on the road again

All great things must come to an end. It was time to close the Big Bend chapter of our trip and begin our bittersweet trek back east to New Braunfels, TX. We woke up early to catch the sunrise at the Greasewood Grocery. After all, it was the last sunrise of the year. Even Eric, the late riser, managed to catch the sunrise.  

Sunrise from the Greasewood

Two more quick showers, a packed car and east we went. Eric and I made promises to each other to return someday. There is still so much of Big Bend and the region to see. We only scratched the surface.

Cold Front Moves Through Alpine, TX

We pressed eastward until we saw a what we thought was a cool looking cloud over Alpine. The cool looking cloud was actually a cool front pushing through. Once we made it down the mountain the temps dropped quick. We're talking twenty degrees in ten minutes kinda' quick. Eric's country casual shorts look was a mistake.  

Eric Rocks His Version of Country Casual

We stopped for gas and breakfast in Fort Stockton and Eric changed into jeans in the car. He wouldn't step out of the car it was so cold. After more warm layers added to our bodies, we continued through the below freezing temps while ice accumulated on the windshield wipers. After hours of this, it finally broke when we landed in New Braunfels. It was cold, just not ice-everywhere cold. Yelp has always been a fairly reliable source for us and it was especially helpful in unfamiliar places. Dinner would be at The Gristmill in Gruene. The Gristmill has amazing tomatillo verde salsa! We had little interest in walking around town after dinner. No offense, Gruene, but it was freezing! I basically ran to the car. Eric described it as a stiff-legged jog. We'll see you tomorrow Gruene, when the sun is out.  

Al Fresco Dining Anyone? Frozen Fountain.

We started our next morning with unlimited amounts of hot water for the first time in days! That meant long, overly hot showers. It was New Year's Day, so few breakfast restaurants were open. Yelp to the rescue! Breakfast was at Fork and Spoon. I had Texas-sized pecan pancakes. Or maybe they just seemed huge because everything is bigger in Texas? Bellies full, we went back to hunt around in the shops in the Gruene Historic District.  

What it looks like while one decides on going full-Texan.

We popped into an antique store that had lots of fantastic finds. We may have lingered for a while because they had the heater on blast. After antique shopping, it was decided Eric should buy a t-shirt and not a used cowboy hat or boots. 

T-Shirt Jackpot

Hopping in and out of t-shirt shops to remain warm and to locate the perfect t-shirt was how we spent the better part of the morning. The Gruene Haus is where we stumbled into Tumble Weed Texstyle shirts. Eric finally found his perfect shirt. We both actually fell for the softness of their t-shirts and the unique designs. It should be noted we've since ordered a few more since we've returned home. Their customer service is amazing. Another fun fact from their website, "Tumbleweed TexStyles was created by two high school teachers. We believe that our number one priority above selling shirts is to support our local community. Since our roots lie within education, we have decided to donate a percentage of the sales for each product sold to the Frisco Education Foundation. This will help provide scholarship opportunities for graduating high school seniors."  

Gruene Hall. Go.

We made one more stop before we headed out of Gruene. We had to go inside Gruene Hall. The place was packed and the music was going strong. After listening to the band play a few songs, we had to once again hit the road. We (happily) lost a few hours in Gruene. We needed to head home.    

Greetings from New Braunfels

We hated to end our trip, but after a week on the road and moving almost every day, we were ready to be home. Our trip was a lot of fun and is the reason Adventures with Eric came to be. Soon we will begin to share more about our town and regional adventures with you.  

It should be said our trip to West Texas wouldn't have been possible without the help of family. A huge thank you to Eric's parents for stepping in to help provide childcare. It takes a village.  

Thank you for following along with us as we shared our journey to West Texas and back. Also, if you have any comments or questions then please reach out to us. We love hearing from you!   

One last Buc-ee's photo. Is that a goodbye Kiss?

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