Headed (G)home -- Part 2

As we crossed the southern portion of Texas, we kept an eye on our weather forecast as per usual. We were not worried about rain or snow so much as the high wind advisory. Furthermore, we did the best planning we could in terms of finding a camping spot and our go to for Corpus Cristi was call Mustang Beach, a sand road you could drive down to reach the coast and spend the night. Well, when we arrived at the turn off, we noticed that the sand was not as hard packed as we would have liked so to avoid getting stuck in with the camper, we decided to just try plan B. The road to Padre Island is straight and flat much like Long Beach Island. We entered the park past closing and managed to find a tent spot on the beach with other campers for $15 a night. Pretty steep but with lack of options, we just bit the cost of this one. The wind that night was brutal and multiple tie-down adjustments were made until the final setup had the sturdy picnic table roped to the tent cords to keep the roof from blowing down on us.

The next morning, we went to the visitor center and got some information about the beach. Before hitting the road again, we strolled the sand and was surprised by the amount of trash and debris was on the coast. Not very pretty.

We drove on towards Houston and while passing through to our campsite, we stopped at two very unique places. The first was the Houston Art Car Museum which hosted 4 vehicles that had previously participated in the Art Car Parade; a local treasure where people build and adorn your average automobile into a work of art to be driven down the parade route. The video they showed had clips of cars blowing fireballs, floats decorated like a flamboyant pirate ship and a silver monstrosity called Spoonzilla, a lay down type vehicle with moving tail, arms and snapping jaw.

We also took a drive by the Beer Can house which was started in 1968 and is a small residential cover in 50,000+ beer cans. Additionally, the property had other unique DIY's incorporating marble inlays of a cemented lawn, brass figures and metal pieces in concrete and redwood which made up the patio, fence posts and more. The house now sits amongst residential redevelopments which tower over it in both size and architectural superiority.

On our second day in the region, we visited Whataburger for lunch to try out some fine dining. Nothing really to write home about. We also took a free tour of the Menil Collection, a privately owned collection of art and artifacts of differing regions and heavily guarded by many employees in suits at the ready to shush you or have you step away from the picture. Every move was being watched by these hawks and it was stuffy, uptight and uncomfortable for us simple folk.

After that uptight interaction, we needed some fun so we headed to the Aquarium for happy hour drinks. Their restaurant and bar surround a massive 100,000+ gallon tank with teams of fish swimming by as you eat and drink. Post fishy business, we headed a couple blocks away to see some bats. A specific underpass was known for its bat emergence each night at sunset. We waited, and waited.. . . ... and waited and they never came around. It was getting dark out and we called it a night but not before stopping at a must-see rest stop called Buc-ee's. This massive fill n fly hosted upwards of 80+ gas pumps in a line and the cleanest toilets in the south. Also their store had just about everything for everyone including homemade jerky, fudge and hot meals to go. It really was a spectacle.

After we left the Houston region the next morning, we set a hot pace for Asheville NC, our final stopping point before reaching Harrisburg. Along the way to Asheville, we stopped at a Flea Market in Lafayette Louisiana, and grabbed geocaches en route including making a 2 hour detour to hit the Florida line and grab one at the visitor center. Asheville had been recommended by many people throughout our journey and it was only fitting to make it our final stop of the trip. With a few days at the Red Roof Inn, we booked a few house viewings in the area, some we liked and others not as much. We also had a chance to experience some of the towns finest including an amazing fast-paced bluegrass show at the Isis Theater featuring Grandpa's Cough Medicine. [CD and sticker purchased for the memories.] We also participated in a free (donations welcomed) sound meditation in which we sat or laid out in a dark room while our instructor played soothing chimes and noises to relax the body and mind. Some of my neighbors went for the nap method while others released some vegan toots to the sound of the drums. Overall, a unique and interesting event. Lastly, we tried out a new gaming spot in town where you paid $10 per person for unlimited gaming which was awesome since we were able to pass level two in Ninja Turtles without running out of quarters. They also had Skeeball for two. Some of their machines were a little busted and the scored triggered incorrectly or just flat out didn't work but we kept a list and let the bar tender know what needed fixing.

Our final hurrah was at a venue a few hours north of Asheville in Boone NC. One of Liz's all time favorite artists, Mipso, was playing at a college venue. We snagged great parking and tickets at the door for a pretty cool show. [CD and sticker purchased for the memories.] The next morning was D-Day, or should I say H-day. It was a haul for sure but our destination was secure. We charted through North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and finally Pennsylvania to begin unpacking items and figuring out whats next for us.

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In the 817 GPS hours accumulated, we spent 246 days (~30,000mi) on the road living out of the top-to-bottom remodeled 32 year old pop up camper, a well loved/used tent for two and pupparoo, the Subaru turned sarcophagus. and the occasional hotel or couch crash at acquaintance. 

We visited with 8 friends and family and made more worth visiting a second time. 

We ferried 8 hitch hiking friends who either needed a lift across a state(s) or town or just as far as we could take them.

Learned the meaning of a humbling job at a campground in the Sierra Nevada's CA.

Swam in numerous mountain lakes and two hot springs

Ate a rattlesnake Liz skinned and prepared 

Spent the night with a cicada emergence

Got lost a lot (mostly GPS error) and had a few failed campsites but many more good ones to name

Traveled to Canada on one of the biggest Election days in recent history

Saw 26 State (and one Canadian Province) and visited 25 National Parks / Monuments

Spent way more time in California and Utah than expected with a revisit to each

Had four impassible roads

Twelve near misses 

1 flat car tire and two preventativly replaced trailer tires

And one hell of a journey. 

Thank you to anyone who has read at least one of my posts. It means I didn't do all this work for nothing, And heck, even if no one reads this darn thing, I can always come back to it and relive this amazing trip I had with the best two companions anyone could ask for.