Day 281 – Mount Pleasant to Hillsboro
Sunday was basically a travel day, but being a weekend day, we had time to stop outside of Dallas to get lunch and a haircut (where we ran into a guy who grew up in Portland). Soon after getting back on the road, we ran into some of the strongest thunderstorms and rain we’ve seen on the trip. We made it around the outskirts of the Metroplex and south to the next stop, Hillsboro.
Day 282 – Hillsboro
Monday was a work day from the hotel, but after lunch, Tracey walked next door to the saddest outlet mall ever. It was one of the first outlet malls in Texas and used to be a must-stop place between Austin and Dallas, but with all the competition it has died off.
Day 283 – Hillsboro to Burnet
Tuesday we made our way into the Texas Hill Country, heading south on I-35 so we could get kolaches (a traditional Czech pastry) at Slovacek’s Bakery in West, the Czech capital of Texas. We then continued on to Waco, where we stopped to check out the Magnolia Market, owned by Chip and Joanna from Fixer Upper. After Waco, we headed west to Burnet for the night.
Day 284 – Burnet to Austin
Wednesday morning we worked from the hotel, then moved down the road about 20 miles to Marble Falls. Michael’s mom suggested we stop at one of her favorite restaurants, the historic Blue Bonnet Cafe, and we did not regret it. Even though it was lunch time, we couldn’t resist the breakfast dishes and they were amazing!
Next, we headed into Austin, taking a scenic route through West Austin and eventually stopping at Mount Bonnell, the best place for a panoramic view of the city of Austin and the Colorado River below. After a nice introduction to the city, we drove back through the center of Austin and into South Austin, stopping for groceries and a quick visit to Michael’s old house, where he lived from 2002-2006. Finally, we headed to our hotel for dinner and some rest.
Day 285 – Austin
Thursday Michael took most of the day off, so we got an early start. First, Michael dropped off Tracey at the Blue Cat Cafe so she could get some cat-cuddling time in, then he took the van to get an oil change and a few small fixes. It took a bit longer than we planned, but we met back up in time to eat lunch in the van. Then we walked around downtown Austin, stopping first at the original location of the first Alamo Drafthouse, where Michael worked for its sister company, Mondo Tees.
Next, we walked down a few blocks east on 6th St., through the historic heart of the city, then retraced our steps to walk north on Congress Ave towards the state capitol. We went inside the capitol to take in the architecture and to see the original of the painting “The Surrender of the Santa Anna”, where you can find the likeness of Michael’s great-great-great-grandfather, Jesse Billingsley. He was a hero of the Texas Revolution and a member of the First Congress of the Republic of Texas, and he was honored with a place of prominence in the painting.
After leaving the capitol, we continued down Congress to the Texas State History Museum. Then we connected to Guadalupe St. (known as The Drag) which forms the western boundary of the campus of the University of Texas. Then we looped back through the middle of campus and back through town to our van. We were pretty worn out from the long walk, so we cruised through the South Congress neighborhood and then back to the hotel.
Day 286 – Austin to San Antonio
Michael squeezed in a little work Friday morning, then we packed up and made our way an hour east of Austin so we could have lunch at Pedernales Falls State Park. Afterwards, we did a short hike then got back in the van to head into San Antonio. After settling into the hotel and meeting up with Michael’s sister, Terri, and his mom, Doris, then the whole crew drove about 20 miles to New Braunfels to have dinner with Michael’s brother, Larry, and his family.
After dinner, we made a quick stop at a Texas-size gas station/convenience store known as Buc-ees, by far the largest we have seen on the entire trip.
Day 287 – San Antonio
Saturday morning, Tracey and Terri escaped the hotel and went shopping, leaving Michael with his mom and the four kids. Then we headed north to Larry’s house, stopping to pick up some excellent Texas BBQ for lunch at Smoky Mo’s. We spent the afternoon playing a game of Ticket to Ride (won by Amanda), then attended a fundraising concert for Allison’s choir. It was a fun evening with dinner and a lot of really good performances from the students in the choir, including some solos from Allison.
Yo RC!
I did not recall that was where the original Alamo Draft House was….but now that I think about it, I can’t recall where the business was when I lived in Austin.
Am sure Great^3 Grandfather is proud!