Texas Travel – Getting Reacquainted With Home Part – The Conclusion

In my series we have traveled through all the regions of Texas. Texas is a unique state where you can travel through time by just traveling through the state. The state is full of different cultures, history, outdoor spaces and of course food and drinks waiting to be discovered. The state is full of diverse people and very different living conditions from big cities to rural farming communities to desolate ranch lands. You can pretty much do any activity you would like in this gigantic state except for winter sports like skiing. While there is a lot of good with Texas there are also issues with our state. No state or area is perfect and that includes Texas. In this final article in my series on getting reacquainted with home I’ll go over what I’ve learned, reinforced and the good and the bad I’ve seen in the state.

What I’ve Learned

I learned a lot and saw areas of Texas I had never been to and I also explored many areas again and still learned something new. We had many very different experiences throughout the state. Here are a few of the things that I learned or are reinforced while we traveled around Texas.

1. The state is truly one of the most varied states in regards to terrain. In Texas we went from the sub tropical gulf coast with sand dunes and islands to rugged dessert mountains. We are very familiar with the Texas Gulf Coast and Islands such as North Padre and Galveston but we had never been to South Padre with the Sea Turtle Hospital and resorts. In West Texas we found huge sand dunes, rugged mountains, a river that is an international border and a beautiful but unforgiving desert at Big Ben National Park. In East Texas we drove through a massive Pine Forrest and small farms. In the panhandle area we drove through miles of plains, ranches and farms. I always knew Texas was a big place but after visiting new areas I truly got a sense of how different the state is as you travel through it.
2. Texas has a very long and storied history. I am a history buff so learning about the history of a place is always something I enjoy so I already have learned about Texas’s history but traveling through the state once again reinforced and made me realize even more how much there is to Texas’s history. In Austin the Bob Bullock Museum has an artifact going back thousands of years and had the remains of the French ship La Belle that was part of a failed French colony in Texas. In the Coastal Bend we saw Presidio La Bahia that stood as a Spanish, Mexican and then later a Texian for during the Texas revolution. It has one of the oldest catholic chapels in the country. In Lubbock at the Lubbock Lake National Historic Landmark we saw ancient hunting grounds going back thousands of years. We saw Texas revolution, Republic of Texas, Civil War and WWII sites around the state. Texas has been ruled by many countries and has influenced US and World history. You can learn a lot about the world just touring Texas.
3. Texas is full of different cultures. Houston is rated as one of the most diverse cities in the country. You can find museums to many different cultures and in San Antonio there is a museum dedicated to all of those from all around the world that have settled in Texas. Going to San Antonio you might feel like you have traveled to Latin America or Europe. You travel a little further and you have gone to Germany. In downtown Houston you can see Flamenco at a Spanish restaurant or eat authentic Asian cuisine. You can learn about the world here in Texas.
4. There is a lot to do in Texas. We found in every single region of Texas there were great museums, historic sites and other attractions to see. Even in places people consider “too boring to visit” there is plenty to do and see. There are also a lot of nice natural places to visit. While Texas beaches can leave a little to be desired you still have an ocean to visit, piney woods in East Texas and a must see desert at Big Bend National Park. Texas has plenty of entertainment from theme parks in San Antonio and Dallas and plenty of water parks. If you have an open mind and try out museums and sites outside of just visiting restaurants and bars (yes those can be nice) you can really see so much in our state.

The Good in Texas

There is a lot of good in our state and here are some of the things I saw and found after our travels.

1. In many areas of the state there is great wealth and opportunity. When you visit the major cities of Texas you see about every kind of industry you can imagine. Texas is well known for the energy industry and you can find it heavily in Houston and Dallas but you can also find nearly every other industry you can imagine in Texas cities. There are plenty of job opportunities in Texas. When visiting cities such as Plano and areas of Austin and Houston you can see there are some very wealthy people in our state.
2. Compared to some of the other states I have visited the state is much cheaper when it comes to pretty much anything. While costs are going up they are still cheaper than many other states.
3. As I mentioned in the learning section Texas has an extremely varied landscape, an abundance of things to do, a vibrant history and plenty of culture to go around.
4. Any Texan already know about this one but pride in the state is more than I have seen in any other state. While other states are proud of their state it doesn’t nearly go as far as it does here. I do not know how many barns painted with the Texas flag I saw driving through the state.
5. The people are the state’s greatest resource. We met many very friendly and helpful people as we traveled around Texas. Take a little time to talk to the people in the different regions and listen to the stories of hard working average people. There is such a variety of thoughts and ideas around the state.

The Bad in Texas

No state or place in the world is perfect and the same can be said of Texas. There are a lot of great things about my home state but we definitely found some things that we can really work on to make our state even better.

1. As we visited different areas of Texas we found that the state really has a litter and debris problem. Its one of the dirtiest states I’ve visited but this can be an issue in other states as well. Some regions were cleaner than others but in general there is more garbage, tires mattresses and other things laying around polluting our state. In West Texas there was miles of debris along the roads around Midland and even garbage near the Odessa Meteor crater. We visited a state park near Austin and near some nice waterfalls was a cove full of Whataburger cups and other debris on the river. A long the Gulf Coast there was plenty of garbage and litter and I read many reports the beaches had very high levels of bacteria that were unsafe. This issue is not just a big city problem as while riding the Texas State Railroad we passed an area full of dumped tires. We can do so much better if we all just started disposing of our garbage right and taking “Don’t Mess With Texas” seriously.
2. While there is a lot of wealth and opportunity in Texas, there are also a lot of people struggling in our state. You can find this in the big cities as you pass by run down areas and you can find it in rural communities with abandoned businesses and homes throughout. If you take a walk in downtown Houston you will more than likely be asked for change or a meal by the many homeless in the area. I have heard stories while traveling people working multiple jobs and finally having to quit at least one for their health. I’ve heard stories of people who work so many hours they barely have time for family or anything else. Its very evident as you travel the state that the stories are true. To me we could do a lot better trying to create a state that preserves wealth but also helps lift people up and become healthier. Texans work hard but we can do better to make sure people are not struggling so our state does better as a whole. I’ve seen a few rankings and Texas does poorly in the area of well being and quality of life. It was very evident traveling that we need to improve in this area.
3. I believe there is a correlation between the aforementioned issue and this one. Texas has a lot of crime and violence. When I travel I usually watch the local news while I am gone just to get a further local flavor of what is going on and in nearly every area there were reports of shootings and crime. While this occurs in many cities around the country I found its for sure happening here in Texas as well. In Houston at the time of this writing there is nearly daily reports of road rage shootings and some deaths. Even in my quiet street cars have been broken into and I’ve known multiple people who have had their cars stolen. Talking to someone staying at a hotel in Houston had a catalytic convertor stolen off his car and his wife’s car stolen. In a nice suburb outside of Houston I saw for the first time razor wire on the roof of a gas station convivence store. We have to be careful while traveling anywhere we go to make sure we do not fall victim of crime but its really unfortunate in my home state its a big issue. Crime and violence is no stranger in any major city and many areas of the US, but Texas has been hit hard lately. While there is no easy answer to this and there are many opinions, I truly believe if we created a happier and healthier state some of this crime and violence would subside.
4. The driving in Texas is very aggressive and can be dangerous at times. I have driven in most of the states and Texas is definitely in the top of aggressive and bad drivers. There are some other states that have worse drivers from my experience but Texans need to follow the motto “Drive Friendly the Texas way” and stop driving so wildly. People also need to properly tie down items they are hauling. My wife saw a huge mirror fly off the top of a car and nearly into her car. I’ve seen a couch, wheelbarrow and about every other kind of item one could haul laying in the middle of lanes in the freeways in Texas with people desperately trying to avoid an accident. Some of this debris has cracked car windshields when being kicked up (small debris) and seriously injured others. In the week of this writing I saw a report that I-45 is the most dangerous freeway in the country and saw another news report talking about the over 2,200 road debris related incidents just last year. We have our work cut out for us in Texas.
5. The weather is wild in Texas. In Texas you can deal with Hurricanes, severe storms, floods, extreme heat, dense fog, tornadoes and much more. Winter weather is less of a threat but even that can happen after the massive freeze knocked out power all over the state. You have to always watch the weather in Texas to avoid getting out into a dangerous situation. For me who loves winter weather the extreme heat (and humidity along the gulf) can be miserable at times. We have had a number of trips impacted by Texas’s wild weather and many scary moments over the years at home.

In Conclusion

Texas has been my wife and I’s home our entire life and for now it continues to be our home. There is so much variety in Texas and the state has so much history that is far more colorful than many of the states in the United States. Its a state of wide open spaces, coastline and bustling cities. There are a lot of opportunities for the citizens in Texas and so much to do. Like every place there areas the state really needs to work on such as the cleanliness of the state, infrastructure issues (common in the US), violent crime, and driving. Our state does well with business but scores low in quality of life and education. I have seen a lot of wealth but also a lot of poverty and suffering in Texas. We can do better to make this a happy and healthy state for all.

We really enjoyed out time re-discovering our home state after traveling all of the country and the world the past few years. I would be lying if I said I was not ready to get back out there are travel far and wide again but Texas does offer so much to discover. I encourage you all to get out once you feel its safe to do so and explore your own state and country because you never know what you will find and learn!