Texas San Antonio and Austin

We came to Texas knowing that everything is bigger down here, at least that is how the saying goes and you are reminded of it on signs heading down the highway. A couple of things that I noticed while driving were really, really big boots and three giant sized frogs dancing, all of which you could see from the highway. It amazes me how far you can see and the unique beautiful scenary. It kind of makes me wonder...when God created all of these unique places, what did (or does) He have in mind for their uniqueness...maybe it is just so people like us from Ohio could appreciate the beauty of what He created and wonder about the parts of His creation we have yet to see, hmmmm..... I was just talking to a friend today about how unique He has made all of us and that is a great thing. I have seen His work in the people we have met so far in our journeys. It is just amazing that when we open our eyes a little how the Good in people stands out. The people who work in Truck stops are amazing to me. They show such genuine concern for the drivers who stop. They continually say Good morning, how are you today and they actually wait to see what you answer and then they comment. People seem to go out of their way to make you feel at home, away from home. These people God gave us each day and we appreciate all that they do for us to bring a smile to our faces while we are out on the road.

This trip started out being a little on the normal side, we had picked up in Detroit and delivered to San Antonio. That load was pretty uneventful even though it was Hazmat and batteries, nothing unusual and then we decided to take a short load while we were down here waiting on another load. This was the first time we had a load that picked up on a base. Needless to say, we were a little clueless and really appreciate the people on base who understand we civilians who don't understand how the base works. First, we went to the address we received, which was a gate into the base. The guard there told us that we needed to go to the commercial truck entrance for a pass on to base. So, he held up traffic while we did a U turn at the entrance. He also gave us directions to the commercial truck entrance, which Jim had to ask him again so we could write them down because I couldn't remember what he had told me. We went to the commercial truck entrance which was where they inspect the trucks before they allow you on base. No problem, just had to wait for the other trucks in front of us, not really knowing what to expect. Once we showed them our paper work we asked where we go now and asked if we should just go to the address and the gate on our paperwork. Both Jim and I understood that we should, so off we went. Well, when we got there (of course the same guard was on duty), he said that we needed to enter base where we had been inspected that there was a gate there. So...back we went, complete with another u-turn. As we approached the gate, bypassing the inpsection since we had already done it, we met a guard with his arms crossed...we thought to ourselves...we're in trouble now. Turns out once he found out that we had our papers and that we had lost our way, he was very accomodating and even gave us directions. The funny thing was we had to ask, I don't think he realized that we had absolutely no idea where we were going on base. Many of the commercial vehicles probably make daily or weekly trips on base and already know where they are going. Turns out he gave us really pretty good directions although we newbies bypassed the building we needed to stop at and found ourselves at...you got it...on the other side of the gate we tried to enter twice with no way out except a u-turn and of course the guard was still there and by now they had to be in hysterics of laughter now that they had seen us three times. Jim quickly asked them about where to go for the dock of the building (yes the building was literally just inside that gate:) and again, they helped stop traffic while we did our u-turn to head back. Once we were at the dock, it was a piece of cake and we gave the shipper a big smile as we told them our hard luck story. At least we can make people laugh! We were ablle to leave base without any u-turns. The delivery was a lot less painful and did not require any u-turns.

As we were delivering our short load, we received a load opp that picked up on Saturday and delivered on Monday. We spent Friday in a truck stop near Austin. One of the things we noticed while we were in Texas was the amount of crickets that were around. They were everywhere. Jim and I both thought that they were having races in the fuel aisle. I don't know what they feed them here, but they were jumping higher than I am tall and flying at you as you walked by. I asked one of the people at the truck stop if it was normal for them to have so many crickets and she said, yes, they are a pretty big nuisance. She also shared that her young daughter was petrified to go outside at night because of them. We have crickets at home but let me tell you nothing like this. Jim and I were finding ourselves shutting the door to the truck quickly. Both of us imagined what it would be like to have a cricket inside the truck, chirping away and then what would happen if you had more than one, enough to drive any sane person insane! We had hoped to do some tourism in Austin but decided to spend some time at a rest area that shared quite a bit of history of the area and gave some information about the tornadoes in Jarrell. We were also able to take a walk and take some pictures. Excerise is something we are both trying to do. It was hard for us at home, just because we didn't want to take the time and now that we are in the truck, it is just as difficult because sleep tends to rule when there is extra time. Other drivers have shared that we will get used to the sleep and will find ourselves with time to exercise, the question is...will we exercise or find other things to do that we enjoy? Maybe a little of both. In the next blog post, I'll share the details of our next loads and the beautiful country we were so fortunate to see. Peace and blessings to all, Judy and Jim