed for a few minutes to regain my sense of well-being after a stressful day.

It is a balmy 60 something outside—a beautiful evening.  This is a very nice campground, also.  I’ll have a few photos tomorrow.

For now.........I have to rest a little more before going to bed.