Travel Notes: Day 1

Day 1: Austin, TX to Trinidad, CO.  Long, hot (102 degrees, no AC), sometimes beautiful (New Mexico grasslands, I'm talking to you).  Listened to The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe, and half of Prince Caspian.  Liked the kids and the badgers, disliked insincere-ringmaster Aslan.  Mom and I made full use of a spray bottle with attached fan, as well as a cooler full of ice.  We tried putting towels in the cooler of ice, but this didn't actually make them as cold as you'd think. See more pictures of our trip here!

Texas does not have a lot of rest stops.  Instead they have picnic areas, which really means "you can pull over but you can't go to the bathroom here."  But some of the rest stops that do have bathrooms also have little museums and are super beautiful and air-conditioned. 

Tree full of turkey vultures.  These guys are huge and like raw meat.  Good thing I took that awesome accidental scenic route an hour out of the way!

Texas is huge!  But mom is still smiling, which is a credit to her character and ingenuity in road trip cool-down methods.