Still Pending

[Dinsdale]

So, the next leg of my epic work roadie finds me in South Texas -- McAllen/Mission.

And yes, I promised pics. I haven't taken any of note yet. I've been working ridiculous hours all night, and haven't been out and about much.

But the primary reason, is that there's absolutely nothing noteworthy to look at. If any of you don't know what strip malls and Hispanics look like, I guess I could close my eyes, spin around 3 times, and randomly snap pics.

Observations: Most notably, me and my partner are pretty much the only non-Hispanic) white people in this metro of ~250,000. No joke. For the 1st 24+ hours here, I saw 1 black person -- the one who came with us (she's gone now). Racism wasn't an issue -- in fact, people kind of flocked to her... I think most of them had only seen black people on TV.

I'm lucky I've always had a pretty high tolerance for heat, since that's a notable feature here. I'm not talking "kind of hot." It's full-on "blazing hot." The 100 degree, windy days (much of which I'm sleeping through) give way to slightly cooler nights, which is when the humidity really kicks in. Getting off work (after 15+ hours) in the early morning, I was introduced to the concept of running the car's AC full blast, while using the rear window defroster. When I go outside for a smokebreak (which involves walking out the door, into a wall of "air"), I'll check the current weather on the phone -- this early morning, around 4AM, it was 84 degrees with 85% humidity... at 4 Fucking AM. Speaking of which, time on the smartphone (not smart enough to tell me to turn down this job) is limited outside at night -- eventually, the screen fogs up and stops working, and needs to be dried and restarted to work again.

I don't think a Texan would know a decent beer if it shit on his boots.

People here are extremely friendly, very polite, generally not too bright, and weird as fuck. And did I mention Hispanic?

The water coming out of the shower smells funny.

There's a shit-ton of birds here.

People's driving here is horrific.

They say everything is bigger and better in Texas. I counter that everything is hotter and flatter in Texas.

I realize that South Texas may not be representative of the whole state, but you sure couldn't pay me to live in this part of it.

That's all for now, until something else here pisses me off.

[trev]

Language, Borders, Culture.

[Dinsdale]

Culture.

I'll take "things completely absent from South Texas for $1000, Alex."

[Goober McTuber]

You're probably not much more than an hour from South Padre Island.

[Mikey]

I spent a few days in the Houston area last year and that was pretty much my impression - flat, smells bad and the water tastes like shit.

As far as Tex-Mex, I mentioned to a local I was working with that we were pretty proud of our Mexican food in LoCal, and asked him to point me to some good Tex-Mex. The place he took me to reminded me of El Torito - pretty much plain Jane Juana lisa Mexican stuff.

[mvscal]

So, the next leg of my epic work roadie finds me in South Texas -- McAllen/Mission.

I went to military school in the Valley. It is indeed a world-class shithole.

[smackaholic]

Yeah, isn't that high 80s, high humidity thing fun?

I can not, for the life of me, comprehend how anyone could have lived in the south prior to central air.

[Wolfman]

Thanks to Willis Carrier. No doubt, I would not be living in SW FL w/o the benefit of his invention. Fans are nice, but they simply move air.

[Dinsdale]

So, the next leg of my epic work roadie finds me in South Texas -- McAllen/Mission.

I went to military school in the Valley. It is indeed a world-class shithole.

The RGV, or at least this portion of it, seems like a nice enough town. It's just in some hell-hole geography.

Yeah, isn't that high 80s, high humidity thing fun?

Not sure which is worse -- the nighttime high 80's, high humidity, or the afternoon low 100's, moderate humidity (and I think they actually invented wind here).

Had some decent Tex-Mex at a chain that was recommended. Just haven't had the time to go anywhere decent. Even had some BBQ at a chain place -- meat was decent, everything else was so-so. They serve beans with everything you order here, which is fine.

So far, choices of eateries have been based on proximity and ease, not culinary delight. I'll have more time this weekend, which will hopefully be spent in New exico, which is hopefully a little easier on the eyes than the RGV.

[smackaholic]

My only experience is driving across it on the interstate, but, I hear NM is kinda nice. Gotta be nicer the sotex.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

For Dins, PET stands for Plentiful Essay Thread. Oh well, still better than infesting this shit heap with yet another hand-wringing "Those evil liberals are ruining Amurika!" thread.

[Wolfman]

We did an I-10 roadie from San Antonio to Phoenix on our Tour USA Canada in 1994. Driving across a desert that looked like a scene from Lawrence of Arabia, we came across road signs saying "Do Not Stop for Hitchhikers". Wow---who in hell would be hitchhiking out here? A little further on we pass the New Mexico State Prison. Nice.

[Diego in Seattle]

We did an I-10 roadie from San Antonio to Phoenix on our Tour USA Canada in 1994. Driving across a desert that looked like a scene from Lawrence of Arabia, we came across road signs saying "Do Not Stop for Hitchhikers". Wow---who in hell would be hitchhiking out here? A little further on we pass the New Mexico State Prison. Nice.

Should have stopped & said hello to IB.

[The State]

My only experience is driving across it on the interstate, but, I hear NM is kinda nice. Gotta be nicer the sotex.

Pssst... the I-10 isn't the Rio Grande Valley... and if you ever have driven on it (sup, around 20 times on the way to Colorado and California)... you would have known that the southern part of New Mexico makes Tejas look like Hawaii.


There's a good chance you're genetically related to a Midwestern clan in Kansas City.




By the way... the border towns have as much in common with Mehico... as a McDonald's in Omaha, Nebraska (having driven from Houston, Tejas to Cuernavaca, Mehico around 15 times on the Pan American Highway).


We have a word for those border town mexicans... and it's called "Naco" which is easily translated to English... "poor white trash".


I'd make my trips down to Mehico... to visit my good friend from the 1980's that I met in California when we were young punks in Santa Barbara... of course, he came from just a tad bit more money than I did.

His father owned "Carta Blanca" beer... among just about everything else in Mehico... and his grandfather or great grandfather (can't fucking remember)... was the vice president of Mehico (Gomez) back in the day...



Just saw my boy a few months ago... in Laguna Nigel, California where he has a house.


(Hi may) Jaime... aka "Pancho" (Lay brie ha) Lebrija

https://mx.linkedin.com/in/jaimeduranl



good times...



... you know who I am.

[mvscal]

Oh, you're a Mexican now?

[Jerkovich]

Oh, you're a Mexican now?

estúpida puta mexicana

[War Wagon]

I hear NM is kinda nice.

Can't speak to the entire state, but for the areas I drove around, Portales & Clovis... it's "nice" if you like razor sharp thistle and thorns everywhere you walk. Can't say as I saw one sq ft of green grass.

[Left Seater]

I hear NM is kinda nice.

Can't speak to the entire state, but for the areas I drove around, Portales & Clovis... it's "nice" if you like razor sharp thistle and thorns everywhere you walk. Can't say as I saw one sq ft of green grass.

The northern mountains and high desert is very nice. From Santa Fe thru Taos, Angel Fire, Eagle Nest Lake and Red River is beautiful. Some of the best skiing in the U.S. can be found at Taos Ski Valley.

[Mikey]

I hear NM is kinda nice.

Can't speak to the entire state, but for the areas I drove around, Portales & Clovis... it's "nice" if you like razor sharp thistle and thorns everywhere you walk. Can't say as I saw one sq ft of green grass.

The northern mountains and high desert is very nice. From Santa Fe thru Taos, Angel Fire, Eagle Nest Lake and Red River is beautiful. Some of the best skiing in the U.S. can be found at Taos Ski Valley.

Chaco Canyon.

[smackaholic]

I drove the interstate that goes through albuquerque. It was after dark going through it, so I really have no idea what it looked like. We turned off the interstate and took the highway, not interstate that runs in a straight line to the northeast. US 54? It started in NM and went across the teeehas and okie panhandles. If I never drive through the teeehas panhandle again, I'll get over it. Had my RV worked on in not so lovely dumas, or dumbass, as I called it, teeehas. It was a world class shit hole.

[Y2K]

I drove the interstate that goes through albuquerque. It was after dark going through it, so I really have no idea what it looked like. We turned off the interstate and took the highway, not interstate that runs in a straight line to the northeast. US 54? It started in NM and went across the teeehas and okie panhandles. If I never drive through the teeehas panhandle again, I'll get over it. Had my RV worked on in not so lovely dumas, or dumbass, as I called it, teeehas. It was a world class shit hole.

That's I-40. Pretty desolate but nothing compared to I-10 in southern New Mexico. From El Paso/ Las Cruces headed west it's like they built a 4 lane freeway and big set of railroad tracks on the surface of the moon. Wolfman, the don't stop for hitchhikers signs are much farther east way back into Texas, I imagine they don't want people picking up members of the Juarez cartels.

[Jerkovich]

I drove the interstate that goes through albuquerque. It was after dark going through it, so I really have no idea what it looked like. We turned off the interstate and took the highway, not interstate that runs in a straight line to the northeast. US 54? It started in NM and went across the teeehas and okie panhandles. If I never drive through the teeehas panhandle again, I'll get over it. Had my RV worked on in not so lovely dumas, or dumbass, as I called it, teeehas. It was a world class shit hole.

That's I-40. Pretty desolate but nothing compared to I-10 in southern New Mexico. From El Paso/ Las Cruces headed west it's like they built a 4 lane freeway and big set of railroad tracks on the surface of the moon. Wolfman, the don't stop for hitchhikers signs are much farther east way back into Texas, I imagine they don't want people picking up members of the Juarez cartels.

No shit! Back when I was driving truck I would dred NM highways. The freaking potholes were excruciating.

[The State]

Oh, you're a Mexican now?

estúpida puta mexicana

I do more by 6:00 am Pacific time... than you two tards do in an entire day.




It's how I roll...


That's why I live here in (Marin and San Francisco)... and you tards live in Nebraska and Fresno.



You know who I am...







the truth

[The Seer]

All the bad mouth err...writing about ugly NM....Just got back from a roadie and spent a week in Ruidoso, NM. All the green you'd want. Took the varmints to Smokey Bear museum in Capitan, and the mApaches have done well with their casinos.

Couple hours off the I-10 on the I-70 East and you are in God's country.

[The State]

All the bad mouth err...writing about ugly NM....Just got back from a roadie and spent a week in Ruidoso, NM. All the green you'd want. Took the varmints to Smokey Bear museum in Capitan, and the mApaches have done well with their casinos.

Couple hours off the I-10 on the I-70 East and you are in God's country.

Do you even know what state you're in ???


Good God... I'm surrounded by tards.






the truth

[Dinsdale]

Just got back from a roadie and spent a week in Ruidoso, NM. All the green you'd want.

Texas is completely green right now, from South to West (the parts I just drove through), too. It's a result of the massive flooding a couple of months ago, and is far from the summer norm, or so multiple sources tell me.

So now Texas is a greened-up shithole, that I can happily live out the rest othe RGVf my days never setting foot in again. At least points north of RGV, while fuckall hot, weren't all nasty muggy like South Texas.

For the record, McAllen, TX is a very very long way from Albuquerque. If you're ever givin the chance to drive it straight through in a day (starting at 1PM, no less), I'd politely (that's how they do things in Texas) decline.