Sunday, April 22, 2007

And finally...... Texas

Texas really was a lot of fun. The weather was superb.... just like early summer here. Warm and dry. Well.... except for the first day which was around 88 degrees and very muggy. Gary got a chafe. That was not fun.

We found a small rodeo outside of San Antonio at the Cibolo Livery Stables. That was a blast watching the bull riding, calf roping and barrel racing.




We went to a BBQ in Austin. The first picture is of John, the cook, next to the grill. This isn't your ordinary grill... the firebox alone is as big as our refrigerator in our kitchen and it's on a tandem axle trailer. John sure can cook a mean BBQ though. It was delicious!


On the way to the BBQ in Austin, we were driving with the flow of traffic (which in Texas is just shy of 90mph) , when looming off in the horizon I could see a large water tower. As we approached closer and I could read what it said, I could feel the dread beginning to seep through me. "Oh please don't let him see that" I silently prayed to God. God wasn't listening and Gary did see it. Crossing 4 lanes of 90mph traffic because he spied this brought me new gray hair. The place was huge.... an outdoorsman paradise. After hemorrhaging quite a bit a cash there, we went on to the BBQ and had a great time. Note to self: Cabela's + Gary = empty wallet.



One of the highlights of our trip was going to the Natural Bridge Caverns. I had never been in a cavern and was always afraid of feeling claustrophobic in them. However, I was so enthralled with the beauty of what I was seeing.... I never thought about feeling closed in. The trail was about a half mile long with a tour guide who explained everything. If you've never been on a cavern tour... I highly recommend it!

The San Antonio Riverwalk was everything I'd heard about. The river meandered among the shops and restaurants, offering glimpses of beautiful cypress trees and pin oaks. The rivertaxi stops and picks you up and delivers you where you need to be. In our case, we just took a long ride all across the city.







We went to an African Safari ranch that was pretty neat. The zebras cracked us up when they kept sticking their heads in the car for a snack.


Of course, a trip to Texas would not be complete without some awesome food. We ate a couple of times at the Mi Tierra Restaurant in the Marketplace. The inside of this place is spectacular and the bakery is phenomenal.






We are already counting the days until we can go again!

9 comments:

Beth said...

Welcome back! Great pics. Loved the ostriche ... or emu? I get those two mixed up.

Melody said...

I WANNA GO....I WANNA GO!!!!!

lime said...

oh man, what great pics. the zebra and ostrich shots are HILARIOUS!!!

as for cabelas, i feel your pain. we have one that is a mere hour's drive from our house, hemmoraging money is as accurate as any description.

Jered Widmer said...

Wow! Fun in Texas! I was just down there for 1 day - in Dallas for work. I need to go down for longer because from the pictures it looks like there's plenty of fun to be had.

Hope the weather's been nicer for you too!

ccw said...

It looks like you had a lot of fun.

I love the zebra picture; reminds me of donkey from Shrek.

I haven't been to San Antonio in nearly 12 years. I think I need to go back.

melodyann said...

I went in a cavern on a field trip with my kids once. The guide told us that the cavern was discovered when a cow fell through a hole in the field above it. All I could think about the whole time was "That poor damn cow...."

Sharpie said...

Why am I so hungry now after reading your post????

MP said...

That looks like an awesome trip!! I need to go to San Antonio!!!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful pictures! We did the Caverns when I was pg with Melanie. I did ok with the belly :o) We really enjoyed it and now I feel a need for some Tex-Mex. YUM!

p.s.
LOVE the zebra picture too.