Crossing into Texas near the Gulf Coast at Beaumont we start to see the effects of the recent huricanes.  The blue FEMA tarps on roofs are becomng a new landmark to sight on for damage indicators.  Wind driven sheet metal must be scary during the storm as we saw huge piles of the stuff in farm fields.  Trees were down everywhere and the progress on cleanup was limited to cutting the major trunks away from the roads.  Lots of work to do here in the Guf still.

 

On a brighter note, we took a quick detour to the Blue Bell Ice Cream headquarters.  Spotting a big billboard, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to sample the absolutely freshest ice cream.  For a buck we got 2 scoops of our choice in a cup and I got to try a new flavor called snickerdoodle.  Are you listening here Ben & Jerry’s?  We reflected on our overpriced experience in Vermont one more time.

 

Our destination of San Marcos, TX is the mecca for outlet malls.   2 huge concerns, Tanger and Prime are competing for the largest number of stores and square footage right next to each other.  With a central location between Austin and San Antonio, the population draw is big.  We wandered around merrily attempting to boost the economy.