Day 2: Entering the First Ring of Hell

Early Saturday morning, Shanti and I got off to an early start. Actually, much earlier than Shanti would have preferred. We knew it would be a long day but we had no idea how long. We started off down I-10, Shanti in the cockpit and me with the dogs. There wasn't much to see through the first tank of gas that day but after refueling and switching places, we entered Louisiana and the ground sank into the marshes while the highway was supported on stilts. It was fascinating and disturbing. It was clear why the hurricanes have such a devastating affect on this part of the country. I kept up a good pace, going much faster than the tow dolly suggests we should. 55! Good Buddha, no one goes that slow anymore. For the most part, the other drivers respected our BIG wheel status and gave way when needed but some (a lot) insisted on passing on the right and nearly causing quite a few accidents. Most of these drivers seemed to be from the area. Hm. At one fairly magnificient point, we crossed the Mississippi River which was very big and very muddy. Later that day, after we once again returned to dry land and refueled again (poverty creeps in through gas bills), switched places, and Shanti took us into Texas, where we found ourselves in a miasma of twisting highways, big trucks, smog, and the birthplace of the oil business. Gross! The roads were in a perpetual state of disrepair and the traffic increased almost after crossing the state line. We decided to make our way to Houston for the night but after cruising around trying to find a pooch friendly abode, we struck out at every turn, nearly having another accident because some fool took a quick left in front of Shanti who nearly forgot her Buddha nature. We realized the Universe wanted us to get the hell out of Hell and quick. So we meandered on down the road looking for a manger for this Christ consciousness hippy, his friend Shanti, and the babes. We came to a little no-where town outside of Katy Texas and rolled into the first place we could find. The Executive Inn. Don't be fooled. It's a basically a trucker's stop and a virtual fleabag. Okay, maybe I'm being harsh. The management was very nice and didn't charge us for the dogs. There was a fairly decent pizza buffet in town for just $4.99 a person. Mmmmmm! And ... surprisingly ... WiFi in the room. I almost didn't even turn on m y computer because it never ocurred to me we had it here. It's 10:40am now and we have to be out by 11. Gotta go. Check back tomorrow for more on the incredible adventures of Shanti, Michael, Karma, and Zen as they try to escape the deepest rings of Dante's Inferno a.k.a. Texas.