Day one-and-a-half

While I would have loved to stay longer in St. Louis and do more visiting, the place where I stayed had a mold problem...and I'm highly allergic. My throat and eyes scratched every morning. Not visible mold, but probably something in the damp basement or from the roof, which had recently been repaired. I didn't need to see it to know it was there.

So I set out around two in the afternoon with the intent to get as far south as possible. Usually, I head west, but Denver news stations warned travelers not to go into the Rocky Mountains due to very heavy snowfall.

The idea was to make it to Galveston and show Buena the Gulf of Mexico. I planned to car camp on (or near) the beach and listen to waves all night.

I drove through south on Missouri back roads, 21 and 67. The continuous drizzle and low misty clouds made the drive slow and long. I made it as far as Searcy, Arkansas, and got a room at the La Quinta.

The next morning...the day after Christmas... I hopped back in the car with the beach on my mind. My one hope was that the rain would taper off as I got closer to Houston.

Along the way, I stopped by Crater of Diamonds State Park. This is a bucket list item, but I didn't rent the bucket and shovel to go dig. The cold, wind, and rain made the idea of digging in the mud (and then car camping) somewhat unappealing. But I did visit the museum and learned about the geologic and tectonic events that occurred to make diamonds possible in this area. I do want to visit again. If I go, I'll bring my own shovel, bucket, and sifting screen.

Into the rain, I continued my journey. At this point, I'd gotten on the interstate because I was tired of the rain and ready for the beach.

Except....as I crossed the Texas border in Texarkana, the top-of-the-hour news came on with a warning. Yes, a warning on national news for the area in which I planned to travel. The newscaster warned of damaging winds, possible tornadoes, and large hail in southern Arkansas and between Dallas and Houston.

In a split second, I made a quick decision to try and skirt along the northern edge of the storm and head due west above Dallas.

This was a good decision.

Despite the heavy rains, I didn't run into any trouble. My timing must have been good because I did see a few after-the-fact vehicle accidents. At one spot, the police and tow equipment worked with a flipped car in the median between the highway and the outer road. I seem to have avoided the worst of it.

After the heavy rains, I stopped at a Walmart in Princeton, which is just north of Dallas. Thousands of blackbirds flooded the parking lot. I think the lot lights drew them in like insects.

I continued driving until I got tired and pulled over into a small-town gas station lot along 380 and fell asleep.