Last day in SA

I drove 30 minutes to Helotes this morning so that I could ride the trails at Government Canyon State Natural Area. All trails were closed due to mud. The powers that be there obviously don't understand mountain bikers. I came back with my tail between my legs and decided to ride the paved Salido Creek Greenway Trail. I wanted to try and find it's beginning or ending depending on your perspective. I ended up going to Camp Bullis (17.5 miles) then I had to ride back. That one pic is of a gigantic rock quarry near the turnaround. That pic is maybe 25% of the hole. Someone got a cake today and we had the cake ceremony after lunch. Jenny's birthday was yesterday and I didn't get a cake. Not good. We leave tomorrow,  headed west.

Day 3 in Larson's driveway

Our formal reunion last night was a pretty rousing success. There was plenty of space in the venue, good food, 2 bars and a DJ. There are a number of Douglas MacArthur HS graduates that have had pretty impressive careers. The party was supposed to shut down at 11 but the DJ kept cranking out the classic 60s and 70s hits until someone told him to shut it down. We got home at midnight. Someone was taking pics at the informal get together. This is one of them. I visited with Alan and Donna today for a few hours. Donna took this pic.

Off to the Reunion

Yesterday's informal get together was  surprisingly fun. Conversation was not centered on our ailments and there were a couple of people I actually knew. Jenny's observation was that most of the women were recognizable, the men not so much. Luckily we all had name tags. Tonight's festivities begin in 30 minutes. I must sign off.

Larson's driveway

We made it to SA yesterday afternoon with no difficulty. Driving through Houston wasn't even too bad. At just over 400 miles it was our longest day so far. We stopped for fuel twice and both stations were about as crowded as they normally are. Today is Friday. There is an informal pre-reunion get together this evening at a bar that is owned by one of our former classmates. Since I have been sitting on my keister for 4 days I was chomping at the bit to get some exercise. I did a bike ride in Macalister park this morning. SA has had a wet spring, hence the green grass.

Lafayette LA

Today was a slog on Interstate 10. The only excitement was the worry about getting fuel. The ransomware hack of the petroleum pipeline company that has cut gas supplies has been getting a lot of press that worried us. Maybe all the refineries on the Gulf coast have helped with supply here but we didn't have any difficulties getting gas. This campground has been a frequent stop of ours for years. It's a KOA. We had a seafood meal at a highly rated (on yelp) restaurant. The pic is our campsite. By KOA standards it's considered premium. 

Pensacola Florida

Today was almost entirely on I 10. In fact, we took exit 7 to get to the commercial campground we are in so we are just a few miles from Alabama. We drove through a Gawd awful thunderstorm right before we arrived and we had to make camp in the rain. That suks. No opportunities for pictures during the drive so I have included a couple of pics of Lindsay and Jamie's visit over the Mother's day weekend. Tomorrow will be Lafayette La.

First day of summer trip 2021

We had to get on the road early this summer because the Mac Arthur HS class of 1970 chose a mid May date for our 50+ reunion. We had to cancel last years 50th due to the pandemic. Our plan this summer will take us, after San Antonio,  to West Texas then Arizona (a kayak trip on the Salt River, near Phoenix, and then a train ride into The Grand Canyon. Then another kayak trip on the Colorado below The Glen Canyon dam. We will be 5 days at Rocky Mountain NP and then It's further north into Wyoming for some hiking around Devils Tower. Our turnaround will be in S Dakota at Badlands NP. We will work our way back after that with a stop in Santa Fe. Tonight we are in Jacksonville at Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park. This park has  something like 300 campsites. There are several miles of beach frontage, a freshwater lake. A disc golf course and some excellent mountain bike trails. We only had a few hours after we arrived to see the park but we spent our time efficiently and hit all the high spots. We move tomorrow and will be moving daily until we get to SA.