Westbound Day 4: Houston to El Paso

We departed from Houston with a delicious breakfast and sandwiches for the road provided by my Aunt Renee, who is the hostess with most likely the mostest.

The next jaunt of our trip was the longest single stretch we had to travel. We were to travel along I-10 for... basically the entire length of Texas. Casey appropriately dubbed said excursion "Operation: Lonestar Runner".

Given the description from others, we were prepared for the worse. We stocked up on a nautical league of water, prepared our vehicles for desert conditions, and mentally braced ourselves for a trip beyond the Thunderdome.

What we found instead, was probably our favourite stretch of landscape so far this trip. It was a sort of calming transition from curving mountain roads to plateaued flat-lands. We were two of only a few cars on the road and were able to take in the grandeur of it all. With no obstructions, the clouds seemed larger than ever before and the skyline stretched infinitely.


Since we were travelling directly west, with changing altitudes and a sprawling skyline, we experienced a beautiful sunset as we crested a peak which lasted around 3 hours.

It is is true we experienced some troubles on our trip. My tailpipe broke free of its bracket and is being held by a sturdy combination of items I found at a local truck stop. Casey's keys got locked in his car, but he was saved by a Buc-ee's [Texas gas station] attendant named Jay, who was apparently trained in the art of the coat-hanger by monks. However, this was my favourite part of the trip as driving is concerned.

We were able to stay in El Paso with a graphic designer named Alan who Casey communicated with over Couchsurfing.com, who set us up for staying in his apartment while he spent the night in his studio. Once we got out stuff inside and got a key, we finished the night with a drink in Rosa's Cantina [we kind of had to] and ate some wonderfully unhealthy food.

Here's to the untouched beauty of the desert, because touching it would be a bad idea. It's still pretty hot and can be pointy.
-Patrick

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Dear Texas,
Thank you for the recognizing the need for a 80 mph zone through the desert, you da real MVP.