We spent the night in Marathon, Texas about 40 miles from Big Bend National Park. The historic Gage Hotel, is the happening place on main street in this tiny town, population 430. However, it does have a library, post office, bank, community center, general store, school, volunteer fire dept and a brewery.

One of Marathon’s claims to fame is astronomy. It is really dark here at night. Marathon measures a CLASS 1 on the Bortle Light Pollution Scale, which means it is as dark as it gets on earth! Unfortunately, it was snowing last night, yes snowing for the first time in two years. Hopefully we will have clear a sky tonight so we can see the stars.

We arrived in Austin last night and hung out with our nephew, Jim, who moved here two weeks ago. It was nice to see him in his new digs.

This afternoon we went to to the Lyndon B Johnson Library and Museum on the UT campus. The Vietnam War really tarnished LBJ’s reputation and he is not remembered fondly. Today we were reminded of how much legislation he got passed that really made a difference in the lives of Americans including: civil rights act, voters rights act, medicaid and medicare, fair housing act, and immigration reform.

Tonight we went to the Skylark Lounge

Today we drove through Atchafalaya Basin along Rt. 10 to Houston. This is a prime crawfish farming area. I learned that they say “crawfish”, not “crawdad”or “crayfish” below the 38th parallel. Wild crawfish have provided sustenance for Native Americans in the region for centuries. European settlers did not start harvesting crawfish from bayous and swamps until the 1880’s.

Today, crawfish farming is a major industry in Louisiana, producing 100 million pounds of crawfish annually. In addition to farming wild crawfish, it is farmed in ponds that are flooded and drained. Ninety percent of U.S crawfish production is in Louisiana.

Some farmers grow crawfish and rice in the same fields.

There is an art to eating crawfish, a hands on experience. A crawfish boil seems to me to be rather like a traditional New England clam steam, only messier. We did not have an opportunity to participate in a crawfish boil, but it was described to me. A big platter of crawfish, corn on the cob and boiled potatoes is brought out along with an empty pan for the refuse. Then the eating commences with everyone digging in with gusto. The proper way to eat a crawfish is to pinch the butt, break off the head and suck. I saw a t-shirt that said “it won’t suck itself”, which I assume was referring to a crawfish.

We learned that Mardi Gras is preceeded by 21 days of parades in New Orleans. We look forward to the first parade of Carnival tomorrow night.

En route to Cincinnati. Still winter! Actually , the next four days in Cincinnati, Nashville and Memphis are going to be in the 40s. Hopefully no snow.

Tomorrow we leave for our cross country trip from upstate New York to southern California. Looking forward to saying goodbye to winter for a bit. We planned 10 stops: Cincinnati, Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, Austin, Big Bend National Park, El Paso, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, and San Diego. Excited to share our trip with you!

We have arrived home safely after our 3,500 mile trip. We had a really great trip, but I have to say there is nothing like leaving to make us really appreciate home. I realize that we see more wildlife here than we did on our trip.  Something I have taken for granted. We also had a great sleep in our own bed the first night home, something most of us experience. I must say it is much quieter here than in most campgrounds!

There is no place like home, but Ithaca is truly an exceptional place. It was chosen as prettiest place in New York by Architectural Digest magazine. Living in such a special place makes it really nice to come home. We should explore this area with the same enthusiasm as when we travel.  Signing off until the next adventure!