And The Worst Place On The Trip Goes To...

We had been looking forward to the drive through the western portion of Texas for a few days. We were looking forward to the 100+ degree weather with desert scenery and nothing but more of the same. By looking forward, we mean dreading. The atlas provides a colored map of each state. Texas has a mixture of green forests and blue lakes in it's eastern portion. The entire western side is white. With the thought of driving as fast and as far as we could, we left San Antonio.

Our theory of what West Texas would be like was confirmed when the clock struck noon and the thermometer struck 100. We planned on calling several motels in small towns asking for a room for the night. We ruled out camping. We camped our first night in Texas and only survived because of the morning swim. With no lakes on the map, we were moteling it. 

The first motel we called in Colorado City had no vacancy. We had done our due diligence and of the fifteen or so motels we researched, this was the only motel to not have it's guests mention the cockroaches. 

Unfortunately, Colorado City would not host Peter and The Wolf for the night so we called a motel in the town of Robert Lee, Texas. Sounded nice enough. They said they had plenty of vacancy so we checked it out. The office was closed and we needed to use a restroom, so we headed across the street to a gas station. Being that the motel office was closed, we were planning on heading out. The clerk informed us that the manager lives there and will pick up the phone up to a reasonable hour. We filled up some gas and pondered making the call. The time was 9:30 pm. As we were contemplating dialing the number, several golf ball sized cockroaches scuttled by while vicious flies and mosquitoes attacked us. Also, there is a sense of terror any time you see a grasshopper in the south. If you've seen one in Texas or Louisiana, you understand. In the words of Woody Allen, "It's as big as a Buick." We got the hell out of Robert Lee. Lubbock was only an hour and a half north and it was the only place we knew of on the way to New Mexico. Lubbock, Texas: home of the Texas Tech University Red Raiders and the mecca of northwest Texas. 

The drive was filled with desert areas and some grasslands. Just enough to feed the longhorns. 

A lake we didn't swim in. Just got Subway in the town.

The one good thing about Robert Lee was their hotel coupon book. We snagged one and found a decent motel called the Koko Inn. We called and they luckily had one room available. We checked in, paid the $39.99 and went to see what Lubbock had to offer. 

The answer was very little... Wolf in the first bar we went, Bar PM. Every person was smoking inside. It was unbearable. By everyone, I mean the 6 people sitting at the bar top. If you look behind Wolf, there is a lonely guitar player. He was pretty bad, but we felt terribly for him. No one clapped, and absolutely no one tossed him a dollar. That was Lubbock though. 

We continued down University Ave. and took a right on Broadway which took us to Cricket's Grill & Draft House. Apparently this is the bar to go to. It was karaoke night, which draws a crowd. Let's just say, Ben Stein singing Brittany Spears would sound more accurate than these drunkards. Unfortunately, the line was too long for a Peter and the Wolf duet. We played shuffleboard instead. Had a blast. 

Yes, a urinal picture makes the Lubbock post. But check out the Deschutes Brewery (from Bend, Oregon) posters represented in Lubbock! Also notice the plastic bag pulled off the urinal on the left. Wolf used the one on the right while the guy behind him used the "out-of-order" one on the left. I'm sure he wasn't the only person to do it. 

The next morning, Hawaiian Shirt Wednesday, we woke up and strolled to the hotel restaurant. Had a crappy breakfast burrito before a hopeful swim. We didn't know why they thought they needed caution tape to keep people out.

We had to do something worthwhile in West Texas and this was as good as we could do. Here is Wolf standing in the Texas Tech football stadium where Michael Crabtree infamously tip-toed into the end zone to beat #7 Texas. 

A panorama shot of Jones AT&T Stadium before we left for New Mexico. 

The Stray - "One Night In Texas"

San Antonio: War, Water, And Worship

In San Antonio, we stayed one night at the Traveler Inn, which was about as good as it's broken ice machine. Sorry, no pictures. Fortunately, we only spent several hours of our lives at this place and made it to downtown San Antonio after a big breakfast at Denny's.

We expected the Alamo to be somewhere in an isolated setting outside of San Antonio, but it's actually right in the heart of downtown. It's surrounded by a Ripley's Believe It Or Not, Guinness World Records Museum, wax museum, and a multitude of banks. Nonetheless, the Alamo itself is a very old and rustic place full of American/Texan history. Lots of tourists as you can see in our photo here. We made sure not to include the wax museum in the pic.

Within the Alamo walls, there are all sorts of cannons that were used in the Battle of The Alamo in 1836.

One of the landscapers told us we would find a garden hose right around the corner we could use to cool ourselves down.

He told us we couldn't jump in unfortunately.

Believe it or not, that's not Peter's hair. Davy Crockett hat.

The monument outside of the Alamo celebrating it's defenders. 

San Antonio has a beautiful "River Walk" that runs underneath the downtown streets. We took nearly the entire loop and saw these tour boats floating by all the time.

We stopped for a beer. The local beer is shockingly called Alamo.

Along the walk, there was an outdoor amphitheater with a stage on the other side of the river.

After roaming the River Walk, we went to an old spanish mission called Mission Concepcion. There are many of these missions around San Antonio that were built to spread Christianity to the local Native Americans in the early 1700s. Credit to Nati and Jack for informing us about these as they were much less touristy than the Alamo.

This mission was quite a spectacle. So cool to visit these older artifacts that shaped our American history.

They weren't built for Peter.

More goofing around in the historical building. 

A picture of preserved wall paintings. We are unsure about their meanings, or if it was simply abstract art, but they we interesting to view. 

A picture of the church within the mission. Clearly renovated, but it was still beautiful. 

Here is Wolf with the park ranger, Daniel. He was excited that two people were willing to learn a bit more about the mission and about the tools and instruments that were used during that time period. He played a flute solo for us and showed us his custom crafted atlatl. With a goodbye to Daniel, we were unfortunately on our way to northwest Texas. 

Fess Parker - "The Ballad of Davy Crockett"

Lockhart: The Texas BBQ Trail

Austin, Texas was packed with barbeque restaurants, shacks, carts, stands, and every other conceivable place to sell the fine, smoked meats. Our itinerary was booked most mornings, and the stories of the lengthy lines to order seemed like our time would be better spent elsewhere. We enjoyed our stay in Austin and will likely travel back, which affords us the opportunity to eat at the local BBQ joints.

We had a back-up plan. Sean told us about the Texas BBQ Trail, which connects four cities few have heard of (the link describes more about the cities and their specialties). We were heading south toward San Antonio, which made the town of Lockhart deliciously convenient off highway 183 South.We stopped at two restaurants - Black's Barbeque and Smitty's Market.

Wolf waited in line at Black Barbeque, while Peter saved his appetite for our next stop. It took about twenty minutes before Wolf could set eyes on the mouthwatering brisket, sausage, and ribs. While in line, he saw several pictures of the owner with celebrities, presidents, and athletes. He unfortunately didn't have the pleasure of posing with two more that day.

A picture of Wolf's meal. Their specialty is beef ribs, so he went with one of those, an Elgin sausage, mac and cheese, and some cowboy beans. Black's Barbeque is the oldest family-owned BBQ restaurant in Texas. They haven't changed their cooking style since they opened in 1932.

The girth of the beef rib puts the size of Wolf's hand to shame. This rib, apparently taken from a woolly mammoth, weighed well over 1 lb.

Wolf chowing down on the artery clogger.

With Wolf grotesquely stuffed, we headed to our next stop.

We arrived at Smitty's Market. A 25-foot-long wood stove intensified the already boiling hot day. Fortunately, the wait was short and Peter had his sausage, brisket, and Texas toast. Smitty's Market opened in 1999, but the family tradition began long before this restaurant opened. We could tell.

With expanding bellies, we were off to San Antonio. A picture of the beautiful town courthouse as we left.

Johnny Cash - "Ring Of Fire"

Nati and Jack

While we were in Dallas, Peter's mother reminded him that his late grandmother's (Pauline, aka Gammy) best friend, Nati, lived in a retirement home in Austin. Peter hadn't seen Nati in years and only met her a few times, but was well aware of her through family lore. Nati has lived in the wonderful community of Querencia at Barton Creek for the last five years and while there, she met a gentleman named Jack, whom she wed four and a half years ago. We were excited for the opportunity to spend time with those who have seen many more years than we had and to see someone who was essentially a member of Peter's family. We met at Querencia at Barton Creek for lunch. 

Peter and the Wolf with Jack and Nati. Nati and Jack told plenty of stories of their own travels in the past. She's the most beautiful 90-year-old woman we've ever seen. Jack is a gentleman in every sense of the word and was eager to hear all about our trip. Thanks for the delicious lunch of panini's and the best coffee in Austin!

I included this one for you Nati, who called it "interesting" because of it's spontaneity. Thanks for your patience, Yolanda.

(Clockwise from left: Al, Nati, Don, and Pauline)

After lunch, Nati and Jack gave us a tour of their lovely place. Nati had pictures of Peter's grandparents everywhere. It was powerful to see their overwhelming presence and to get a sense of how close they were and continue to be to Nati. 

*Nati and her late husband, Al, would travel from Texas to Seattle to visit Peter's grandparents and vice versa. Together they would go on adventurous fishing trips in the Gulf of Mexico and in the islands west of British Columbia. Nati said that she met Pauline and Don (Peter's grandfather, aka Poppa) on Quadra Island, when she overheard Pauline say in her boisterous and enthusiastic tone, "Well, it's five o'clock somewhere!" Their lifelong friendship began.  

Nati and Jack gave us advice on where to go on the next phase of our journey. Here's Nati talking about Santa Fe and great routes to take along the border of New Mexico and Colorado. We told them we dreaded the next phase of our trip through West Texas, but Jack, a rancher and resident of a small town in West Texas reassured us there was some beauty to be found.  

The outdoor patio of Querencia at Barton Creek.

Editorial note from Peter: There were moments when Nati and I were close to tears when we both described Pauline and Don (Gammy and Poppa to me). I think there was a connection she had with them that she was able to reconnect with me as their grandchild. For me, I saw a lot of Gammy within Nati in terms of her mannerisms, sociability, lightheartedness and love of life. I'll always remember and cherish those moments, Nati. I'm so thankful we were able to spend time together and can't wait for our next lunch. Love you.

Three Nights In Austin

When we left Shoeff's Barbecue, we had an hour left of driving on I-35 South before reaching Austin. Wolf's longtime friend, Kyle Johannes, is currently completing his Masters at the University of Texas and rents a house nearby the campus. Wolf traveled to Austin earlier this year to visit Kyle so he slightly knew his way around town and was able to guide us to his place. Unfortunately, Kyle was back in his hometown of Bellevue, WA attending a wedding, but his house was vacant. Or so we thought.

Without any keys, we had no way of getting into Kyle's place so we planned on setting up our tent in his front yard. Wolf went around the side of the house looking for a place to relieve himself when he noticed a shadow from within the house. We knocked on the door and the friendly face of Sean answered. 

Sean is a neighbor and good friend of Kyle's who happened to be staying at Kyle's place for a few days in between his own house move. Wolf met Sean on his previous visit to Austin and everyone was happy to see each other. Within five minutes, Sean was in the back seat of Black Sally on our way to the Liberty Bar on East 6th street for an ice cold one. We left so quick that Sean didn't have a chance to change into a Hawaiian Shirt Wednesday outfit.

Wolf and Sean catching up with each other. Sean was a graduate student at University of Texas studying geology, a school synonymous with the subject due to the abundance of oil off the gulf coast. Sean had other plans for his degree.

Austin is known for its night life on 6th Street. The first night we made it to West 6th, which is the clubby, touristy part of town. 

Peter and Sean cheersing in front of a band that played all the southern rock favorites. From "Sweet Home Alabama" to some crappy country hits.

Here's the band butchering a version of a Kid Rock song. The building in the background was designed by an alumnus of Rice University who happen to have an owl as a mascot. If you look at the top of the skyscraper, you can make out the face of an owl in an abstract way.

Peter and Sean playing ping pong with the locals at a bar that served a variety of craft beers from all over the country. Once again, Rogue Brewery from Oregon was a featured beer.

Wolf entered the game to face the same challengers. Wolf is adamant that ping pong is his best sport. Peter is unfortunately an average player and we lost a few close ones against these guys.

After ping pong we went to Rappolo's pizza, which was voted 16th best pizza in the country by some obscure poll. The pepperoni slices were to die for.

Wolf and Sean sporting Texas horns in front of the UT Tower as we continued on the mile-long walk back to Kyle's house. 

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The next morning we did our best to sleep in, but the lack of air conditioning in the morning called for an early departure of a coffee shop. We had a touristy day planned of checking out the campus and downtown, but needed a wake-up espresso to get the day going.

We went a local coffee shop called Thunderbird. The first appearance of the blog on the blog. 

Sean told us to check out Waterloo Records in downtown Austin. The best record shop we had been to on the trip also consumed the most money we had spent at a record shop on the trip. We purchased albums and greatest hits of Badfinger, Lovin' Spoonful, The Kinks, Kevin Ayers, Hall and Oates, Fleetwood Mac, Nuggets Volume 2, and Donovan (check out "Barabajagal" at the bottom).

The intense Austin heat is tough to beat, but the locals know about the free three-hour parking at Whole Foods downtown. We had never seen such leisurely grocery shopping. We picked up burger sliders and corn for our own Texas BBQ. Here is a picture of the craft beer bar, which is situated next to a wine bar and three restaurants. Apparently people need a thirty-minute break in between the vegetable and bread aisles.

It was lunch time and we were in the mood for a refreshing beverage. We had plenty of time in the three-hour lot, so we walked a few blocks to Shoal Creek Saloon.

Clearly you could tell from the above picture, but we enjoyed our Modelo Especials over a few games of shuffleboard.

Our next stop on the city tour was the Texas Capitol. This beautiful burnt orange structure is said to stand just a few feet taller than the US Capitol Building in D.C. Texas' reputation lives strong.

On our way back to Kyle's house, we passed through campus on our way to the football stadium. As we were driving, we snapped this picture. If you guessed basketball arena, you are correct.

After circling the building looking for access into the stadium, we found an open gate and walked in. Oddly, it allowed some views and paths along the concourse, but there was another fence blocking field access. Security is even bigger in Texas. On a side note, we did find an unlocked gate. It was closed, so we decided avoid the breaking and entering case which may have ensued.

Statue of Heisman Trophy-winning running back and marijuana enthusiast, Ricky Williams.

And Earl Campbell. We had seen a statue of him before in Canton, Ohio.

Our access allowed us entrance into one of Texas' practice facilities.

When we got back to Kyle's, we immediately got the grilling going.

16 sliders for the three of us.

The sliders were hand formed with jalapenos, onions, cheese, and infused spices (we got them at Whole Foods). We added brie and mozzarella to the mix. They were cooked a delicious medium and the corn complemented them perfectly.

With a cheers of our... drinks, we headed to Rainey Street. This street is a renovated neighborhood of houses which were turned in to bars. Each has a unique feel with several rooms inside with nice backyards to play a variety of lawn games.

Our first stop was Bar 96. We enjoyed a 16 oz Lone Star while playing this game.

It seems so easy. The purpose of the game is to guide the ring and have it catch on the hook. After thirty attempts a piece, Peter was the only successful player.

Amazingly, at the second bar we went to, Lustre Pearl, Peter bumped into friend from University of Oregon, Miranda Cavness. Miranda now lives in Austin and wants to become a nurse.

The two gentlemen on the left are current students at the University of Oregon and were staying with Miranda on their own cross country road trip. I knooooow. Crazy, right?! (Not in the picture: Wolf, who was playing another game of ping pong)

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The next morning, we visited Peter's late grandmother's best friend, Nati, and her husband, Jack, at their retirement home in Austin (see follow-up post). 

After a late couple nights in Austin, we decided to take it easy. We headed back to campus to get our bowling fix.

We passed several fast food chain restaurants in the student union building before arriving at the bowling alley on the basement floor. Here is Peter tossing in his patented bounce spinner.

We decided to shoot pool after bowling.

And then our night began. We had a lot of time and hadn't experienced all of the Austin nightlife. We wanted to see the historic Scoot Inn, but there was a terrible band playing which required a cover. We figured since it has been around since 1871, it probably isn't going anywhere.

Close to Scoot Inn was La Perla, which is located on East 6th St. Kyle had encouraged us to go here, so when we stumbled across this dingy Mexican bar, we had to stop in for a beer.

Our first beer was an "Armodelo." We had seen an armadillo on our drive through Texas, but this was our first Armodelo. The spicy drink calls for a Modelo Especial, salt, lime juice, and tabasco sauce. With a loaded top, you crack open the beer, the liquid flows in, and you take a drink.

We had one more over a couple games of pool. We loved this bar. The owner, bartender, and patrons were all great company.

Our next and final stop was The White Horse. It was getting late and it seemed like this was the last stop for all of Austin.

The packed bar was dancing to this band from Lubbock. The band couldn't have been any more Texan with their cowboy hats, steel guitars, and whiskey-driven covers ZZ Top (even had the beard!). 

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It was our time to say goodbye to Austin. Here is a picture of Kyle's house. Thanks for the photo bomb Sean.

As we were leaving Austin, we decided to treat Black Sally to a spa day at Jiffy Lube. We replaced two brake lights and got the oil changed. Black Sally should do us well for our hot desert excursions to come.

Donovan - "Barabajagal"