Road Trip!

We’re back! I’ve decided to post our trip in a few different segments, and this is Part One: The Road Trip.

We left Austin around 11:00 on Thursday morning, in our stylin’ rented mini-van. Our first stop was Fredericksburg, a historic, mostly-German town about an hour West of Austin. The main street is lined with shops and bakeries, and the outskirts are dotted with wineries. We stopped at the Fredericksburg Herb Farm to have a wonderful lunch, which I’ll post more on later. I stopped to take a photo of this gorgeous flower after a short rain shower.

Chad found a rope swing in the herb gardens, and played with that for a bit.

After Fredericksburg, we kept on chugging down highway 87, heading West. I had a little scare when I looked up to see this truck in our lane. It was being towed by another truck.

We stopped at Baker Street Coffee Shop in San Angelo for some sandwiches and coffee. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I have to say that their Snicker Bar coffee was so good! I had a bit of a caffeine overload afterward, though, which is not a great thing when you’re stuck in a van.

The road was long and tiring, and once we were out of the hill country, it was plains and farmland as far as the eye could see. As we moved further West, we saw more and more pump jacks and oil rigs, the signature landmarks of that area.

Justin drove the whole way up and back. I don’t know how he did it, but we were so appreciative! Leti came along for the ride, and kept me sane during times of stress and boredom. Chad and Lindsay brought up the rear, making us laugh and happily experiencing all that West Texas life has to offer.

We finally reached my parents’ house at around 10:00 p.m. The few stops we made along the way slowed us down quite a bit, as it usually only takes about 7 hours for the trip.

Friday we had breakfast and headed to Lubbock to visit Justin’s parents. We had lunch at Saigon Cafe, where Justin had a lemongrass tofu dish that he is still pining for. We stopped for gelato afterward, then headed back to my parents’ house for a hamburger cookout. Our little group opted for Boca Smoked Sausages on a bun, and let me just say for the record that those things are delicious. A lot of my family had arrived by this time, so it was a whole lot of talking and hugging and telling stories with people I haven’t seen in years.

Saturday was all about the quinceanera, which I’ll post more on later. I will just say that it was so much fun!

Sunday we were on the road again after a home-cooked breakfast at my parents’ house. My mom made French toast, which we eat plain, with salt. I can’t seem to replicate her recipe, simple though it may be – mine always seems more like something you’d want to eat with syrup and butter. Hers is almost savory. My dad cooked sunny-side up eggs for me, and yes, I am spoiled rotten.

The road home was much quieter, and much longer. We were all exhausted, but we fit in a stop at Becker Vineyards outside Fredericksburg.

We tasted a few wines (I liked the Reisling, and Justin enjoyed the Viogner), then went outside to visit with a very friendly horse on the property.

We didn’t kill each other, and we seem to all still be friends, so I’d say the trip went well. I had a blast spending time with my family, and was so glad that my friends were able to meet aunts and uncles and cousins and such.

Stay tuned for the next chapter: the Quinceanera!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *