Day One: Destination Kerrville
Feathery pink pompoms on the mimosa trees tell us we are leaving East Texas later than usual. Fields of Black-eyed Susan's ditto this message. So begins our spring migration, a two-day drive across the Lone Star State.
My husband takes the lead in his truck with its attached trailer. I follow in my car. Our dog, Willie, is my back seat driver. His presence is reassuring.
Directions to Kerrville are an arm's length away. Cell phones are on speed dial for quick communication. Fruit, nuts, cheese and bottled water have been packed. Rest areas are scarce on this half of the trip. We plan to eat while we drive.
I've made a "Dixie" playlist with just over two hours of music. Songs include Billie Holiday's "Stars Fell on Alabama," Dave Brubeck's "Sweet Georgia Brown," Lyle Lovett's "Goodbye to Carolina" and Louis Armstrong's "Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans."
Texas has its own extensive playlist, with songs by Texas musicians, songs with the word "Texas" in the title and songs about this state's cities and towns: Dallas, El Paso, Galveston, Houston, Laredo, Nacogdoches and San Antonio.
Road work — one-lane traffic with pilot cars — adds time to the journey. Sitting on State Hwy. 7 with the motor running is wasteful. I turn off the motor and open the car's windows to get a whiff of spring. Instead I get a whiff of road work.
An endless chain of small towns — Franklin, Hearne, Gause, Milano, Rockdale, Thorndale — makes Willie restless. Or maybe it's my sing-along with Lyle Lovett that upsets the little dog. I remind him that we take this route in order to avoid the major traffic jam known as Austin.
More road work and congestion great me at Marble Falls. My Altima knows when to change lanes and when to stay put. She also knows a green light when she sees one. I do not like to honk, but I will if provoked.
After seven hours in the car, and at least another hour to go, I contemplate the Cowboy Steak House menu and plan dinner: quail legs appetizer, salad with blue cheese dressing, prime rib, baked potato with sour cream. And, yes, I will have an extra dry martini — with two olives.
Day Two: Destination Fort Davis
Get on Interstate 10. Set cruise control at 75 mph. Sit back, relax and enjoy. The car knows the way.
Yuccas' sword-like leaves and bunches of cream colored flowers decorate the landscape. The rock formations' soft, subtle shades of beige and brown belie their solidity and dominance of the landscape. Posted warnings about strong crosswinds are not idle threats.
Today we do not have to eat while we drive. The State of Texas has provided clean, well-kept rest areas. We have planned a picnic: hummus, pita, cherry tomatoes and spicy olives. The sun is warm, the breeze is cool, life is good.
At Fort Stockton, we gas up, walk the dog and grab coffee drinks. There are only 85.5 miles left to cover — Balmorhea, the Davis Mountains and Wild Rose Pass and then on to home.
As I pull out of the gas station, my "Texas" playlist offers The Flatlanders' "Thank God for the Road." I sing along.
"This is the road for all it's worth. It's a ribbon, it's a river, it's a wave. It's an arrow and it's a snake. It's asleep and it's awake. And it stretches from the cradle to the grave ... "
