The roads less traveled in Houston

Summer vacation has started! We headed out of town as soon as Naomi and Danielle got out of school to take advantage of the fact that our school district got out earlier than other districts. This trip actually picked up where we left off last Spring Break (March 2020) when Coronavirus first hit, so back to Houston for another Jeff-tacular road trip!

The rain decided to follow us throughout this journey, yet thankfully the rain-gods happened to be on our side. We were on the fortunate side of scattered showers nearly every day, starting with bat-viewing at the Waugh Drive Bat Colony in downtown Houston. The rain let up at precisely the right time when the bats decided it was dinner time. Those are bats, not birds. And yes, you could hear their distinct squeaking sound as they swarmed out of the bridge.

We discovered the fountain of youth -- apparently we all just need to eat an orange or drink orange juice every day...at least according to the philosophy on display at The Orange Show!

This quirky immersive art exhibit was built in the 60's and 70's and sits in the middle of a neighborhood. Around every corner is another inspiring quote and unusual looking display, and includes a couple stages for performers. You definitely have to stop and ponder each item to get the deeper meaning...but I guess that is the whole point of art!

The artsy feel spills over into Smither Park next door, which is a creative urban space decorated by various artists. The many mosaics were quite impressive with many cool images when you step back and look at the whole picture. Stepping into that amphitheater, is actually stepping into the mouth of a giant fish!

Figuring out Appreciating art takes a lot of energy so we re-energized with a tasty Cream Burger (across the street from University of Houston). The burgers, fries and an improvised grilled cheese were served up by a sweet lady who makes a tasty burger -- she might have been the one running this place since it was established in 1961! Naomi and Danielle were a little nervous, as it was in an interesting part of downtown...

The art theme continued underground at another hidden artsy gem in downtown Houston at the Buffalo Bayou Cistern -- a former water reserve that is now used for commissioned light and sound displays. 

The lights, images and sounds made for a cool walk around the reservoir. And the optical illusion that there was only about a foot of water at the bottom was mind-bending.

Speaking of water...if there happens to be a ferry nearby, Jeff will find it and we will ride it! Even if the ride is only 5 minutes across! And with only 9 other vehicles onboard, it felt like a personal shuttle service. Thank you for the nice ride, Lynchburg Ferry! (Yes, Jeff can turn anything into a fun time!)

I have often said I want to visit Mount Rushmore (no real reason, other than that it is a famous, unique site that not many people have seen in-person). It has now become a running joke that I use every year when Jeff asks where we should go for vacation. Well, he finally listened to my idea. Thank you, Jeff! Sort of...

Smiths at Mount Rush Hour!

In addition to all the oddly wonderful road-trip sites, one of the main reasons to visit Houston is, of course, to go to Space Center Houston! Naomi and Danielle have had many space history lessons over the years, and since NASA keeps planning more missions, there is still plenty to learn. It is cool to see the shuttle, which was a big deal during our wonder years...and it never gets old hearing about the astronauts' experiences living on the space station.

On the tram tour of Johnson Space Center (the real NASA), we got to see the astronaut training area with a sneak peak of the new Orion capsule. We also got a glimpse of the old reliable Apollo capsule and rocket. It is really interesting how similar the capsules are in design -- apparently they really knew what they were doing in the 60's! 

And last stop in Houston...Jeff managed to squeeze in a visit at the local arcade, The Game Preserve. I think I played about 17 games of Mrs. Pacman, while Jeff sampled all the pinball machines, and Danielle and Naomi mastered the old driving game, Sprint. We closed down the place with several rounds of Pac Man Battle Royale!