You have to get off the main highways to get up-close and personal with some of the great scenery, but overall, it's all diluted due to the size of the state. I remember crossing into Texas from New Mexico and seeing the sign, "Austin---37,562 miles".

So big it has a lot of variety I think. Most of it really doesn't appeal to me though. Tends to be a bit on the hot, dry barren side.

Ever drive through the entire state of the Texas? It can be quite mindnumbing. The drive from San Antonio to El Paso is 600 miles of flat semi-desert land. Better bring a caffeinated drink with you!

My favorite spot in TX is the Austin-San Antonio area. Dallas/Fort Worth is just a massive suburb and Houston is a polluted mess. East Texas looks like much of the rest of the South-East, lots of cotton fields and pineland. Central Texas is relatively flat except in the area around Austin, and West Texas has lots of high plain and desert areas, especially as you close in on the NM border.

I think that everyone should do a cross-country trip at least once. It's a lot of fun to see how diverse the scenery is in this country. Although a warning: the drive across the central part of the country, especially through OK, KS, NE and TX can be very dull and bleak.

Thanks to an epic failure on the part of Southwest Airlines, a few friends and I ended up on a flight to Houston in an attempt to get to Austin.

The drive that followed was complete with miserable radio stations and nothingness save for the odd rest stop at regular intervals. The rental car smelled of stale cigarettes and so did my hair by the end of the ride. I can easily picture someone chain-smoking their way across this dull state in an effort to stay entertained on long, empty stretches of road.

There was also a bit of a trick turn that almost resulted in us not making it to the Austin Airport in time to get our luggage (made it with literally 5 minutes to spare thanks to my friend). It seems to me that the route from one major city to another in such a huge state would be clearly marked. For example: I can find a sign that tells me how to get to LA way the hell up here in SF if I so desire.