This post is intended for cavers travelling east towards Florida and
thru the Houston area:
( please feel free to forward this to cavers on listserves in California,
Arizona, and New Mexico )
Gas Prices:
The price of gas has hit $ 4 a gallon at the NSS Convention
site.
If you are travelling from Texas, you probably want to fill up before
leaving the state. Try Buccee's or Phillip 66 or the Racetrack.
Their price is around $ 3.79 a gallon.
The cheapest may be at the "Flying J" in Beaumont at $ 3.77.
In Louisiana, it is around $ 3.88.
And in Mobile, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida it is around $ 3.98.
Shell seems to have the highest gas prices in the Houston area.
If you haven't driven thru Houston in a while, you might want to plan
for some stop-n-go bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-10. I-10 has been
widened in a few areas west of Loop 610 only. There is a heavy
bottleneck of traffic
in the vicinity of the interchange with
Beltway 8. I-10 hasn't changed much from Loop 610 west of
downtown to the eastern edge of town near Baytown.
I don't recommend any other route thru Houston except I-10. The
other routes will not save you any time and will cost you a lot
more in tolls and gas.
Food:
I recommend you plan to stop on I-10 in Houston and take a break.
There is a seafood restaurant called "Deni's Seafood House" just past the
Gessner exit. It is expensive, but the food is good.
And 2 blocks south of there is the "Bourbon Street Cajun Grill"
on Gessner St.
If you really want to explore the culture of Houston, you can hunt for
my favorite taco stand. It is only about 10 minutes out of the way.
On Fulton St. just south of Patton. ( north of downtown ). Another
interesting restaurant is the Lost Concert Cafe, however, it is not
easy to find.
Once you get east of Baytown, you will not find much to eat until
you get to Beaumont.
In Lake Charles, the "LeBarge de Luc Casino" has a really good
buffet. You will take the first exit going south just before
entering Lake Charles drive across a big bridge and it will be
the tower on the bay to your left.
Lodging:
If you must stay in a hotel near Houston - the further west of town, the
better. I can't think of anywhere to camp in the area. There is
a park-n-ride lot at I-10 and Hwy 6 that is probably your safest place
to take a nap in the car, but there is no shade. Here is a link
to a KOA in the area:
http://www.easttexasguide.com/2007/pages/02/61/95.html
( Disclaimer: I have never seen a KOA there. So call first. )
I am pretty sure I am going to have to skip the convention this
year, or at least scale back and only go for a day or 2.
David Locklear
arm-chair caver in Fort Bend County, Texas
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