Texas

We left Vidalia, LA, and drove on Louisiana state highways southwest down to I-10. These roads were mostly in good condition, and the only tedious part was passing through Alexandria. We joined I-10 just east of Lake Charles, LA. Heading west on I-10, we soon entered Texas at Beaumont.

Texas is a BIG state. This was confirmed by the highway sign at the state line, showing the distance to El Paso as 894 miles (1430 km). El Paso is on I-10 in west Texas, just before entering New Mexico.

We stopped in Beaumont at a Blue Beacon Truck Wash, drove in and remained in our truck while eight workers, four per side, went to work with pressure washing and mops. We emerged 20 minutes later with the entire rig, truck and fifthwheel, sparkling clean. We have used Blue Beacon washes before, and they do a great job. They have numerous locations in the US and Canada, and even have an iPad app.

Waiting in line

$52 later

We stayed overnight at Turtle Bayou RV Park, which is about 30 miles east of Houston. Houston is one of the worst cities in North America for terrible traffic, following closely behind Los Angeles and Toronto. There are over 6 million people in the Houston metropolitan area. We knew from past experience that early Sunday morning is a great time to pass through the city, so we got on the road at 7:30am and were through the downtown by 8:30.

Downtown Houston on I-10

We continued on to San Antonio, and bypassed the city by taking Loop 1604, which skirts the metro area and rejoins I-10 on the north side. We proceeded for another 30 miles through the city of Boerne, and reached our destination, Top of the Hill RV Resort. We are staying here for five days, until December 26. It is a friendly park in the Texas Hill Country, which offers a Passport America discount for part of the stay. We have a full hookup 50 amp site with a concrete pad.

The next few days will afford an opportunity to thoroughly check over the rig, stock up some supplies, celebrate The Navigator's birthday, and generally relax before heading into the vast expanse of west Texas, which quickly becomes desert after leaving the Hill Country.

 

Our site at Top of the Hill Resort