Big Bend/San Antonio/Austin/Houston (Days 9-12)

Part of my corporate recovery process is to never let myself say "apologies for the delay" ever again in my whole life...but I will simply offer an explanation for the long period between posts by noting that it has been a very busy week traversing over 1,500 miles through Texas! Since my last post, we tackled the Big Bend region, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston (now on to Louisiana). Let's get into it...

Day 9: Big Bend

While our original plan to have 2 days to explore Big Bend National Park and the surrounding region was still woefully inadequate, rescheduled plans due to excessive wind/dust meant we only had ONE day to cover an 800,000 acre park. I was concerned we would leave feeling disappointed, but thankfully we were still able to cover a lot of ground and see much of what we wanted to see for an initial visit - and will definitely be back!

Big Bend NP is not easy to get to, and we opted to take the slightly longer route from Marfa by way of the neighboring Big Bend Ranch State Park (which is not as large as BBNP, but still a very respectable 311,000 acres). This drive wound through the mountains, offered stunning views of the Rio Grande and varying topography, and was well worth the extra 30-40 minutes of driving. ALSO (for my film nerds), the finale of Richard Linklater's modern Texas/coming-of age epic Boyhood was actually shot in the Hoodoos of Big Bend Ranch SP, and not the national park! If you've never seen it, Boyhood is essentially just a story about growing up, but it's shot over a 12-year period, so the protagonist ages in real time. It's long and meandering to some...but quite moving and very dear to me. 

Taking this extended route also provided an opportunity to explore Terlingua, a former ghost town on the outskirts of Big Bend - which isn't much of a ghost town anymore! Even in the late morning, Terlingua was bustling, and I hear that it's even busier at night. We poked around a bit and had a very delicious lunch at DB's Rustic Iron BBQ (a great first TX BBQ experience for this trip) before making our way into the main event, BBNP. 

Our strategy for tackling what we could of Big Bend NP was to focus on the scenic drives, along with maybe 1-2 shorter hikes. The easiest road to tackle is the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive - a little over 60 miles out and back, it showcases the incredible geographic diversity this park has to offer. There are a number of hikes, overlooks, and points of interest along this route (we stopped at a few), but the main event is Santa Elena Canyon at the very end of the drive. We paused at the lovely scenic overlook and contemplated whether we should stop there or continue the full hike into the canyon. We decided to tackle it, and while it was more challenging than expected, I'm really grateful we completed the whole hike. Big Bend has held an enduring mystique for me since childhood, and finally arriving at focal point of this awe-inspiring natural wonder after all these years felt incredibly fulfilling, and also made me really emotional (in a good way).  

After this hike, we were fortunately able to make the trek to our campground on the other side of the park (in Rio Grande Village) with just enough time to quickly set up our tent and hike to the top of the nearby scenic overlook off the Rio Grande Village Nature Trail for sunset. Needless to say, this vista did not disappoint. We also had some unexpected campground neighbors who hung around all night...which amused some and was less enthusing for others...(I'll let you guess who was who). 

Day 10: Big Bend to San Antonio

While it would have been lovely to spend additional time in the Big Bend, we had to press onward to San Antonio (we'll catch you next time, Chisos Basin). The drive out of Big Bend and then eastward was rather uneventful, with long stretches of nothing at all, and then several cute little towns in a row. Luckily, there was still plenty of time to explore the River Walk when we arrived in San Antonio. Despite a few places being very full for St. Paddy's Day, we were fortunately able to get into one we were very keen on, The Esquire Tavern. Opened in 1933, it is the oldest bar on the River Walk, and also has the longest wooden bartop in the state of TX - worn incredibly smooth from years of patronage. We grabbed a quick drink at the Crockett Tavern as well before calling it a night. 

Day 11: Austin

The next day we headed to Austin. Given our limited time, our priorities were to visit more historic watering holes, eat great food, and see friends. I finally got to try The Salt Lick at the original location in Driftwood! Let me just say this: minus the sauce, which was not my fave...everything else is WORTH THE HYPE. We stopped in the Texas Capitol building for a quick look around...and was surprised to learn that the story I learned in school about a worker falling to his death and cracking the star in the middle of the Rotunda is NOT true! While a worker did fall to his death while painting the Rotunda in 1922, the existing floor was not installed until 1936, and the crack was a result of the foundation settling. It is true that the TX Capitol is taller than the U.S. Capitol, though!

One of my favorite stops of the trip so far was Scholz Garten (est. 1866), which is apparently the oldest operating business in the state of TX, and the oldest beer garden in the US. I had the best pretzel I've ever had in my life, along with delicious cherry limeade-inspired cocktail (in honor of my late grandmother, B.B., who also may or may not have spiked her Sonic limeades from time to time...). We also wanted to check out the bar at the historic Driskill Hotel, but unfortunately it was being renovated (did get to peek inside the hotel, at least). A quick stop at the Daniel Johnston mural (AKA "Hi, How Are You?") was also required before heading to dinner. We later met up with some friends (Allison and Ty) and had a lovely evening catching up over a great dinner of Guatemalan food at El Rinconcito Chapin and drinks at The Long Play. Seeing friends I haven't been able to hang out with in a long time is a huge highlight of taking on this [kind of insane but majorly rewarding] trip for me!

Day 12: Houston

I was admittedly not in the greatest mood for most of the day and sadly did not snap many photos in the morning/early afternoon...but we made brief stops at The Alamo, San Fernando Cathedral, and of course, Buc-ee's. After much traffic, we finally made it to Houston, and spent a couple of hours perusing Meow Wolf. Meow Wolf is a little difficult to explain, but essentially it is an immersive art exhibit that explores site-specific themes (each location is different) that cross into different portals/dimensions. You can look for clues and try to figure out more about the weird new world you're exploring, or just take it all in and enjoy the weird/interesting art (and play an interactive musical instrument or two). I won't give too much away, but the theme here is a radio station sucked into a different dimension, and plays a lot with frequencies/vibrations. There's also a bar and venue inside the space, and would definitely recommend visiting if you're in the area.

We also had a lovely dinner with friends (Craig and Mauricio) at BB’s Tex-Orleans, which I would highly recommend. Two days in a row seeing old pals was a big treat!

Next up: Louisiana, Alabama