Through East Texas to Houston

Monday, May 5, 2014

After breakfast at our Best Western, we briefly visit the Azalea Gardens, which are unfortunately more or less out of bloom.

Our drive now takes us through gentle rolling hills with many trees and we are pleased to encounter practically no traffic on our country road through the Angelina National Forest.

We cross an endless bridge over a dam that spans Lake Sam Rayburn.

Those who expected Texas to be a dusty state are completely surprised by the beautiful scenery of the Lone Star State in the east, with endless forests and incredibly beautiful lakes.

Although the Livingston State Park charges a $5 entrance fee per person, we have found another wonderfully peaceful spot for a picnic by a lake.

We only share our solitude with a few gophers and some blue birds. White herons sit on the shore and we enjoy our picnic in the sun and tranquility under the tall pines.

At half past three, we reluctantly leave and find ourselves in heavy traffic again around Houston. We wanted to have a little snack with our well-protected gummy bears in the glove compartment and realize that they have melted into a shapeless mass.

The city has nearly 6 million inhabitants in the greater area, and it seems like all of them are now on their way home.

By the time we reach an outlet on the other side of the city, it's 6:00 p.m. and we continue two hours later towards Nassau Bay, located southwest of Houston. The way there takes us through gigantic highway intersections with five levels. We practically drive directly on the 8-lane highway through brightly lit skyscraper canyons that border the highway, and eventually we reach the Microtel in Nassau Bay, which is located directly across from the NASA Visitor Center. One block away, we have a Budweiser in a bar, and at the hotel, we pack our new purchases into the suitcases to avoid driving around with 20 plastic bags in the trunk.