Hewitt to Laredo

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We took it easy on the trip down. Traveling with a car full of stuff, a car-top carrier with more stuff, 2 bikes on a bike rack and 2 dogs, it seemed that we didn’t want to attempt a land speed record.
The first day we left Hewitt, Texas at 11:30 in the morning. It took the dogs most of the day to adjust to riding in the car. Neither one had been farther than 10 miles from home before. Sarah, the three-legged Dalmatian, loves riding in the car and acts just like a kid who keeps saying “are we there, are we there?” bouncing from side to side. Foxy, the little brown terrier just sits in the car and has no interest in looking out the window or anything that would give you the idea she likes it. Like good parents, we separated them in the car so Sarah wouldn’t trample Fox.
We drove to Laredo without incident. We made one stop at a lovely Texas Highway Department rest area. The THP designs rest stop buildings to be maintenance free - stainless steel prison style fixtures, open-air without heat or A/C. The buildings look nice, but they are quite Spartan. Since it was a cold, drizzly day you didn’t want to linger there.
322 miles south of Hewitt, we arrived in Laredo. We stayed at the Family Garden Inn right along I-35. The room was big and was fine for the dogs and us. As a bonus, a snack hour with hotdogs, popcorn, nachos, beer and lemonade and a continental breakfast were included. Price was $57 including the tax.