Road trip coming up!
It’s been a long, long week.
And I can’t think of a better way to wrap it up than with a road trip west to see my favorite twins. This weekend will be especially fun because they’re celebrating their sixth birthday. It’s a pool party!
Check out the video I put together from their fifth birthday party.
Well, gotta pack.
Americans change their minds about holiday travel
Live weather feed for San Antonio from the National Weather Service.
There’s plenty for would-be travelers to worry about.
A hole in the Gulf floor spews thousands of barrels a day of sticky oil. A European debt crisis shook up financial markets. Storms will soak much of Texas through the Fourth of July weekend.
But as I sit on my porch sipping coffee, watching my lawn drink in what Hurricane Alex’s remnants have left to dump, 34.9 million Americans will be on vacation trips, a whopping 17 percent more than last year, AAA says. Nine out of 10 will go by car.
And why not? Most Gulf beaches remain clean and open. A U.S. economic recovery seems to be holding steady. Most Texas roads, though wet, are open.
Also, gas prices are under $3 a gallon.
So though travelers will spend a little less — on average, $50 less — than last year, the holiday looks much brighter than a year ago.
Sources and links:
- Weather
- Statewide road conditions, or call (800) 452-9292
- Gas prices
- AAA report
Construction and closures Roads Safety Travel: Hurricane Alex hurricanes storms
by Patrick
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Hurricane Alex delivers blow
Latest radar from National Weather Service.
Hurricane Alex is grinding into a Mexican coast, its tails whipping South Texas and spitting out tornadoes. Winds are blowing more than 100 mph.
Though the brunt of the storm wandered south, it was powerful enough to drive both Texans and Mexicans away from their homes to find safer shelter, the Associated Press reported. A slew of tornado, flooding and wind warnings are in place in South Texas, including a flood watch in Bexar County, the National Weather Service says.
Officials closed the Queen Isabella Memorial Bridge in South Padre Island due to winds and State Highway 87 in Galveston because of flooding, the Texas Department of Transportation announced. More than 100 TxDOT workers and 200 pieces of equipment will move in tomorrow to open roads and fix traffic signals and signs.
Helpful links:
- National Weather Service
- Weather Channel
- Statewide road conditions, or call (800) 452-9292
- TxDOT hurricane page
Bicycling to downtown San Antonio on a summer day
Augusta Street bridge, San Antonio
My wife and I spent some five hours out and about on our bikes yesterday, heading downtown from our house near Red McCombs Ford outside Loop 410 to the King William district. Altogether it came to a trip of 22.35 miles, mostly along San Antonio’s old main thoroughfares, San Pedro Avenue and Fredericksburg Road. We set of around 8:00 AM, when it was only 80 degrees and got back just before 1:00 PM, when it was well over 90. more »
SPID is false advertising!
Continuing on Hugh’s Corpus Christi theme from yesterday, my recent Memorial Day weekend vacay (actually it was a pre-Memorial Day weekend vacay) took me to Mustang Island. To get there, we took SH 358, the main drag through Corpus Christi, also known as South Padre Island Drive. However, “SPID”, as it’s known to locals, is a misnomer of sorts because it actually leads to North Padre Island, not South Padre Island, which is a good 120 or so miles south.
So then, why is it named South Padre Island Drive?
The road is actually just Padre Island Drive. The “South” in South Padre Island Drive comes from the fact that there are two halves of Padre Island Drive (although they’re nowhere equal in length): the southern half and the northern half, just like there is North Staples St. and South Staples St. According to Google Maps, it looks like Bear Lane is the dividing line for Padre Island Drive, so there actually is a short section of North Padre Island Drive between there and I-37. The rest of 358 (which is by far the bulk of it) is South Padre Island Drive.
That said, given the possible confusion this could (and probably does) cause, I propose that city leaders in Corpus Christi consider changing the name to “Padre Island Drive South”, although I suppose that PIDS doesn’t have quite the ring to it that SPID does.
Automobiles History Passenger rail Railroads Roads Travel: Corpus Christi
by Hugh
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Going to Corpus Christi, then and now
The main road to Corpus Christi, circa 1910
A wee trip to the coast, a fine way to spend a hot and hazy Sunday. While I’m still stuck in bachelor mode – decide to go, jump in the car and away – my wife needs, shall, we say, a little more, um, preparation. Providing my ipod is loaded and charged, I am sorted. She, on the other hand, loaded our vehicle like the old days when we were carrying a baby. Blankets, pillows, books, a lap top for heaven’s sake, towels, changes of clothes, the works. more »
Actually, they are all divas
I had small, jolly close to subtle, magnetic signs made for the Texas Transportation Museum’s 1924 Model T truck that simply say, “The Diva.” This is because while the old girl runs pretty well on our unimproved roads and neighboring streets, it acts out badly during show time. Oh well!
Here is a link to a set of snaps taken at the recent fourth annual Ford Model T Show here in San Antonio. It is a joint project with the local Model T club, the “T Fords of Texas,“ and sponsored by the Red McCombs Automotive group.
http://www.txtransportationmuseum.org/WE.htm
It was during this event that I arrived at the surprisingly conclusion that all Ts are divas. That’s why they are still here. Someone was just too crazy about each one to let it go. So far this year I have had the pleasure of touring both Medina and Caldwell Counties in this persnickety old machines and I fully understand the devotion. Now all I have to do is get the one I am looking after for future generations to run right! Having said that she did come through in spades during the Flambeau Parade, so she makes all the effort worthwhile!
The ups and downs of traveling this Memorial Day weekend
The travel outlook for Memorial Day weekend looks about as wobbly as recent stock market swings.
More Americans will be making trips this year, a “sizeable increase” of 5.5 percent from last year and the first gain in five years, according to AAA. But average spending is expected to drop to $809, a “sizeable reduction” from last year’s $1,052.
The Great Recession has been taking a breather, with consumer sentiment, household worth and GDP up from a year ago, the same report says. But jobs have lagged, leaving unemployment 3 percent higher.
The coaster ride doesn’t end there. Travelers face varying price swings this holiday.
Airfare tickets will stay about the same as last year but car rental rates will drop 15 percent and hotel rates will dip slightly, AAA reports.
Gasoline, meanwhile, is selling for 35 to 40 cents a gallon higher than a year ago. In Texas, regular unleaded now averages $2.68, up 37 cents.
Of the 32.1 million people making trips this holiday, 87 percent will go by car.
LINKS:
Three, two, one… liftoff!
Space Shuttle STS-131 liftoff (NASA-TV)
For a long time, my wife and I have wanted to see the launch of a Space Shuttle. With the Shuttle program winding-down this year, we realized a couple of months ago that it was do-or-die time, so a little over a week ago, we packed-up our 18-month-old and headed down to Florida to see the April 5th launch, what is likely to be the last nighttime launch of a Space Shuttle. And wow, am I glad we did.
Texans pay a lot for gas
I admit, I don’t know exactly how much I pay for gas every year. I bet most people don’t. But we should, because it’s a lot.
Average Texas drivers paid $1,819 for gas last year, chewing up 4.9 percent of their incomes, according to numbers crunched by the National Resources Defense Council.
Texas ranked seventh among states for percent of incomes spent on gas. Mississippi was first with 6.2 percent, while Connecticut was last with just 2.5 percent.
Remember, though, regular-grade gas last year was 90 cents a gallon cheaper than in 2008, when prices careened to $4 a gallon. Thus, the point of this NRDC white paper: What would happen if prices, which are steadily rising, spiked again?
For Texans, the answer is gas bills 80 percent higher — or 8.7 percent of incomes. If the next spike turns into a steep plateau, the bill over a year would average $3,264.
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