I HATE to tempt fate but the weather has been following us around, missing us when it flooded the Nebraska- Kansas border, near Belleville on Highway 81. After we'd passed Wichita Falls, TX, we heard that there was a hailstorm that beat vehicles with golf-bail-sized missiles. We only got a few patches of rain. Twisters? There have been a _ few, one in our way. The humidity is 90% —- and I thought this part of the U.S.A. : was double-dry. Ever the locals are bitching about the upper-90- degree heat. Don’t hesitate to take secondary roads-in any part of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. They are as ‘good as some of the interstates — better, in some-cases, because you - can get off the road so easily. : Watch speed limits very careful- ly ~ if they; say 55, they don't mean 60! This is'a4 whole new way of driving for Brian and he’s had - twa warning tickets to prove it. . |-The officers ‘are so nice it’s almost 2 pleasure to get stopped, “ especially when they issue warn- dings. . The drivers are courteous, puli- ing onto the shoulders to let you pass. How can they have.such ter- rific roads with no traffic? : Passing ‘lanes-are called. “clim ing lan and arefrequent. ==" Barbara NMcCreadie . TRAVELWISE they are easily worth $400 each. During the past week, we've crossed the Colorado, Missouri, Pecos and Rio Grande rivers, some frequently. As for “Old West Trails,’’? how about the Red Coat Trail, the Oregon Trail, the Trail of Tears, the numerous cattle trails, Mormon Trail — far too. many to “+. keep track of, especially when you : -begin to tally Indian wars, migra- ~ tions and resettlements. ‘-: green-line .““turnpike,”’. expect toll * booths.: Carry, plenty. of change in quarters, dimes: and nickels. The -'. toll booths: have baskets and you “toss in the’ registered amount. = We've met. the nicest people, = with the.exception of West Texas. 1 don’t know. what’s wrong there: .. Spider’s ‘convention, ‘but there’s a lot of snarly jerks.’ A‘ few. notes on shopping. “Watch for: VF - . Factory ‘Discount brand-name. for $5 ‘and matching pants for $9. - Nearby, also ‘in. Mineral. Wells, jook:. for. the antique .mall.— we “stole”. two pitchers f for $115. — Orient Mexico | _- Mexico ‘Empires of India . Empires of India Gala Panama . bet to waa ai the uene of _Siing Detwach A20CON per Couple to SISOOCON per Couple Call for details! | Pile, sportswear;, stayed south of Witchita Falls, : and: Lee. are two of the’ fre. tultes are valved at 3 $t2 Trent gana cssanrns »'Sent. 9: Left Perry, Oklahoma, on, 1-35, intending to stop in Oklahoma City to visit the Cowboy Hal! of Fame. We’ve never seen a worse in-- than that: ner-city interchange one! It’s five times worse than that mess in Seattle — just like a tegs branching everywhere and everyone going like hell. Forget: the Cowboy Hall of "Fame, iet’s get outta here! - Worked our. way back to sim- scenic Highway 281 and TX, Sept. 10: The route south. on #281 is lovely — you'd have a -hard time deciding if you were ‘driving’ through unending solf 7 the . home): Sunday, September 27, 1992 ~ North Shore News - Luck or fate makes weather miss travellers courses except country clubs don’t trim the greens with fat cows. ® Sept. 10-11: Arrived in San Antonio calied ahead for downtown reservations. Although I don’t like reserving, I also wanted a bit of luxury, tight downtown, which isn’t easy to do. We stayed at the Plaza San An- tonio at half-off the rack rate through a discount membership Brian bought just before we left. It cost $95 a night but I loved it. Two days in San Antonio were not enough — such a lot to do. We took a stroll down the famous river walk and had dinner there on our first night. There are about 30 restaurants to choose from, plus shops to visit. Riverboats drift along, some with diners aboard. Most of the riverboat diners are private parties but your hotel can book you aboard — approximate- ly $32 per person, plus drinks. Nex? morning we headed for the femed Alamo the mission where 189 loyal Texans lost their lives fighting Mexican General Santa Ana. It’s free, magnificent and the two museums give you a lot of in- sight into the conflict where two American folk heroes, Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, were killed. Just outside the gates of the Alamo, tourist trolleys are avail- able — $4 for about 35 minutes of touring through the dewntown area of San Antonio. Don’t miss! _ We.returned to Gunther House (one of the landmarks on the trolley tour) for lunch ($3 cab fare).. Excellent food, homemade bread -— the family still operates . the Pioneer Wheat Mill, adjacent. Open for breakfast and lunch, moderate prices, no smoking. The house is a museum. This is in the historic King William district, a street of stately homes. Only one is open to the public (besides the Gunther. the Steves Homestead, about a block away. Open 10 aun, to 5 p.m., tours are $2. When we returned, we shopped in ‘the old downtown area, La Los Angeles Los Angeles Hong Kong Los Angeles Los Angeles ’ Bombay ~ Bombay _ San Juan Los Angeles Singapore | Los Angeles Los Angeles Singapore Singapore Los Angeles 0US pet couple on 7 sain and 300US coupl Nenday T the two categury me is rer by peop en 2 BCAA Travel Agency OCEANS OF rer OD PARK ROYAL SOUTH MALL 922- 3361 ” Albuquerque, New Mexico. Villita, right beside our hotel, ad- jacent to the river walk, That night we tock a cab to the Mexican market for dinner, strall- ing and shopping (don’t get too excited about that). Try La Margarita for Mexican food. Inexpensive. w- Sept. 12: Left San Antonio, reluctantly, for our next stop, Del Rio, right on the Mexican border at Acuna. It’s supposed to be one of the most popular stops in Texas. We hated it — dismal place. Stayed overnight. & Sept. 13: Our destination was Acuna, just across the Rio Grande in Mexico. We took the van as far as the Yellow Cab stand on the U.S.A. side, parked free and rode over the border by cab. We've visited many Mexican border towns — Nogales, Agua Caliente, Tijuana they’re ‘heaven compared to this joint. Skip it! Dirty, shoddy merchan- dise, awful streets — just triple yetch. It was Sunday, there’s a one- _hour time difference between Dei Ric and Acuna and shops don’t pen until 10 o’clock, if they open at all. We got out fast, grabbed the van and headed for Highway 99, a secondary route leading to El 4 Paso. For the first time since we left home, the countryside was too bieak to enjoy it much. As you go north, you go through the Guadaloupe Moun- tains, which add some. interest, bui this is what IJ call: true “badlands.”~ We stayed overnight i in n the town of Van Horn and the less said about that, the better. As we returned from breakfast this morning (Sept. 14), the maids were pointing at something just. outside our door. A ‘snake. The maids said it.was a Racer, ~ the gardener dispatched it with a open last night?’’ "We headed north; towards Stopped for lunch it in the untike- ly town of “Truth or Conse- quences’ and yes, it was renamed for the 1950 TV show of Ralph Edwards’. And yes, it’s a damned in- convenience to the residents. More later. DISNEYLAND _ ¥ Nights con $599 Per adult/double. occupancy Cid rate CON $380 > Airfare from Vancouver aj 3 Moderate Hotel Accommedation § . Airport Transfers ff 7 DAY. | MEXICO CRUISE | ; Dec. 19 to 26/92 : 2 $1300 - ‘tnside Cabin . ; 4 Includes airfare from Vancouver’ F 7 DAY 1 CARIBBEAN CRUISE ' ‘ Dec. 18 to 26/92 cox $1700 © x ‘per person/double’ occupancy 7 . 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