Expedition to the wilds of Texas

I remember my first trip to Texas like it was yesterday (I’m talking about after I began considering moving there not as a tourist). It was December and rainy when I left the Austin Airport on route to New Braunfels on I-35. San Antonio was closer but Austin had the rental car company I preferred- no hassle Silvercar. I was using the GPS to navigate the surprisingly complex highway system in the capital. I cleared the Austin bustle and it was smooth sailing out of the Austin sprawl toward the San Antonio sprawl. Texas, at least this part of Texas, was not the wide, open spaces I had been expecting.