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Well it turns out Texas is as big as they say. Left Houston and drove to San Antonio where I took a break to tour the River Walk. After an hour of that, I set out for Sonora but only made it to a rest stop near Kerrville, got some great pictures there.
Headed to Fort Stockton, a dissapointment, where's the Fort...oh...that's it? Took a detour to Big Bend, which costs $20 dollars for a 7 day pass, a 2 hour pass costs...$20, saved my money and turned around, got some great pics though. Went back to Marathon and took Hwy 90 to I-10 at Van Horn, then onto El Paso.
I have heard a lot of things about El Paso, you know, "El Paso ain't even Texas, it's a Mexico - New Mexico Hybrid", "When you go to El Paso, be careful, there are places they don't like Gringos". I am here to tell you that rumor is COMPLETELY false. The people were great and as freindly as any Texas town. I did not meet anyone that couldn't speak enough English to communicate. Interestingly, 1/2 the employees at the Wal-Mart 2 miles from my house in Houston, can't speak enough English to tell you where to find anything.
The 2 malls I visited had great shops, really great music in them, and a lot of very pretty women. The town is vibrant and traffic is not too bad. My only complaint, being an East Texas boy, is too much dirt, not enough trees. Other than that, I could live here.
Off to Odessa - Midland, chat U then... |
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Beaumont Welcome to Beaumont:
The Parkdale Mall is bigger than I expected, lotsa folks there too. I had a great time there, the people were very friendly and spent about 3 hours, all told.
They say they are doing okay, some businesses have seen about a 12 - 16 % decrease, but for the most part they are doing better than 3 months ago.
*Interesting note though, Texarkana and Beaumont both said Black Friday was either nothing special or was a no show. Where did the the 13% increase in customers and 8% increase in sales we hear on the news happen? 8 malls since Black Friday and only 1 experienced a significant increase in business. News or Media Hype, I hope I get the chance to revisit some of the other distressed malls and see how well they did.
Shout-outs to Shanea from the Ramada on I-10 and Ashley and her boss from Sahara in the mall. A special shout to Amanda (Baby) at Lamar University, and of course, to all the other people that I didn't get a name on.
Well it's time to head home, regroup, and try to find more funds to start the next phase. I hope to get some Speaking Engagements and be invited to all the debates. Keep spreading the word about me, so that the "Establishment" knows that I'm real, I'm here and I'm serious!
Happy Holidays, all the best to you and your family!
Thanks Yall, C U in Texas... |
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Lufkin, Huntsville (Nacogdoches) Say hello to Lufkin:
Lufkin has really grown up in the last 10 years, I didn't even recognize the south side out Hwy 59. They are doing good in Lufkin, they say it comes from the outlying towns and oil.
Huntsville mall is only half filled with shops, they are doing very poorly in this town. I was told that neither the college or the prison is much help to their economy.
Thanks to Amber & Nikki at the La Quinta in Nacogdoches, they were a great asset to my Town Tour.
I just have Beaumont left, C U there... |
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Tyler, Longview Welcome to East Texas at its best:
I actually made the Texarkana, Tyler, and Longview malls in 1 day.
Did a lot of traveling thru this area back in 1997-1999, almost bought a Tanning Salon in Tyler in '99.
The Broadway Square Mall in Tyler was doing pretty good, but it did depend on who you asked. Several stores were meeting or beating last year. Some stores were a little down and a couple weren't happy with the turn-out on Black Friday. The locals say it is because of the Oil and Medical industries that they are doing alright.
Longview was the complete opposite, no one was meeting their goals and some were down by 60%. There is nothing to generate income here but the local economy. Throughout Texas, Military Bases, major Colleges and Universities, Medical Facilities, and Border traffic has sustained the economies, with Wind Farms and Prisons lending a hand. None of those exist here.
Just some general Shout-outs to the people at both malls.
But I got a special Shout-Out to Jimmie Philpot of Lindale, he is a master metal worker that has made items for some famous people, most notably, George W. Bush. Here are just a couple examples of his work...
 
Well I'm off to finish my tour, C U in Texas... |
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Texarkana Well here we are in Arkansas,
Rushed to Texarkana from Sherman hoping that their mall would have Holiday hours, they didn't. Got there just in time to watch them lock the doors. So I stayed the night, which I did in Arkansas, because it was the cheapest.
The Central Mall was the worst place for Carding people. I only passed out 6 cards and got kicked out of my first Dillard's, which has been the best place for passing out my card.
Texarkana is not doing so well, they have a few Military installations, but only get a windfall when soldiers come back from Iraq and Afghanistan.
I did meet two great ladies, an Arkansas woman at Romancing the Stone, and a Texas woman at Pac-Sun, thanks to you both, yall were the only good thing about Texarkana.
Now I got time to get to Tyler... |
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Sherman/Denison Welcome to Sherman:
Well, right off the bat, hotels are not that cheap and they don't like dogs. Stayed in a room that didn't have a working dead-bolt or ground plugs (3 prong socket instead of 2), by far the roughest room I've stayed in, it still cost over $40.
Went to the Midway Mall just as the cold-front hit. The mall is having problems, many areas did not have any stores. But, of the stores that were there, the people were very friendly and I talked to several of them from different stores.
The Sherman-Denison area has no major school, Military Base, or Border traffic to help it along, just people working in the community. The Economic-Downturn really hit this area about March.
Shout-outs to Hershey from Taz Jewelers, the ladies @ Roger's Jewelers, Robert the Fire Fighter @ Jaks, and John from GNC.
I really enjoyed the people I talked to here, very interested in what I was doing and very positive and very Texan in their outlook. Keep hanging in there Sherman.
Went through Paris on my way to Texarkana, ain't been here since 1999.
C U in Texas... |
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Waco Welcome back to the Road Show:
Had a great Thanksgiving with the family and got back to business on Friday.
Spent the night in Waco then went to the Richland Mall Sat morning,
I was here 43 years ago when my Dad was stationed here in the Air Force.
Waco is doing pretty good, they've got Baylor College and a lot of Medical field job opportunities.
Still hard to find a hotel that takes pets, the central corridor of Texas is very "pet-unfriendly", I didn't have a problem west of here.
Thanks to Lorena of the Hampton Inn in Bellmead and Beth at Motel 6.
Went to Arlington, but the crowds were insane, too late to hit Denton's mall, so I'm going on to Sherman'
C U there... |
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Austin Hello Austin!
Got a lot of great responses, more people wanted to talk here than anywhere but San Angelo.
Went to the Barton Creek Square Mall, another town doing okay, some up, some down, but everyone is optimistic. I did get told that the "Downturn" is being felt in the low wages, but business is decent.
Lot of Shout-Outs to give: Savanna at the Sheraton on I-35; Noa, the enchanting Israeli woman at the Dead Sea Salt booth; Ralph @ GNC; Dude at the Johnston-Murphy store, Zales Jewelry guy; and especially to Renee at Gordon Jewelers.
Austin is a pretty town, and we all know about 6th street, but there is traffic all day, everywhere, and whoever designed their roads and highways, ought to be shot.
Got more Cards coming in, but they won't be here till after Thanksgiving, so I'm going to shut down the "Road-Show" till they come in.
Off to Houston, may we all have a reason to give thanks this Thanksgiving, see you in Waco soon... |
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San Antonio Back in San Antonio:
(BTW I'm not always able to get on the net every night, so though the posts are in order, their post date is when I can get on)
This is my third time thru San Antone, this time I'm passing out some cards.
Went to the River Center and all the businesses are doing okay, some said things were a little slower but nothing really bad.
Gotta say Hi to Nick and Tisha, holding down the Motel 6 on the Eastside. Another shout to the "Smoke-Free Cigarette" girl, fixin' to head to Iraq, good luck be safe, also to the kewl dudes at Champs.
Now on to the Capitol... |
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Corpus Christi Here we are in Corpus:
Started out on Padre Island and gave Bella, my dog, her first Beach Day. Thought I got some great video, but my phone locked up and I got nothing, oh well.
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Went to the La Palmera Mall and passed out a few cards. Everyone there said they were doing okay, a little up and down but close to last year.
Shout out to Mary @ the Holiday Inn.
Time to go back to San Antonio... |
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Brownsville, McAllen, Harlingen Welcome to Brownsville:
Had the hardest time finding a hotel that would allow dogs, thanks Rina @ the La Vista Hotel.
I did a whirlwind tour and hit three towns in 1 day.
Brownsville's Sunrise Mall is not doing so well, the economic downturn has hurt them and the border traffic isn't helping.
McAllen La Plaza Mall is doing pretty good, at 3:30 pm they were doing some good business. The retailers said business was off a little, but no one was experiencing more than a 20% decrease from last year.
Harlingen Valle Vista Mall wasn't as full as McAllen's mall, but most of the retailers said they were doing as well as last year. I did meet a couple of vendors that said things were not as rosey for everyone, but no one was in dire straights.
Shout outs: To everyone that took the time to talk to me at all three malls, but especially...
Sunrise Mall - to the prettiest girl in the Mall, working at the kiosk that will be old enough to vote by election time next year.
La Plaza Mall - Coco form Clark's, and the girl that wanted me to do something about College Tuition for her and her boyfriend.
Valle Vista - Armando from Dillard's and the girl from Lids.
I didn't get to see much running as fast as I did, but if this thing takes off I'll revisit and see a little more.
Took off and made it to Corpus Christi, had a hard time finding a place for my dog that I could afford. Going to hit the town then off to San Antonio.
C U on the road...
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Victoria Welcome to Victoria:
I used to live hear 23 years ago. When I first visited Victoria in the 80's, it was a thriving community. Then came the oil crunch and poof, Victoria died almost overnight.
23 years later and poof, economic downturn has hit the region hard. Only 1 store said they were doing well in the Victoria Mall.
Shout outs to the manager @ the James Avery store, kindred spirit Ginger @ GNC, the manager @ Zales, and Sharon from J C Penny.
Had a few friends that I have lost contact with over the years. Called all the names in the book and got ahold of family members, so I am waiting for a call from some old friends.
Victoria is the most Second Amendment town I've ever been to. The people here really take their Constitution seriosly, more power to them. As a fellow gun owner and being a Vet, I am a strong advocate of all of the Constitution, especially Free Speech, Free Expressioon of Religion, State's Rights, and the Right to bear arms.
I didn't have time to get to any Radio or TV stations, so on my trek back up thru San Antonio, I'll have to swing by again.
Now to Brownsville... |
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San Antonio & Home Welcome to San Antonio:
Well I arrived on the wrong weekend, too many indoor events. I checked into a hotel and worked on my site till it was done, well quite nearly so.
Got up early and headed back to Houston to drop off some of the unnecessary items I originally packed. Wow, now I can see out of my truck.
Spent the night and I'm off to Brownsville, by way of Victoria.
C U soon... |
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San Angelo Hello San Angelo:
Don't judge a book by its cover, I'm always telling people that, and yet, I make the same mistake myself.
Riding into town on Hwy 87/277, I wasn't impressed with my first glance at the town. I decided to hit the Radio/TV Stations then the mall and go. To get to all of them, I had to drive through half the town.
Sante Fe Park on the Concho River is beautiful. The Christmas decorations look like they will be awesome when lit. Lake Nasworthy on the SW side of town has places and activities all around it.
The Sunset Mall is pretty good size, especially considering that San Angelo is under 100,00 population. The people here were the friendliest I have met so far, and pretty women must grow on trees. Virtually everyone I Carded wanted to talk and I spent much more time here than my initial impression made me think
Shout out to Brittany & Johnny at the Buckle, keep up the good work. And to the dude in the jewelry store, slap me, but I didn't get a name and I can't remember which store it was, sorry.
Business here is great. The shop people explained that the economy was boosted by the Wind Turbine industry people, and the Military Base. Things aren't as good as last year, but they are extremely hopeful about Christmas.
Had a great conversation about the local dynamics with a Hispanic gentleman at an Exxon off Hwy 306.
Had a great time, wanted to stay the night, but with the economy so good, Hotels were higher than I could afford, so I took off for San Antonio.
**Made it to Mason where I found the cutest little roadside hotel, the Fort McKavitt Inn. The rooms are small but new, clean, and filled with the usual amenities. The Host was extremely nice and she suggested that I leave some of my Cards with her so her guests could pick them up. 
If your ever around that way, go check out, or should I say "in", I was very pleased.
Okay, now to San Antonio |
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Abilene Welcome to Abilene:
Got into town and did my Hotel info thing. Thank you Stephani from the Whitten Inn.
I was able to hit the mall before it closed. Doing better than Amarillo or Wichita Falls, but their business was still way off from last year, the stores tell me.
Had a great conversation with a fellow Vet, Navy guy working at the Royal Inn.
Went to the local Radio & TV stations, hoping somebody gives me some play.
Now it's time to get on to San Angelo... |
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Wichita Falls Welcome to Wichita Falls, Tx:
For the first time as an adult, I went to the Travel Information Center. If your going to be driving around Texas, this is a great resource. I always thought it was a typical government run, generic "tourist" outlet for maps and brochures. Turns out the people there know virtually everything about the local community, not just attractions or sights.
I met Becky at the Wichita Info center on Hwy 287/44, she told me where the mall, laundromat, Wal-mart, TV, and Radio stations were. I don't think there is anything in Wichita or the surrounding area she doesn't know. So if your in Wichita, go by and say HI!
I would like to thank the vendor in the food court of the Westgate Mall for turning me on to the radio/TV venues.
And speaking of TV, Stacy at channel 6 KAUZ, made for a pleasurable experience, giving me some pointers and directions for pursuing these venues.
Also, I am looking forward to speaking with Mike from GAP Broadcasting in the near future for a possible radio interview.
Wichita Falls, just like Amarillo is feeling the "Financial Downturn" pretty hard. I just hope something changes soon for Texas, because indications are that we have worse times ahead.
Now it's time to try Abilene... |
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Amarillo Well here we are in Amarillo:
As populated as this town is, I was surprised that it only had 1 Mall. The Westgate Mall was also the smallest mall that I have been to, yet. The business is really off here, and everyone is worried how much further it will go, Economic Downturn has definitely hit Texas.
Ran into a kindred spirit in a really awesome Rug store.
A girl in the knife store originally came from Cali, she fell in love with Texas and stayed, who can blame her. I never got the chance to tell her, but she had the coolest light brown/hazel eyes.
Met a fellow Army Vet and chatted with a kewl Mall Security Guard.
I want to say thanks to Chris and Dr Danny Maxwell, Dr Maxwell is a Pastor at the Arden Road Babtist Church. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and encourage anyone round that way, to go and visit with him for awhile.
Now it's time to head to Wichita Falls... |
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Lubbock Welcome to Lubbock:
I arrived at the South plains Mall 20 min before closing time, didn't get to Card hardly anyone.
Went across the street to TGIF to ask where else I could go to Card people. The Manager bought me a meal and fed my dog, thank you so much for all that you did.
A clerk at the Courtyard Marriot on Loop 289 was very helpful in finding the cheapest room in town. I love Hotel people, they know where everything is, and they will help you even if you're not staying at their Hotel.
I met so many great people at the Mall; from the lady at Zale's who's Husband got hit by lightning to "the most Liberal" Mailman in West Texas; the very inquisitive clerk at the Dillard's Men store to the guys at the Loop Verizon store that got everything lined out for me on my phone and my laptop. There were so many that I cannot name them all, thank you Lubbock!
Now to Amarillo--- |
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Odessa/Midland Welcome to Odessa/Midland:
Now some may take issue with combining these two cities of 100,000+ into one metropolis, but it is how the rest of Texas sees them.
Odessa was a surprise, it was bigger than I expected and their MUsic City Mall is a nice place with a live music theme that I haven't seen in other malls.
I met two beautiful Israeli women selling the Dead Sea salt products. They are over here working temporarily and it was fun reminising about Israel, I visited there in 1982.
I had a great discussion in the Food Court with a Teacher's Advocate and very progressive soul. I hope that this meeting will lead to speaking tours, in the future, in the West Texas Area. I would like to sit and chat a little longer with her, especially to hear her take on my website.
Met Gail and her friend in a Statue/Curio shop(?), two spiritual ladies that prayed for me and wished me the best. Gail even bought me dinner, thanks, me and my dog enjoyed the meal. I was so touched I had to call several people and share the experience.
I want to thank the girl @ Long John Silver's on 42nd that directed me to the cheapest room in town, and, the kewl dude at Schlotzsky's that made sure I had plenty of utinsels for the road.
Went to Midland Mall the next morning, have to say that more people there turned down my card then El Paso and Odessa combined, but the people that did take it were inquisitive and nice. A clerk at Dillard's in a white smock gave me the sweetest smile and looked like she wanted to ask questions, but I was in a hurry to finish and make it to Lubbock, sorry I didn't stay and chat.
Met a disabled gentleman from Lubbock and had a great conversation with him and the black girl sitting by him on the bench.
Went into Victoria's Secret and met the most gorgeous sales clerk that blushed when I jokingly asked her to model some clothes for me.
Now off to Lubbock-- |
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El Paso The only advertising I have is my website, so I am passing out business cards to direct people to my site - Carding. I am including a brief description of the people I meet so they will know who they are, I appreciate everyone that has taken the time to engage me and especially the ones that have helped.
Welcome to El Paso:
I arrived in town @ 7:58 pm and got a room at the Days Inn on the Gateway near Lomaland.Christy was very helpful and gave me my starting point to card El Paso
The Bai Lin Restaurant right next door had excellent food, I got in as they were tearing the Buffet line down and the waitress told me to take whatever I wanted because she was just going to throw it away, I took the crab's legs, go figure.
Next morning headed to the Cielo Del Vista Mall on the east side. Met a black gentleman that explained that El Paso was "THE best kept secret in Texas" and how the rest of the state has dismissed it as part of Mexico or New Mexico. I found that it was as Texas as any town I've ever visited. The only thing I would have a problem with is too many rocks and not enough trees, after all I am an East Texas boy.
The girls at Dillard's were very receptive to my Carding them, and one teller in a grey-brown pants suit had a smile that could have lit all El Paso by itself. So far, the Dillard's stores are the best experience I have had while Carding.
Got help from a clerk at Howard Johnson's that was very intrigued by my quest. I love hotel people, They know virtually every place and direction in town. But best of all, they are totaly willing to help even if you're not staying at their Hotel, thanx 2 U all!
Then I was off to the Sunland Park Mall. Business was slow but I met two passionate, involved girls at the Kay's Jewelers that are ready to take on the world and make things better. Everyone there was extremely nice and helpful. They talked me into staying another day, that helped get my site finished, but I didn't get much more Carding done.
Overall, El Paso was great. I liked the people, and would love to go back for a visit and talk to the students at UTEP, maybe I will be invited to speak by the SGA, looking forward to it.
Thanx El Paso, hope to C U soonest!
Time to head for Odessa--
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