May 5 - Santa Monica!

Had a later start today and then found our way to 'Uncle Bill's Pancake House' in Manhattan Beach, for brekky.  They are an 'institution' in MB, known as the best pancake house in the district!

Today is also 'Cinco de Mayo' day and all Mexicans are celebrating!

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a celebration held on May 5. It is celebrated in the US and in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, where the holiday is called El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (English: The Day of the Battle of Puebla).

It originated with Mexican-American communities in the American West as a way to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War and today the date is observed in the United States as a celebration of thanks to Mexico in fending off would-be French support for the Confederate States of America in the Civil War. In the state of Puebla, the date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is generally mistaken to be Mexico's Independence Day —the most important national holiday in Mexico—which is celebrated on September 16.

We found ourselves driving through LA to Santa Monica to have a look around.  Parking was easily found and relatively inexpensive.  We walked down to the pier to see what was going on.

The Santa Monica pier is a large double-jointed pier located at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California, and is a prominent, 100-year-old landmark.  The pier contains Pacific Park, a family amusement park with a large Ferris wheel.  It also has a carousel from the 1920s, the Santa Monica pier Aquarium, shops, entertainers, a video arcade, a trapeze school, a pub and restaurants. The end of the pier is a popular location for anglers and has a great Mexican restaurant.

We enjoyed our walk around the pier, noting also the sign which states that the pier is the end of the famous 'Route 66' which runs from Chicago to LA (Santa Monica).  Also known as 'the Mother Road' because it encouraged trade and migration to the west.

I wanted to enjoy the view from the end of the pier and the Mexican restaurant had taquitos on its menu so in we went for beer and margaritas!  We were also given a string of black beads from Jose Cuervo for our efforts!

Party cakes in the local bakery!

Finished up with a walk around the downtown area before deciding that we should make our way back to our hotel and try to avoid the afternoon rush on the I-405.  5 lanes in either direction blocked and moving at a snail's pace - can you imagine it?  Not fun!

May 4th - Los Angeles, CA! Drive to Big Bear Mountain...

Decided to get out of the city this morning and drive to Big Bear Lake.  It's a city in San Bernardino County, about 2 hours drive from LA.  The south shore of Big Bear Lake is surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest.  We enjoyed the drive up (about 40 miles) although it was winding and warnings of rock slides.  I can see why the motorcyclists like the ride up the mountain!  The alpine trees would make a picturesque view in winter with all of the snow!  There were several opportunities to pull over at 'turnouts' and take photos.  We could see snow on the caps of the mountains.  Lots of wildflowers in bloom.

Big Bear Lake was inhabited by the indigenous Serrano Indians for over 2,000 years before it was explored by Benjamin Wilson and his party. Once populated by only the natives and the Grizzly bears, from which the area received its name, The population of the Big Bear Valley grew rapidly during the Southern California Gold Rush from 1861 to 1912. Grizzly bears were not found in the region after 1908. Today, there are black bears in the region since their introduction in 1933, and they are sometimes sighted in residential areas.

Big Bear is also a ski area and there are many resorts.  Hot springs were located and some hotels advertise access to them as part of their hotel package.  David had looked up on the internet places to eat and the Black Diamond Tavern came highly recommended.  We stopped in for a beer - Hanger 24 IPA and I had a Coors Light.  Food was excellent - David's Steak Salad was consumed in its entirety and I was served the most enormous plate of nachos I've ever seen!  

Next, we went to the Big Bear Alpine Zoo to have a look at some 'critters' and this zoo primarily offers injured, orphaned or imprinted wildlife temporary housing. 

This is a raven who fell out of the nest and was being attacked by the others when saved.  He's imprinted on humans now and will stay at the facility.  He was cute!

This lovely grizzly bear ate 8000lbs of a bee keeper's honey - and was about to be euthanized when the facility agreed to give him a new home.

This is one of three mountain lions who were rescued when they were cubs.  Mum was killed and they noticed she was lactating.  Followed her prints and located the den where there were the three little kittens.  They have been looked after at the facility and have been taken to numerous schools for educational purposes so that children can see the beauty in these wild cats.  Now of course, they are too big and I would say, dangerous, to be outside of their pen.  I wouldn't like to encounter one in the wild!

The drive back was 'interesting' in the Saturday afternoon LA interstate traffic!  David was alert all of the way.

  

May 3 - Flight from New Orleans to Los Angeles, California

Travel day today - had to be at the airport by 4.45am and the flight left at 6.45am.  Our flight wasn't full and just before take-off, the flight attendants asked if anyone wanted to move!  Have never been on a flight like it!  Consequently, we arrived in Dallas 15 minutes ahead of time!

We had to move terminals to catch the next flight to Los Angeles.  It was full, and luckily we had paid the extra for seat allocation, closer to the front.  Unfortunately, I had the aisle and David had the middle seat; and the lady who got the window wanted the blind closed.  She was also experiencing difficulties with her personal hygiene and very tired.  Poor David was very annoyed with her constant wriggling and bumping him!  Good news was that the flight arrived 25 minutes ahead of time!

Took the bus to the car rental and then to the hotel - they were great, allowed us to check in early!
We went for lunch at 'The Cheesecake Factory' - always delicious!  Bought some groceries and found we needed a 'nanna nap' because of the early start!  A good night's sleep was enjoyed by both of us!

May 2 - Gulfport to New Orleans, LA

We decided to drive along State Road 90 (US90) to get to New Orleans today.  It mainly runs along the shore line of the gulf of Mexico.  Firstly, we drove to the post office in Gulfport which was near the beach.  We had a look around the marina area and the beach.  It looked like a beautiful beach and the weather was sunny and warm so it all looked amazing!

As we drove along the 90, we noticed that there were no houses and very few trees in the first two blocks of land from the road.  Then occasionally were houses, but they were all built in a similar fashion - high up on stilts and the ground floor was fairly open, mainly being used for car parking.

Guess this is mainly because the hurricanes have decimated the front land areas and the rebuilding has been too costly because the home owners may not have been able to afford it.

It was an interesting drive.  We arrived at our hotel at St Rose, the airport suburb only about two minutes from New Orleans international airport.  Our flight leaves at 6.45am tomorrow and we have to be at the airport two hours before...  that will be an early start!

May 1st - Covington - Gulfport, LA

Only an hour's drive to Gulfport, today.  Looked at tripadvisor for information and ideas of touristy activities and found this one:  'IMMS - the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies'.

The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (“IMMS”) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1984 for the purposes of public education, conservation, and research on marine mammals in the wild and under human care. Located in Gulfport, Mississippi, IMMS has been an active participant of the National Stranding Network since its inception. IMMS is the premier stranding organization in the Mississippi-Louisiana-Alabama region of the Gulf Coast with the capability and expertise to care for sick and injured marine mammals. IMMS serves as an important educational outlet for the Mississippi Gulf Coast, incorporating programs for conservation, education and research of marine mammals and their environment. 

We were able to book on-line for the 1.30pm tour, cost $10 per person.  

Firstly, we were taken into the auditorium to listen to 'Skipper', our tour guide who explained the mission of IMMS and their work especially with helping sick and/or injured marine mammals.  A large number of people are volunteers who are available 24/7.  They sound like passionate people who love their coastal environment.  Of course, the hurricanes of recent times, especially Katrina in 2005, have had a huge impact on the gulf waters.  We also were unaware that in 2012, the availability of food for the sea lion colonies was extremely limited, forcing many mother sea lions to abandon their babies. The IMMS retrieved many babies and nursed them, let them go and some became stranded again.  One baby, now at the centre, named Katie, became stranded 5 times so they decided that she should live permanently at the institute.  She is extremely gorgeous!

They also care for injured birds and we met Daisy, a white & pink coloured cockatoo who has worked with her trainer to show some awesome behaviours.  Next, we went into a room full of tanks and touch pools where we could see an albino catfish, a blue crab, a horseshoe crab, stingrays, snakes, baby turtles, brown bamboo banded sharks and my favourite, hermit crabs!

Skipper showed us his 'baby girl' - an albino Californian corn snake (named because their belly markings resemble a corn kernel) and he offered the kids a chance to pet her.

He took us outside to the dolphin pools - so exciting!  They care for 3 retired navy dolphins and a couple of stranded ones.  They have to be exercised and that is part of the training with behaviours.  A couple of the kids were invited to feed them.  A limited amount of opportunities exist each day for visitors to book a one-on-one experience with the dolphins, unfortunately, they were all booked out.  But we enjoyed seeing the dolphins none-the-less!

Katie, the sea lion...

Having finished at the IMMS, we went for a drive around town and then back to the hotel.  We asked the clerk if he could recommend a good place for dinner?  He referred us to the 'Half Shell Oyster House' on the shores of Gulfport.  We only had a short drive down to the town centre, not far from the gulf waters.  We had a delicious meal!

Wednesday 30 April - Gonzalez - Covington, LA (near Abita Springs)

A nice, slow start this morning.  Parts of Pensacola, Florida have had 15-20 inches overnight and there is flooding on the I-10.  Jim and Lesley have had some hold ups on the interstate.
We took our time driving across to Covington, went for a look in Cabela's Outdoor & Sporting store.

Met up with Jim and Lesley at the motel.  It had truck parking but it took Jim several attempts to get in to the carpark because it was a tight turn and there were cars parked making it difficult.  Of course, he eventually parked.  We got settled then jumped in the soul-train to get to Abita, to the brewery for the 2pm tour.

We were a tad early and the staff were still setting up so we looked around the visitors centre/bar/shop.  David had a go at what can only be described as a drinking? game - a ring on a string hanging from the ceiling.  On the wall, a wooden beer bottle.  Aim:  take the ring and swing it at the wall and get it over the neck of the bottle.  David did it in about 4 tries. (Beginner's Luck...)

Quite a few people arrived and so the 'tour' began before 2pm with the hostess, Christine, giving a general history of the brewery and the nature of their beer.

They then told us that we were going to line up at one end of the bar, walk through, grab a plastic cup and pull ourselves a beer!  They would have had about a dozen of their signature and seasonal beers on tap!  We were told we could have as many tastes as we wanted and just to keep lining up!  Bloody brilliant!  The host, Robert, soon realised that we were the 'party people' and he kept making jokes with us.  

David liked the Spring IPA and the Imperonator, the Amber and the SOS (Save Our Shores).  Jim liked them all!  Lesley and I like the Strawberry Ale.  I tried the Golden Ale and I also liked the Andygator.  Lesley tried the Purple Haze which has raspberry flavour added and she liked that too.  Just as well we were able to 'taste' because I would never in a million years have bought strawberry flavoured beer!  And now I'd buy a carton!!!  Thanks Dave for being the 'responsible adult' / sober driver for the day, because the three of us were near-on plastered after realising that the Andygator was 8.5%!!!

We drove about a kilometre into Abita Springs town and then went to the Abita Brewpub.  This was originally the location of the Brewhouse but they needed more space.  The Brewpub is now a restaurant.  It was 4pm and we were starving having not had time for lunch!

The food was fantastic - David had a Jumbalaya Ryan and I had the Fried Shrimp.  Lesley asked for the Pecan encrusted Catfish - it was huge but she loved it!  They have quite a decorative garden/entry area and we spent some time looking at all of the displays.  Best brewery tour day we've ever been on!

Driving back to our hotel, we saw a flock of Canada geese and they had goslings!  Lesley and I walked back to the park and were able to take some close up pictures of these beauties!

Tuesday 29 April - Baton Rouge to Gonzalez, LA

Only 13 miles to Gonzalez!  We didn't think much of the brekky offered at the Springhill Suites at Baton Rouge so we checked out (late, after a sleep in) and found an IHOP for a decent brekky!  Lesley and Jim had a change of loads, but we're still meeting up with them tomorrow.

I like Gonzalez and Louisiana.  We found the outlet mall for a few shops we specifically wanted to check out.  Our hotel was not far.  We had a little drive around Gonzalez - it appears to be a neat and tidy place and the people are friendly.   Had a quiet night watching the weather channel for updates on the extreme weather and tornados still occuring from the same weather system that went through Bossier City - worried about Lesley and Jim having to drive through it to get their load to Houston.

Love the outlet mall!

Monday 28 April - travelling to Baton Rouge, LA

Woke to news on the tv this morning that Mayflower, Arkansas had suffered a severe tornado in the late afternoon yesterday.  Parts of the I-40 had been affected - we had driven along this road on Friday. Sixteen people killed.  It was a bit of a shock.  We'd also had a tornado somewhat north of Shreveport, but none in Bossier City.  David said he'd listened to a thunderstorm for about an hour from 3am, along with my snoring - needless to say, I heard nothing!

We went out for a look at Bass Pro Shop, breakfast and fuel and delayed leaving until 11am due to the still-current tornado warning for Bossier City.

The weather was still overcast, but not raining, so I started the drive to Baton Rouge.  I-49 to LaFayette was wonderful - very little traffic and a speed limit of 75mph!  Then we turned onto the I-10 to Baton Rouge.  It was very hot and humid when we arrived, storms to the north and a little rain.  Our hotel was right near the Louisiana Mall so we ventured out for a walk and some dinner at BJ's Restaurant and BrewHouse.

Ah.... so many beers, so little time!

Dave and I with our 'sampler' of beers and a pizza!

Sunday 27 April - Bossier City, LA

Today's airshow was cancelled by the military after considering the weather forecast.  As we were leaving Saturday, a couple of the collapsable marquees had blown over, the wind was rising.  We slept in on Sunday, a little disappointed as we'd wanted to go for some of the second day to try and get better pictures!  We had a drive down to Shreveport and had a look along the Red River and the Louisiana Boardwalk Mall.

In the afternoon, Lesley rang and said she was worried about us, there was a tornado warning for Bossier City and said we should seek shelter (ie back at the hotel) and stay there.  So we did, as the sky was grey and looking thundery and like rain - not necessarily a tornado that we could see.

Saturday morning - 26 April - Barksdale Air Show 2014

We've been to the gate already and have been told that it's not opening until 8.45, so we were turned away and are awaiting entry!  They have a big line up of aerial performers starting at 11am - we saw some practising yesterday afternoon doing loops with the trailing sky writing!  They also have 'static' displays of aircraft to look at, apparently including a B-52 and an A-10!

Barksdale ‘Defenders of Liberty’ 2014 Air Show in Bossier City, Louisiana

Headlining the show this year is the Air Force’s premier aerial demonstration team, the Thunderbirds.  During this demonstration, the team will fly F-16 Fighting Falcons to their limits in order to represent the pride, precision and professionalism of nearly 7000 000 Total Force Airmen. 

Also on hand will be the most technologically advanced military aircraft in the world.  The B-52H Stratofortress, the F-22 Raptor, the F-15 Strie Eagle, the B-2 Spirit and the KC-10 Extender are just a few of the airframes which will pan the flightline.

Just six years after the Air Force was born, and less than a decade after jets started to rule the skies, the Air Force’s elite demonstration team, the Thunderbirds w, was born.

Designated the 3600^th Air Demonstration Unit and flying the straight-winged F-84G Thunderjet, it was activated at Luke Air Force Base in  Arizona.  The unit adopted the name ‘Thunderbirds’ influenced in part by the strong Native American culture and folklore from the southwestern United States where Luke is located. 

A B-52H Stratofortress:  The sovereign of the runway at Barksdale, the nation's longest-serving strategic bomber, flying since 1952 and in service since 1955.  The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes up to 50 000 ft and can carry nuclear or precision guided conventional ordnance with worldwide precision navigation capability.  We saw two 'BUFFs' taking off at the beginning of the show (Big Ugly Fat Fellows is what 'the (airforce) boys' call 'em.

Wheels of the KC-10 re-fueller.    It is a triple-jet air refueling airplane that once was based at Barksdale.

Dave in the pilot's seat of a C-17 Globemaster.  

Exiting a C-5 Galaxy..... wow it's big!  First flowin in 1968 and in service since 1970, it is one of the largest cargo airplanes in theworld.  It is a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlifter than can carry outsized and oversized cargo.

Everything at the airshow was well organised - took us 15minutes from the gate to get parked.  There were 70 000 people at the event.  They had several food stalls set up and lots of displays as well as aircraft on the ground to look at.  Then the aerial show began.  We'd forgotten to buy chairs so we decided to plant on the tarmac.  After a while we were looking further down for a place to sit where we'd have our backs to the sun, when we came across a fenced off area with a marquee and a sign: 'Covered Seating $15'.  A good deal, we thought, so we went up to the table and enquired.  Oh yes, you got your own seat (which you could move in or out of the shade, and 3 bottles of cold water as required and they had their own dedicated porta-loos!  Deal!  We enjoyed this immensely as we had a fairly clear view to the tarmac.

The most impressive flying displays came from the F-22 and the Thunderbirds, followed closely by the aerobatic planes.  The military aircraft made the ground shake and after the thunderbirds did a few close passes I could understand why people had bought ear plugs.  It's a day I'll never forget, it was such a privilege to be there.  The announcer kept referring to the group as 'your US Air Force' and this is a reflection of the attitude here - that the military are not some government 'property' but owned by the people, working for the people to keep them safe.  It's a slightly different concept to what we are used to in Australia, I think.

Friday - 25th April - Forrest City AR - Bossier City, LA

No Anzac Day celebrations here but we remembered!
Did a quick tour of Forrest City (really just a small town) - Walmart and the Post Office (which wasn't where the GPS said it would be - so had to use other methods!

The drive was easy - interstate most of the way - weather was beautiful - warm & clear blue sky.
I did more driving and even had to do some small town corners!
Arrived later in the afternoon at Bossier City which is a twin to Shreveport (the home of 'Billy the Exterminator' if you watch pay tv)....
Located the Air Force base which has the free air show tomorrow that we're hoping to get in to see...
Ate a disastrous meal at Chili's and will never eat there again...

But we did find 'Albertson's' grocery story with a well priced liquor section!  :-)

Thursday - St Louis to Forrest City, Arkansas (24 April)

Tried to hit the road early, although it was nice to have a bit of a sleep in!

Weather was hot and sunny, roads fairly good.  We had a good run.  Into the afternoon, David was happy for me to have my first attempt at driving as we were on the interstate and no corners!!!!  So I was nervous but surprised myself at how well I was able to drive at 75 mph!

About 40kms out of Forrest City we could see the sky darkening up - and lots of lighting.  Not scary but we ended up in a heavy downpour.  We were glad to arrive at our hotel and just as well they have those covered valet type areas in front, we were able to unload without getting the gear wet.

Waited until most of the storm had passed and found a cozy Mexican restaurant in hotel just two doors down - 'Don Jose'.  What a beautiful place - I have never seen booths, tables or chairs like it - they were made of wood which was carved and painted in pretty colours - no two looked the same!  The staff were of Mexican descent and were happy to engage with us in spanish, although at times, we found it hard to keep up!  They liked talking about Mexico and Australia with us!  Food was delicious!

Wednesday 23 April - St Louis & Anhauser Busch!

Breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast with coffee hit the spot!  Al showed us one of his childhood haunts at the Bluff Cave near his house.  Great view of the Mississippi River and some birds of prey!

We farewelled Patricia and Al and headed into the downtown area, via our hotel.  We managed to find the parking of the Anhauser Busch brewery and wandered into the lobby just as the 1pm tour was about to leave.  Luckily, we were able to join it!

The one hour tour included a visit to the Clydesdale stables to see the horses and the Budweiser carriages; then into see the brewing vats, the lagering tanks, a taste, then to the packaging and bottling facility.  We finished up in the Biergarten for one free sample.  By this time it was well after 2pm and we were starving!  They serve meals so we ordered a late lunch - which was delicious!!!  At 3pm daily, they do a toast to Brewmasters past & present - we were handed a sample after 3pm (they were a bit late) :  A Toast to the 4 's' - see the beer, swirl, smell it and sip it (we thought 'skoll it' was a better ending!)....

St Louis is celebrating its 250th birthday and there are birthday cakes all over the city!

The clydesdale horse is brought around daily at 3.30pm, in full regalia for a photo opportunity - so went and met Lance - he was magnificent!

Next, drove downtown to see the Gateway Arch.  Traffic was a bit of a nightmare due to road works, road closures, detours, and afternoon rush hour....  Had some difficulty finding a safe place to park, but luckily found a garage nearby.  Walked over to see the arch and take photos.  Didn't really have to time to go up.

Spent the evening with a quick look at Sears and then to Cracker Barrel for dinner!

Monday/Tuesday - 21/22 April. Joplin - St Louis, MO

Left Plano, TX on Monday morning to drive all day towards Joplin, Missouri.  Stopped at a Walmart to buy a modem so we could have mobile internet to help with information en route.
Fairly uneventful trip.  In spite of the devastating tornado a few years ago, Joplin looked like any other bustling rural town.

Tuesday we drove from Joplin to St Louis.  Stopped at the Bass Pro Shop for a break in Springfield.  There was lots to look at on the drive - the Tracker boats factory was HUGE with boats lining the yard which was at least a mile long!  All covered with plastic and awaiting delivery, everything from party pontoons to bass fishing boats.  I also noticed 'Bob's Gas and Bowsers' which was in this fellow's paddock - a whole collection of gas pumps from the last 50 years or more!

We had time for a quick visit to the the St Louis premium outlets at Chesterfield, which were off of our GPS - so that was a bit of fun navigating - thanks to our internet we were able to get there without too much of a headache!

Arrived mid-afternoon at Al & Patricia's house.  We met them on the Panama cruise and had advised them we would be in town and offered to meet them for dinner.  They promptly invited us to dinner at their home!  We spent the afternoon catching up, comparing cruise notes and all sorts of other interesting topics.  Al says that there are about 8 deer which visit their pond of an afternoon - but they must have gotten a better offer today.  Best we saw were:  some cardinals, golden finch, robins, squirrels, wrens, ducks and a snapping turtle!

Patricia cooked a fantastic meal - complete with home grown asparagus, freshly picked by Al!

A lovely evening!

Sunday, 20 April - Heading north to Plano, TX

Another road trip began today.  Drove north on I-45 towards Dallas.  Leaving Houston we passed Sam Houston University and a huge statue of him on the side of the interstate.

Samuel "Sam" Houston (March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American politician and soldier, best known for his role in bringing Texas into the United States as a constituent state.

Saw some billboards advertising 'Buc-ees' as a quality roadhouse to stop at.  We'd seen the billboards on the way to San Antonio but didn't have time to stop.  So we did this time.  What a place!  It is HUGE and there are many, many people stopping there.  They have it all organised - restrooms are spotless, wide variety of food - order at an island bar with your credit card, get your print out and wait for your number to be called.  We splurged on a coffee (David had to buy himself a 34oz Buc-ees mug!) and blueberry muffin (freshly baked - beautiful!!!).  Dave was impressed with the 3 stage Texas BBQ out the front for a very reasonable price.  Pity it wouldn't fit in his suitcase!

          Texas 3 stage barbecue!

                                     Plenty of caffeine in that sucker to keep the driver awake!!!

Next we stopped at Grapevine, Dallas.  Lunched at Cracker Barrel and then popped in to Bass Pro Shop.  It's the most amazing store with everything sporting for sale.  They also have various animals which have been hunted by enthusiasts and preserved for display.  David found the most enormous shark which did have a sign indicating it's specifics - not sure if it was a real catch or not... but it was very, very big and I wouldn't like to see it up close in the water!

I was impressed looking at the large array of pontoon boats on display - this one is my favourite - it's called the 'Pontoon Party' boat.....  I reckon it's a go-er!

We did notice the large number of wild flowers along the highway and Lesley was telling us it's the last of the season.  She pointed out the Texas bluebonnets which we agreed were the prettiest and we went to great trouble to find a safe location to stop and get a photograph.  I didn't get out of the car but David said their aroma was very strong and pleasant.

Stopped for the night in Plano and found another Pappasito's - our last chance at this style of Mexican food.  We were not disappointed!

Saturday, 19 April - transfer to Houston, TX

During the evening, the chefs and staff had gone to great lengths to prepare an Easter display in the main piazza on board.  It was so stunning - I had to take as many photos as I could!

We were up early, the ship had docked by 6.30am (half an hour early!).  We had to be at our rendezvous point by 8.15am.  I barely had time to take those snaps before we were rounded up for departure from the ship - our group: Red 2.  That meant we were on the second bus out of the port, and headed for the airport!  

We departed the ship and into the terminal.  Many, many people working to line up suitcases in coloured groups, to be found.  We were lucky - found our bags quickly and went to line up for customs.  Houston is a new, purpose built terminal with the latest of everything.  Our turn at immigration - and - just as the officer went to take my fingerprints, his computer decided to go on a coffee break - and no matter what the poor man tried, the computer just wouldn't work.  He had to shut down the whole thing and start again.... well, we just started cracking a few simple jokes with him, and he was very apologetic and even cracked a smile... I didn't even dare take a look at the people behind us who would have been wondering what on earth was going on, and probably very impatient!

They let us back in to the USA, we found our bus - complete with wifi - and were at the airport in no time.  Free bus to the rental car pick-up and we left in the Kia 'Soul' (Dave's 'Soultrain)....  to our hotel at the airport.  All by midday!

Decided next to go looking for some tucker - people on board had recommended 'Pappasito's' Mexican...  OMG!  Servings were huge - food tasted SO GOOD and we were hungry!  We walked out of there with swollen bellies!

Apparently the Pappa's brand is well known in Texas and people are addicted to the food!  There's Pappadeaux,  Pappasteakhouse, Pappa's BBQ etc.

Next, on the way back to the car, David spied 'Goody Goody Liquor' - so we had to go in there for a look!  Not to mention all of our jokes about the title of the store... 

Good prices!  Then next, into the Boot Barn next door, for another look!

By this time, it was getting dark...  we were still so full we decided to stop off at a grocery store, buy some cheese and crackers and get some rest at the hotel - ready to do it all again, tomorrow!!!