As expected, we made it to Amarillo and spent the night. We got off early for the big drive to Houston, which was somehow less eventful that the previous portions of our trip. Do you have any idea how flat it is around Amarillo for hundreds of miles? A bale of hay is a topographical event, if you don’t count windmills. And, that’s exactly what we did for entertainment. I could tell you exactly how many windmills there are between Amarillo and Wichita Falls. I could even tell you how many were actually working, but I won’t because I wouldn’t want to ruin your fun if you ever take that route.
Another thing we like to do for entertainment on the road is count the license plates we see from Idaho and then try to guess the county of origin. I keep a list of counties in my Pocket PC for this purpose. You can imagine how engaging this game was across Texas. I think the last Idaho plate we saw was in Montana.
Actually, I have plenty to keep me entertained and occupied even over the most uneventful stretches. I always have at least three different GPS systems going at the same time because I need to test them and its fun to compare the differences.
The one I’m currently reviewing is the Mio Digi/Walker C520, and it’s a beaut with a large screen and pre-loaded maps of the U.S. and Canada with millions of Points of Interest. It has an SD slot so that you can slip in your favorite tunes, movies, photos, and audiobooks to listen or watch.
To my surprise and delight it even hooks up to your mobile phone via Bluetooth and acts as a car kit so that you can talk safely on the road in a hands free environment. It really works amazing well. It’s available online at http://www.buygpsnow.com/ for only $399.
A must have for any road trip is satellite radio. I have Sirius permanently installed in my car stereo system. But I also brought along a Pioneer portable XM radio that I can hook up to my car speakers through either a wired or wireless FM modulator. Without satellite radio, it’s a pretty dismal experience with the paltry choice of stations (country or evangelical) that fade in and out as you go. With satellite, you get a strong, continuous signal with excellent clarity everywhere.
Of course my wife and I also have MP3 players that we haul out from time to time for listening to our favorite tunes. I also use my phone for this purpose sometimes.
I always welcome a photo opportunity along the road. Yesterday it came in the form of a herd of camels—well, dromedaries to be exact. To my delight, I spied a herd of a couple dozen of the beasts out in the middle of nowhere along Highway 287. Naturally I stopped to click a few pix. One old guy even let me pet his nose.
It reminded me of the time I rode camels in Egypt—and got bitten and spat upon.
Another thing we like to do for entertainment on the road is count the license plates we see from Idaho and then try to guess the county of origin. I keep a list of counties in my Pocket PC for this purpose. You can imagine how engaging this game was across Texas. I think the last Idaho plate we saw was in Montana.
Actually, I have plenty to keep me entertained and occupied even over the most uneventful stretches. I always have at least three different GPS systems going at the same time because I need to test them and its fun to compare the differences.
The one I’m currently reviewing is the Mio Digi/Walker C520, and it’s a beaut with a large screen and pre-loaded maps of the U.S. and Canada with millions of Points of Interest. It has an SD slot so that you can slip in your favorite tunes, movies, photos, and audiobooks to listen or watch.
To my surprise and delight it even hooks up to your mobile phone via Bluetooth and acts as a car kit so that you can talk safely on the road in a hands free environment. It really works amazing well. It’s available online at http://www.buygpsnow.com/ for only $399.
A must have for any road trip is satellite radio. I have Sirius permanently installed in my car stereo system. But I also brought along a Pioneer portable XM radio that I can hook up to my car speakers through either a wired or wireless FM modulator. Without satellite radio, it’s a pretty dismal experience with the paltry choice of stations (country or evangelical) that fade in and out as you go. With satellite, you get a strong, continuous signal with excellent clarity everywhere.
Of course my wife and I also have MP3 players that we haul out from time to time for listening to our favorite tunes. I also use my phone for this purpose sometimes.
I always welcome a photo opportunity along the road. Yesterday it came in the form of a herd of camels—well, dromedaries to be exact. To my delight, I spied a herd of a couple dozen of the beasts out in the middle of nowhere along Highway 287. Naturally I stopped to click a few pix. One old guy even let me pet his nose.
It reminded me of the time I rode camels in Egypt—and got bitten and spat upon. 
Another photo opportunity arose in Memphis, TX a small rural town was all the streets entirely paved with red brick.
In Houston, we’re staying with my brother and his lady friend who have just moved into an incredible new house. They are both art dealers, and it shows. A few of the artists hanging on their walls include Chagall, Miro, Picassso, Lichtenstein, Tamayo, and DeKooning—and those are just the ones that I recognize as a country bumpkin from Idaho. This place is like a three-story museum, but it doesn’t have wireless Internet yet, so who cares about all the art?
I’m going to have to go find a coffee shop with Wi-Fi so I can check my email and submit this story. I can’t even use my AOL dial-up account because I didn’t think to install AOL on this new Toshiba Tablet PC I’m using on this trip. I never dreamed I would need dial-up but now I have to go hunt down one of those pesky AOL disks that you always see everywhere except when you need one. Now they must be collector’s items because we are having a difficult time finding one.
My son Matthew is flying in to Houston tomorow. I’m going to pick him up and then we’re going to other son’s house and a romping visit with five grandkids. Expect some grandkid pix.
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1 comment:
The C520 is on special at the Website cited for $299!
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