MIAMI TO TEXAS (Austin)

Left Miami Monday night and arrived in Austin Tuesday night - 20 hours; not bad. Listening to the weather report tonight in Austin, I hear there were tornados, flooding and horrible weather every where I was. I didn't see any of that - a little cloudy, that's it.

After arriving in Austin tonight, I saw the coolest thing.  This is the Congress Street Bridge, and two million Mexican Free-Tail Bats live under it. Every night at dusk, the bats fly out looking for food. It is a positively beautiful sight.

This is one of the largest world's largest urban bat colonies.

Here are some close-ups of the bats.  They are so small and moving so fast, besides it being dark, they are very hard to photograph.

A little bird was keeping me company while I was waiting for the bats!

Austin at night.

I didn't really spend a lot of time in Austin.  The next day, I walked around the town a little.  It's a big music town, so there were guitars and music stores everywhere.  It's a nice place!

I am assuming this building is the capital building.

A little video of the bats

[click the play button]:

The nitwit in the background yapping is NOT me!

DRIVING CROSS-COUNTRY!

I have long wanted to drive across country.  Having recently retired from my job of 37 years, I am finally doing it!

On Monday, 4/27/09, I will start from Miami, Florida, for a trip across country. I plan on starting out in Austin, TX, then travelling up through New Mexico, Arizona, over to California, then up the coast of Oregon. I will continue to Lake Quinault in WA, then over to Seattle. Then, I will start my descent down through Wyoming - of course spending a couple days in Yellowstone National Park. From there, I will go through Jackson Hole, WY, over through Denver, down to Oklahoma City, and, finally, over to Little Rock, Arkansas.

My plan is not set in stone.  We will see where my travels take me!