TX1 Hop 3
428 miles via I-10, US 69, TX 105 and US 290. Cumulative miles: 1249.
This was a miserable trip that involved nearly 9 hours of travel time. Some of that time was due to the planned breaks, including lunch at McDonald’s, but 6 miles were due to missing the Texas Welcome Center which Ooma wanted to visit and much of it was due to what we regard as bad advice from the welcome center person who strongly advised us to take TX 105 instead of I-10, which was under construction. We will take I-10 on the return trip so we will be able to judge just how bad that route is, but TX 105 was miserable and, we think, probably added at least 45 minutes to our travel time. Thanks for nothing, Texas Welcome Center.
But the Welcome Center experience wasn’t all bad, It had a nature walk that we thought was both beautiful and refreshing. And Ooma got her desired “made it to Texas” photo.
Our lodging on the second day was the LaQuinta in Port Allen LA. While not as nice as the Clarion Point on the first night – and certainly not as inexpensive – it was more than adequate. And we found a local restaurant – the Court Street Cafe – that verged on superb. I had my first crawfish etouffee, which was delicious, along with a chicken gumbo soup. Ooma had a beef filet that she rated as excellent. A bit pricey, but a fine meal in a town without a lot of restaurants other than fast food joints. She also got to instruct the server on how to make a cosmo, which she then enjoyed very much.
