So Long Lone Star
“No matter where I might wander, there’s a memory I’ll never lose
The Lone Star shines bright, in my heart tonight
I’ve got the Bluebonnet blues.”
Ledoux Chris: Bluebonnet Blues Lyrics
Well, we’re wrapping up our adventure in Texas and looking back on the 6 wonderful weeks we’ve spent there. There’s no doubt it was an adventure, no question our journey was cut short and so very certain that we’ve only just touched the surface of what this place offers.
Texas is huge, so very large in fact that it encompasses almost every US ecosystem from marsh-land in the SE (yes, even alligators folks), to sand-swept coasts in the South, forests in the North, canyons in the NW and high desert in the West. At 268,820 square miles (696,200 km2) it’s the second largest State in the US, but it’s really a whole self-contained country. The State that’s seen six flags, is now the only state that can boast a single star and maintains a sense of independence and uniqueness that comes through everywhere you go.
And we love that spirit! We managed to enjoy the solitude of sand and sea at our gorgeous boondocking site in Sea Rim, spent a rare few days absorbing the beauty of the forest, feasted ourselves silly in Austin, and were blown away by the dramatic and stark beauty of the Western Mountains. And yet, there’s so much we haven’t seen. We didn’t make the Southern Coast at Padre Island, we weren’t able to see the remote beauty of Big Bend, and we haven’t even touched Paolo Duro Canyon in the NW. Obviously we’ve got to come back.
And of course the fires were something else. What started as an evacuation for us on Saturday afternoon has continued to be a fight for the local fire-crews in the Davis Mountains. As of today the fires are, thankfully, mostly contained but there are still areas burning and conditions remain dangerous (see news HERE and HERE). The experience has given us much food for thought about how to prepare better for emergencies, and we’ve gotten lots of useful and important tips from comments on the blog which we’ll be implementing.
So, sadly we come to the point where we say so long Lone Star.
You’ve given us a wild ride, a fabulous adventure and some amazing memories. You’ll remain close to our hearts, and one day that cowboy song may bring us back to you again.
Good luck on your next adventure. Can’t wait to see where you end up.
Thanks Marsha! We’ll see ya on the ride 🙂 Nina
I was trying to explain to my German teacher that the area of Texas that was burning or had been burnt was actually more than three times the size of Austria. I was kind of guessing at the time, but I have since looked it up and I was pretty danged close.
I think he believed me, or perhaps he was humouring me with his feigned incredulity. I just reinforced that by mentioning that it was basically a two day drive to get from one side to the other. Hell, I can be in England if I wanted to drive that far!
Yeah, Texas is BIG! We didn’t quite realize how big until we did our drive all the way across. Quite the place!
Nina
Just curious, where are the canyons in the NE and high desert in the East in Texas? I live in East Texas and can’t find either. Thanks
That would be my aweful sense of direction east….which means west of course. Thanks for catching the error. It’s been corrected.
Nina