Cross-Country Ramble 31: Roads and Bridges

Ken and I head north out of High Island on Texas 124 under blue sky. The 20-mph gusting westerly winds require all my concentration to stay on the road. A lapse and I find myself blown off the six-foot wide shoulder onto the grass. Back onto the road and looming up ahead is the high bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway. This will be the second time we have crossed the Intracoastal Waterway.

The first time was on I-45 going into Galveston. That time I had worried all day about it. Would there be a shoulder? Would the trucks get so close their wind would suck us under? As it turned out, the shoulder was wide. Hundreds of cars and trucks went by as we climbed the hundred feet to the top. They gave us wide berth but I was grateful to get off the thing alive.

This time the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge was beginning the day. There wasn't much time to worry about it. Ken and I started our climb up the 176 feet. The gusting wind and our slow speed require all our effort to stay upright. Finally, about 3/4 of the way up, we just can't stay upright any longer. We get off and walk to the top. We coast back down to the marshland relishing the speed.

Last year's still-brown marsh grasses do little to shield us from the wind. However, wild flowers are sprouting out along the roadside. Pink asters line both sides of the road. Wild purple verbena and dandelions are occasionally intertwined among them. One particularly spectacular wildflower I see is a thistle. Its leaves are wine colored. It is about 12 inches tall and the thistle flower seems to be about 4 of those inches. In bloom, it is a terrific lavender.

In the marshlands we see egrets, herons, red-winged black birds, and ducks. Unfortunately, we also see a lot of roadkill as well, opossums snakes and turtles, but mostly cats and dogs. I feel sad when I imagine the owners finding their pet dead on the road. I wonder why they didn't restrain their pets when they let them out. Just a little restriction and the pet would still be alive.

Yesterday, to get from Texas to Louisiana, we had to take the I-10 bridge across the Sabine River. It was a terrifying experience. The shoulder was two feet wide and littered with automotive junk--like bolts, metal strips and pieces of tire. Traffic was heavy and fast. Cars, motor homes, and truck whish past us. Although most did move over to give us a little space, I hold tightly to the handle bars and steer as evenly as I can, knowing if I veer much or, God forbid, fall, I will be joining the other dead animals on the highway. As we rolled into the Louisiana Welcome Center, I vowed I'd NEVER do that again.

Carol

Itinerary (days from Ventura, CA, in ( )'s)

• Day 4 (63) High Island, TX
• Day 5 (64) Winnie, TX
• Day 6 (65) Port Arthur, TX
• Day 7 (66) Toomey, LA
• Day 8 (67) DeQuincy, LA

Ramble 32:  Acadiana!