A plan is hatched

How many winters in a row can I spend in the Arizona and California deserts without going stir crazy? The answer is approximately three and a half.

Since the mess over gasoline prices has taken Mexico off the table for now, I considered my alternatives. The West Coast is wet and expensive. Most everywhere else is cold. Florida is too far. So... the Texas Gulf?

I did some research, watched some videos, checked the forecasts. A little warmer than the greater Yuma area. Free beach camping. Yeah, the Gulf could work.

The slow, lazy route

At first I thought I could take a slow, lazy route hugging the border from El Paso all the way to the tip of Texas. But, ouch, there are some freezing nights along the way.

The expeditious route

So I'll take the expeditious route there, blasting along I-10 to San Antonio, then south on I-37. A couple of freezing nights in rest areas is tolerable. Just enough to have some stories to tell. I could take the slow, lazy route back after a yet-to-be-determined number of days/weeks. Things should have warmed up by then. Or I could head off in a completely different direction.

I don't know whether or not I'll like the Texas coast or the border country. (I did like the Big Bend area when I was there a couple of years ago.) But it will be something new. A bit of an adventure. Something to blog about. If nothing else, I'll be able to speak from experience when someone asks about those places. I like knowing things.

Now I just need to wait for my forwarded mail—which includes my renewed vehicle registration—to arrive. Then I'm out of here.