TEXAS SUMMARY
Day 1 - It was about a 7-hour drive down to Amarillo, passing through Oklahoma. We first paid a visit to Cadillac Ranch. Because of lots of rain over the previous days, we couldn't get close enough to the cars to spray paint them (yup, it's allowed and encouraged!) so we made do with decorating the mud. We grabbed dinner in the historic Route 66 section of town... which was more loud music, bars, fancy motorcycles and classic cars than anything truly "historic".
Day 2 - Our first stop of the day was Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Again, everything was still extremely muddy from the rains, so we didn't do any hiking. We arrived in San Antonia and spent the day wandering around the town, including the spectacular river walk. Dinner included a massive margarita (which we fortunately shared)!
Day 3 - The heat and humidity definitely were forces to contend with! In the morning, we visited the Alamo, including its museum. We also explored the Governor's Palace and San Fernando Cathedral. We took an enjoyable informative boat tour through the canals and then dined next to the water. In the evening was a spectacular laser light show projected onto the cathedral and set to music. The images told the entire history of the area.
Day 4 - We took a combo tour of two caves at Natural Bridge Caverns. There were many impressive pools and gigantic formations. We then did a driving tour to the missions of San Jose, San Juan, Espada and Concepcion. They each had something different to offer. Some were more fixed up and included displays of how the people there used to live, while others were more left in their natural state of disrepair. We even got to see the oldest grist mill in Texas!
Day 5 - It was about a 2-hour drive down to Corpus Christi. We first wandered the sands of Padre Island National Seashore, which was littered with jellyfish and man-of-wars! Pelicans, gulls and terns filled the air with their noisy cries. At Mustang Island State Park, we walked out to the end of a breakwater and sat on the rocks while crashing waves sprayed us with seawater.
Day 6 - It was almost an 8-hour drive up to Lubbock. We had hoped to enjoy the town a bit but not only did we arrive later than planned, we were also hit with an torrential storm! Sean also had his sopping, old walking shoes stolen as they sat outside our motel door to dry!
Day 7 - It was nearly a 9-hour drive back to Boulder. This time we chose a different route through New Mexico.