left my house at 7:15 am, ready to go! quick stop to fuel, coffee, and i am 'officially' on the road at 7:27. Uneventful drive down 35, traffic light but steadily building as the morning progresses. I have my trusty directions, and i find the tollway, north of Georgetown, as directed. Great toll road! Smooth sailing, totally empty, except for the DPS trooper on the other side of the highway, who happens to turn around over the median just as i'm hitting cruising speed. uh-oh....... I immediately 'lift' and come on down nearer 70, the speed limit.... uh-oh...... well after following directions, nice and sweet and all, i am lucky and blessed to say i got by with a warning.... (again!)
I know i know... one of these days i'm gonna get it!
So. my darn phone rings just as i'm getting off tollway, onto 183, and apparently i missed the 21 west sign. Made my first trip to Lockhart. Quaint little town. figured any state road heading west would get me to 35 at some point, so west i headed. 20 minutes later i'm at 35. ok... maybe 30 minutes. don't know but it was lovely two lane cruising, with the windows down. (no roadster-
) Arrived at Mamacita's at 11:10. Not too bad!! Kinda skipped the lunch part- thanks for the chips and salsa, and i guess i owe somebody for my glass of tea- and then a quick powwow with Jacqui and Jodine and then the HIGHLIGHT of the trip, the crowning, well 'silver bowling' of the next Miss Texas Cobra Club, Ms. Claudia Williams.
then.... chat around the parking lot and get new directions to the airport, the alternative location for the photo shoot, what with the muddy roads, etc of the first pick. After one quick wrong turn, that fortunately i realized as soon as i made it, i drove up to the airport, and watched all the Cobra's lining up for the shoot.
sad for me....
Well eventually, after a shift of the group once or twice, they got it done, and the photographer was up on the lift and such to get the right angle. I bet they'll be great! The Cobra Airplane was a fabulous finishing touch, and quite the nice surprise fom the CAF museum. Thank you! Well the whole group left for the cruise, and i stayed behind for a good while to wait my turn to take pics of the 500 with the plane. I hope they turn out pretty well!!!
Finally, it's time for me to get on down the road... i head back to 35, fuel up, and get a burger at Mcdonald's. I'm thinking... i know they said there is a cutoff for the tollway north of buda. i'll take it.... So i do. Very nice two lane driving, back to the tollway. Except i didn't find the tollway! it must be there somewhere, right??? so i make a left and get on 183, but i never did find that tollway.... hmmmmm. I wonder where 183 goes?? it's a loop, right?? surely it'll loop me back somewhere, right??? After about 25 minutes i start to wonder... where am i? why don't i have a GPS?? Dang, i'm gonna have to stop and ASK somebody.. buy a map... dang!! so i pull off into thsi filling station to get a map, and ask the guy 'how do i get to Dallas?' he says 35 is just a couple of miles further around the loop. Good! i wasn't doing so bad! yea!!! Next time, take a map!!
there might even be a map in there. hmmm.
So cruised on home and pulled in my driveway at 6:27. A perfect, 11 hour road trip for lunch.
not too bad!!
highlights:
1. NOT getting that speeding ticket! whew
2. STANDING on the water fountain with Jacqui and Jodine. I'm really glad we didn't fall in!
3. taking PHOTOS with the cool plane. Just the Mustang left to do it with. cool.
510.9 miles, 11 hours, a handful of chips and a McDonald's burger, all worth it for lunch with my buddies.
thanks guys, for a great year, a great 4 1/2 years with the Cobra, and friendships to last a lifetime! I love ya'll!
Former Miss Texas Cobra Club, Kristen