North to Bend

On Christmas Day, we drove through New Mexico to Phoenix, where we stopped for the night. Tuesday morning we stopped at a Bass Pro Shop on the way out of Phoenix. 

 

We then continued north, stopping at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas (No 23) for lunch. From there we drove north through the desolate center of Nevada and stayed the night in Winnemucca. 

Yesterday we made it to Bend and enjoyed a late Christmas meal with Susan and Jenn.

Across Texas

Sunday morning we drove south of Houston to the San Jacinto Monument. This is the site of the battle that won Texas independence from Mexico.  

The monument was closed because it was Christmas eve, but we were able to walk some of the grounds, and view the USS Texas battleship nearby.

 

We continued on to San Antonio, where we visited the Alamo.  

We also walked along the Riverwalk, and had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe (No. 22).  

We then drove west, stopping for the night in a little town in west Texas.

Leaving Tampa

Earlier this month Bryan got the opportunity to work in Portland, so I flew out just before Christmas to help him pack up his stuff and drive back to Oregon. This would be my tenth drive across the U.S.

He finished his last day at work and we headed north, stopping at the Hard Rock Casino outside Tampa to eat dinner at the cafe there. This was the 20th HRC I have visited.

We stopped in Tallahassee for the night, then continued west Saturday morning. We turned off I-10 as we approached Pensacola in an attempt to visit the Gulf Islands National Seashore, but the headquarters was closed for the weekend. We decided against continuing to Fort Pickens, and instead took I-110 through Pensacola to rejoin I-10.

We then drove through southern Alabama, and stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe in Biloxi Mississippi for lunch (No 21). This one was located inside a casino as well. We continued on through Louisiana, and stopped east of Houston for the night.

Christmas in Florida

This week, while I stayed home and worked and watched the dogs and the snow, Susan and Jenn flew to Oklahoma to attend the wedding of a girl Jennifer had met through Rainbow. 

The wedding was held in Purcell, a small town that had seen better days. After the wedding they flew to DisneyWorld for a quick stay. 

They stayed at Coronado Springs and after a visit to Disney Springs to see the Christmas Tree Trail they spent the evening at the Christmas party at Magic Kingdom with one of Jenn’s friends from her college program.

The next day they went to the Universal resort and checked out the new Harry Potter area, Diagon Alley, in the Studio park, and rode the Hogwarts Express to Islands of Adventure and back. On their last day they visited Epcot.