Sunrise from our balcony this morning in South Padre Island, Texas
Well, it’s happened again. COVID-19 has interrupted our travel plans. There’s an alarming surge of Coronavirus sweeping the United States and we’ve decided to stop traveling for a while.
Daniel and I are currently in the Lone Star State where we’ve spent the last two weeks visiting Austin and San Antonio. I haven’t written about those adventures yet, but suffice it say we have been having a blast. I *was* looking forward to visiting multiple National Parks in Arizona and New Mexico as we made our way southwest, but we’ve put those plans on hold.
The Coronavirus Surge
In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a huge increase of COVID-19 cases across the United States right now. A little more than a week after the US first topped 100,000 daily infections, our county reported a staggering record of more than 184,000 new cases on Friday, November 13th. Hospitalizations have also hit a new high (for the fourth consecutive day) with more than 68,500 Covid-19 patients nationwide. (Source: CNN).
Some areas of Texas have been hit especially hard. In El Paso, ten mobile morgues have been set up to help handle the overflow of bodies. Inmates from the county detention facility have been brought in to help move bodies of COVID-19 patients. (Source: KTSM 9 News). El Paso is directly on our route to reach Arizona so we found this news especially troubling.
Moreover, local governments have started issuing travel advisories. On Friday, the states of California, Washington and Oregon issued a joint statement “urging visitors entering their states or returning home from travel outside these states to self-quarantine to slow the spread of the virus”. (Source: Governor.wa.gov). In New Mexico, the two-week quarantine for travelers isn’t just a request, it’s a requirement. (Source: New.Mexico.org).
When we started this road trip, we agreed to stop traveling if things got bad. Unfortunately, now is the time. Things are really bad and they’re likely to get worse as winter approaches.
View outside our balcony in South Padre Island, Texas
South Padre Island Vacation
Lucky for us, Daniel and I were only a few hours from the gulf coast when we decided to stop traveling. So, after a lot of research and reflection, we headed south and booked a condo on the beach. South Padre Island is a long narrow strip of land located at the southernmost tip of Texas. We’ll lay low here for the next month while we figure out next steps.
It’s been a fun summer but, if I’m being completely honest, I’m feeling a bit worn out. Living in a tiny RV and traveling all the time has been amazing but also rather tiring. I’m looking forward to some down time while we wait out this COVID surge.
Stay tuned for more blog posts about our adventures to Austin and San Antonio. In the meantime, stay safe out there everyone!
The balcony
Where are we now?
We are in South Padre Island, Texas!
Date: November 15, 2020
Great American Road Trip Status: Day 134
Total Trip Mileage: 9073.4
For more details on our Great America (Socially Distanced) Road Trip, see my previous posts:
- Days 115 & 116: Marilynn’s Place, Hurricane Zeta and other Adventures
- Days 113 & 114: Visiting Hot Springs Arkansas, America’s First National Park
- Day 112: Touring Graceland during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Days 110-111: Hiking in Mammoth Cave National Park
- Days 106-109: A Quick Visit to Huntington, West Virginia
Hey Rambling Unicorn! Sobering news there is Texas. :'( Sounds like you and Daniel made an excellent choice. So glad you are hiding away for a month and removing yourselves from the eye of the COVID storm. Be careful, Be Safe to you, too.
Thanks Carole!