August 28, 2024 – Intro / Driving to Waco

iOS has a Journal app, so I thought I’d dictate my thoughts as I take a trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma for the Tails and Tornadoes furry convention. So here we go!

It’s been a while since I’ve taken a trip up by 35 for fun or even for work for that matter. Just getting out of San Antonio was a bit of a bear; given that I left during rush hour, that was to be expected. I looked at all the construction on I-35 while I was heading out of town and thought: “You know this is all going to be nice someday…someday.”

Of course, I had planned on making a stop at Buc-ees in New Braunfels. The drive up there made me think of my old job at the hospital nearby.

I ended up stopping at the H-E-B in New Braunfels instead of the Buc-ees since I can get a snack for cheaper there. Sign of the times, I suppose. There is another one up the road I can stop at anyway.

As I approach Austin, the question arises of: Should I take the toll or drive through town? I usually take the toll but instead chose to go through town because it’s late in the evening. I figure the lousy traffic that usually populates Austin should be manageable by now. I can also save a few bucks. Hey, every little bit helps.

One nice byproduct of having an iPhone again is that I can compare between Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Waze. The consensus seems to be that despite the 85mph speed limit on the toll road, I won’t save much time.

There used to be a Dairy Queen outside of Austin right off the freeway on the northbound side. I didn’t see it, so I don’t know if I missed it, or if it closed down, yet another casualty of COVID just like the shuttered DQ on I-37 in between Corpus Christi and San Antonio. I did see a new DQ north of Austin, and thus, the balance of the universe is maintained.

I started encountering some rainstorms north of Austin, which makes me realize I forgot to bring a raincoat. I did remember to bring an umbrella, though. Oh well.

Stopping in Waco has become a new strategy for me whenever I take a long trip to Dallas or beyond; it helps that I had some hotel points to burn so it won’t cost me anything. I might even make a trip to the Dr. Pepper museum in town in the morning because why not? Registration at the convention will not be open on Thursday night (a head-scratcher to be sure) so there’s no big hurry to get there for the convention. Off to bed because I’ll be seeing plenty of road tomorrow!