Tornado Sirens and the Great Deluge

The day started out fantastic with lunch at one of Texas's most reputed BBQ joints in Taylor. Louie Mueller's has been around since 1949 and is even a James Beard winner. The walls and ceiling are black from decades of smoke. Each person queues up to place an order - by the pound, of course.....brisket, ribs, sausage, chicken...sides are potato salad, coleslaw or beans with a dish of pickles and onions. The meat arrives on your tray straight from the smoker. The meat is the key in Texas BBQ; it is not about the sauce. The long smoking process at low temperatures produces the most tender meat that is more moist than you can imagine.

Getting back on the road, we were aware that a large weather front was in the region but the rain seemed manageable enough. We desperately wanted to get out of Texas to our next destination....Hot Springs, Arkansas in the Ozarks. About 10 miles from the Texas/Arkansas border, the blaring tornado sirens, streaks of lightning, a deluge of rain and repeated tornado warnings on the radio were enough clues to compel us to spend another night in Texas. So the Hampton Inn in Texarkana, Texas and the World Series game at the Outback Steakhouse was it!!

The weather forecast for today is much better so off to .......HOPE, ARKANSAS!!!!!