Looking back on my trip

I had a wonderful time. My only discomfort was feeling tied to the van too much, like a turtle that can't ever leave its home. My van looks like an overstuffed bedroom that hasn't been tidied in three weeks. I have seashells, rocks, seeds and godknowswhat besides all the travel brochures all over the van. Had I not had to take the two boxes of kitchenware I would have been more comfortable. I made do with what I had.

Looking back over these last three weeks I don't know what I was expecting of this trip other than seeing things and places I have never seen before and, most likely, will never see again. The coast, the Valley and Big Bend all offered insights to me that I was previously unaware of.

I will try to make this short. I will add on to these thoughts over the next few weeks.

My biggest surprises:
The filth along South Padre Island that I'm sure town officials don't want the public to know about.
How friendly Brownsville and the area is.
How truly shallow, narrow and filthy the Rio Grande is in the Valley.
The vortex around Big Bend, especially its western ranges.
How closely the river towns are with their Mexican neighbors. And how much cleaner and livelier the Mexican villages were to their US counterparts.

My biggest disappointments:
Affordable camping in the Valley in February. The Winter Texans claim all the spots!
How awful (hot and humid and crowded) the Valley is away from the river. Besides the birds, what else is there to do?
Laredo should have a "Bienvenidos a Laredo! Se habla espanol solamente" sign on its city limit signs. I hope it can exterminate its city of narcotraficos and anyone else with bad intentions.
My Dodge Grand Caravan. I've had it now for four months and I've never had the I-am-in-love-with-my-new-vehicle sensation. Why can't automakers make vans that get better gas mileage?

Would I do anything differently if I could do this trip again? Sure, now that I have a better idea of where things are in the towns, I wouldn't be wasting so much gas driving endlessly around. I'd bypass Refugio and McAllen and add Big Bend Ranch State Park to my trip. I'd also add an extra ten days to this trip and linger longer in the cities to catch some of the weekend festivals I missed: Brownsville's Charro Days, Laredo's Washington Festival, etc. It would have been even more interesting to travel all over Texas, ie explore more of the land near Oklahoma and Arkansas and Louisiana...Texas IS big!

I do worry that with the rising prices of gasoline and everything else (gasoline alone went up thirty cents since the start of this trip) that I won't be able to travel like I used to, even when my new job is established.

I will always remember Texas and its people fondly. Just like I fell in love with California and New Jersey over the years, Texas ranks right up there. Now, if people from CA argue with Texans or New Jerseyans over what state is the best, HA! I'll jump in and bash all three groups because all three regions offer things that are wonderfully unique. California has natural beauty, New Jersey has the endless energy and intellectualism (although sometimes I wonder about its politicians) and Texas has its wide open skies and friendly people.

Enough sentimentality now. I've been in this Carl Jr's for three plus hours now. I have to pee badly and find a place to crash for the night before I head home in the morning.