Day 8 - San Antonio to Galveston Island

We rolled out of the awesome San Antonio KOA early and hit the road for Galveston Island via Houston. Travel was slow today and it was hot and muggy. Progress was slow. We finally got to Houston by mid afternoon but traffic was stupid, like bay area or LA traffic stupid, and compounded by the lunacy of tollways. Three $1.75 tolls in 20 miles; some numbnut expat from Illinois must have designed the road system here. Tolls on a motorcycle are the worst if you aren't from the area and can do the EZ pass thing. We finally made it through Houston and down to the gulf. Unfortunately, every one else in Texas is down here too. No campsite available and it's 5:30 PM. What to do? Time for a swim in the ocean. It was refreshing but strange. The water is brown, warm, and really salty. The beach is shallow for a long ways out. Gwen did great body surfing with me until I reached down to figure out what the hard things on the bottom were and three hermit crabs geronimo'ed off my hand. Gwen is not down with hermit crabs in her vicinity. Swim done, time to start calling hotels. Almost no vacancies and the available rooms are all over $300. We score a hotel room in Texas City just down the street from the refineries. All I can think of is Texas City disaster. Just as we get everything off the bike into the hotel room the torrential rain with thunder and lightning begins. Providence.Read more