Houston

I have driven I-10 more often than you’ve had hot dinners, or at least a dozen times in my life BUT I admit I was slightly intimated when I realized the exit numbers added up to the distance we had to go to get to New Mexico. 

We were on a mission and we had to get to Houston by lunchtime. It should have been easy but as usual we managed to turn a six hour drive into a desperate dash to make a deadline. It’s how we roll. 

We hardly saw Louisiana and the Cajun country. Definitely on the list for when we get back. We crossed the Sabine River into Texas farm land. 

I fired off a few pictures from the bridge, mobile photography is all we can manage for most of this fast paced journey on I-10. The chemical

plants of Beaumont flashed by and I just wanted to get away. This is how you make a living on this part of the gulf coast but I find the chemical industry creepy. 

The coast itself is far out of sight from the freeway so the scenery is swamps farms and box store billboard advertising. In short most of it is not scenic. 

Approaching Houston I-10 moves from rural bleakness to Friday midday traffic. We had to come to Houston to complete our travel vaccination program. There exists a company that offers travel vaccines to business people, missionaries and tourists planning to visit disease endemic countries. Passport Health has clinics in cities across the country and they finished what we started in St Petersburg. Two hepatitis B booster shots and we are vaccinated for South America. The shots in total cost us $1300 each including a course of malaria pills when we reach the Amazon. If we reach…etc. Not all travelers worry about getting vaccinated but it’s a big deal for us. Done. 

We had to be in Houston Friday afternoon at three thirty to meet the nurse. That deadline was hanging over us and it was a nuisance. So we decided to have a decent lunch first. Oh and I spotted this billboard as the speaker crisis was wracking Republicans in the House of Representatives. I thought the message reeked of irony as government stopped working altogether with Republicans in charge. Meanwhile we the people keep on keeping on and we had to find lunch. 

Layne had found a Mexican joint, La Cuchara which got exceptional reviews. Google maps for is there. Rusty and I walked first. I am very conscious of oh patiently he rides and I do my best to give him lots of attention and exercise when we stop somewhere. 

We avoided downtown, an agglomeration of skyscrapers from a distance. We were parked in East Montrose and I looked it up to find out more. 

As far as I can tell this area is in the process of gentrification while claiming diversity and bohemian eccentricity as it’s hallmarks. I figure that means money will win out and the artists and craftspeople will be forced out eventually. Call me cynical but I’ve seen it before. 

Meanwhile we had lunch to get ordered. Oddly it was quieter inside with all the construction going on outside. We sat inside while most patrons were out in the sun. 

Layne had tasajo y huarache which is a filet steak over huarache which is masa bread with crushed pinto beans, basically an exotic flatbread. 

I ordered Doña Ana’s beef with mole sauce and it was excellent. I will say it was very rich so when we swapped dishes half way I was glad to get a break. Left overs made for a quick on-the-road dinner. At $30 a CV plate that was a good thing. 

They had a very cool space full of color and art in keeping with the food. It was a great lunch but we had to get going. Those shots were waiting for us. 

Done in thirty minutes with all the checking of records and so forth. Typhus, yellow fever, diphtheria, hepatitis, tetanus, and so forth. 

Texas is a state of mind unto itself. As long as they don’t ban cameras I’m good. 

There was traffic. Of course there was. It was Friday afternoon and our next date was dinner in New Mexico on Sunday. 

Time to drive.