#13 Last Stop: Laredo , Lady Orange bleibt in Texas – Ride Free USA | 7 States Coast to Coast

#ridefree #thomastours #klr650 #roadtripusa #motobiker Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:27 Departure from Padre Island 01:34 Laredo 02:03 Farewell Tacos 02:47 My Gear 11:43 Farewell to Lady Orange 12:07 Return Flight October 28, 2025 Isla Padre – Laredo 370 km I'm setting off on the last leg of my journey. Along the way, there are lots of insects (dragonflies and especially butterflies). Some of the monarch butterflies overwinter in Texas, while others continue on towards Mexico. They travel up to 3,000 miles like migratory birds, only apparently at much lower altitudes. 🦋 Once I arrive in Laredo, Lady Orange will overwinter until someone awakens her from her slumber and continues her journey. In Laredo, I had some authentic Mexican tacos to finish off my trip. The waitress said they weren't spicy, but I'd say one of the four sauces wasn't spicy at all. October 29, 2025: Dropping off Lady Orange (5 km) I took Lady Orange to her quarters, an inconspicuous warehouse in the industrial area. I took an Uber back to the hotel. The driver was a Mexican with US citizenship. He told me that the Rio Grande is guarded by snakes and alligators and that there are many hidden cameras, plus the Border Patrol. His wife has never crossed the border by car; for safety reasons (fear of kidnapping), she only flies with their daughter. It's usually young women who are kidnapped. American Mississippi alligators live in the Rio Grande, especially in the coastal areas. Alligators can be found near Laredo, and there are a variety of snake species in the Rio Grande and the surrounding wetlands. He said Brownsville would be the safest crossing. Tijuana would be very dangerous, Laredo is okay. My flight leaves at 5:20 PM with United from Laredo via Houston to Frankfurt, where I'm scheduled to land at 11:40 AM on October 30th. Total distance: 8,475 km in 28 days - 4 days of rest = 24 days = 353 km/day No crowds at Laredo International Airport. My bag weighs 49 lbs; 50 lbs is the limit 😎 The flight in Houston landed with a 1-hour delay. According to the app, it takes 25 minutes to get to the gate, so there's no room for error. Luckily, Houston Airport is very well signposted. The Skywalk train arrives within 60 seconds. With this little cardio workout 🏃🏻‍♂️, I made my flight to Frankfurt. I was the first one off the plane, and they wished me good luck. I just hope my luggage makes it 😬 The plane is grounded for another hour due to heavy traffic (shutdown?), which it only makes up marginally by the time it reaches Frankfurt. But my luggage is third on the carousel, great. Immigration at the self-service counter is also a breeze, taking only a minute. The trolley costs €2, though; I haven't paid anything for one anywhere else. I arrived at Frankfurt Central Station on time, but my train is 45 minutes late. Thank you for traveling with Deutsche Bahn. But eventually, I'll finally be back in good old Germany.