Adventure 2017: The Journey Begins

Our adventure for the summer began yesterday morning as we pulled out of Durant, Oklahoma and headed south into Texas!  The obligatory breakfast stop at Cracker Barrel yielded some shopping and a great meal, then we were "on the road".

Choctaw statue outside the Casino in Durant, Oklahoma

I don't know what I expected, but the route we drove did not give way to much scenic viewing.  I believe I had this idea of wide open spaces, cattle ranches and horse farms.  We did see some nice horse operations in the northern part of the state, and I managed to catch a glimpse of a few cattle, but otherwise, my attention was totally held to the task of driving!  I was surprised by the amount of traffic and lack of open area between towns and cities!

So, had pretty well accepted that my expectations were off kilter and then we hit Dallas! There are just no words to describe a country girl trying to navigate five lanes of traffic, a total jam up due to an accident, and the five lanes converging into three lanes through road construction.  Needless to say, I missed an off ramp we needed, so we were lost!  Found a 7-eleven for gas, switched to using mom's phone for navigation instead of the GPS in her car and found our way onto I-35 South! Success!

No! Road Construction!  Switched back to the car GPS, only to discover that the new highways do not match the GPS locator. But, we adjusted and knew I-35 took us right where we needed to be in San Antonia, so we accepted our loss in travel time and began to relax and enjoy the ride.

We arrived in Austin at 5:35 p.m. and discovered the true meaning of grid lock!  Enough said.

Upon arriving in San Antonio, we arrived at the Wyndham Garden Riverwalk/Museum Reach.  A beautiful establishment with the most pleasant staff.  Mom and I dropped our luggage, literally and headed to the outdoor patio.  After a delightful supper we were able to laugh about our traveling adventures.

Evening view from the hotel patio, San Antonio, Texas

This morning we ventured down town for a meeting mom had, and I found driving along the Riverwalk area to be charming and enjoyable.  San Antonio seems to be a city of friendly and relaxed people, especially the valet attendants at the La Cascada Condo Complex!  Trying to find a parking place, I whipped into the parking area and told the valet, "I will pay whatever to park this car!"  He grinned, and immediately helped us out.

The late afternoon sun is warming the patio and the San Antonio River is lazily resting just outside out hotel.  Tomorrow is Riverboat tour, River taxi (I am not driving), and exploring along the Riverwalk.

The adventure has begun!