houston we have a problem

Houston, 48 hours just isn't enough.  We asked for trip suggestions, on Instagram and Facebook, before heading to Houston. We received lots of fantastic suggestions. Thank you!  

Everybody say Buc-ee's! BU-CEE'S!!!

First things. It ain't a Texas trip if there ain't a Buc-ee's stop! According to Eric, that is. The boy has an obsession. He was going to buy something and this trip it was another t-shirt. I think he's starting a Beaver T-shirt collection. We also grabbed two sandwiches from the Texas Round Up (aka, BBQ zone inside of Buc-ee's). It's not the best bbq you'll find in Texas, obviously, but it definitely hits the road trip spot. These stops are never quick, because Eric has to make sure he has seen every piece of merchandise with Buc-ee's face on it before we can leave. Seriously, I think the boy needs help. Suggestions welcome.

Another Buc-ee's Shirt for Eric'c Collection

Because we're planners, neither one of us had cash on us and avoiding toll roads became the name of the game. No tolls + Time to Kill = Galleria. Eric was really curious about the celebrity that, in his mind, must have been in the Gucci store. No celebs. Only two people are allowed into Gucci at a time. This concept was foreign to Eric. This was a mall. Eric judged those people in line. To himself. But there was judgment. Nordstrom has a Gucci goodness. They're just not as pretentious, perhaps? Eric made me say that. 

Where's the Famous Person? Just Kidding. It's only the Gucci Store.

We snagged another great hotel deal on Priceline. We stayed at The Hilton - Americas Houston. Side note: Did you know you can actually only bid on hotels now on Priceline? RIP cheap rental cars, and flights. Anyway, we arrived an hour early at our hotel, but the friendly staff got us in our room early. Settled in our room, we started to check for tickets to the Astros' game on Stubhub. The Astros were having a Star Wars themed night so Eric was suddenly living his best life Star Wars and baseball!

The force is strong with this pic.

The walk to Minute Maid Park from our hotel was less than 10 minutes. If you're ever in town for a game or a weekend series then this is a great hotel for you. You're right next to Discovery Green and (another selling point) there's a Starbucks in the hotel lobby! We headed to the park a little early, so we could survey the lay of the land (ie. food and souvenirs). We did not know ahead of time, but to Eric's dreams come true, it was Star Wars night. 

Evil empire was in town.

Star Wars night at Minute Maid Park was fun. You could take photos with members of the Republic or Resistance. God help me for knowing that much Star Wars information. The JumboTron had the players mocked up in Star Wars costumes instead of their uniforms. The food offerings at the park were mostly standard (though, there were the Tex-Mex exceptions). The Astros played a great game and defeated the Cleveland Indians 4-1. However, it was a Friday night and this meant fireworks. These weren't just any post-game fireworks. These were Star Wars choreographed fireworks! Eric added the exclamation point. 

Star Wars Fireworks

Saturday morning we took our time getting up. We headed to the Cullen Sculpture Garden. A friend suggested it and she made mention of the Cloud Column. Apparently, Houston's version of the Chicago Bean. We enjoyed looking around the garden, the art, and taking photos. We were glad we went in the morning. It would get pretty warm later in the day. Side note, the garden is free (whoop whoop!).

Shiny

After taking in the sculpture garden, we popped into the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. The museum is free, but they gladly accept donations. I love art, but I just didn't love the art in here. I almost felt sad and uninspired viewing the art. I mean at least the art made me feel something, and that is the point of art, but feeling sad and depressed isn't how I like to spend my time. 

Eric making friends.

We headed to MidTown for lunch and to meet up with friends of mine. They moved to Houston a few years ago. I so miss Megan dearly. I was happy when she suggested that we meet up for lunch at a chill spot. We met at Luigi's Pizzeria. It shares a beer garden/courtyard space with Axlerad. The pizza was delicious and Eric appreciated the beer selection (at Axlerad). The beer garden is filled with hammock chairs and other fun seating. We hung out for a while, but ultimately found a picnic bench in the shade to enjoy the pizza with friends.  

Chillin' in the Beer Garden Hammock Chairs

Stuffed bellies, after catching up, we headed back to the museum district. This time to The Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Park in the parking structure if you're impatient, because parking is hard to come by especially (in the afternoon). We had only two hours here, as the museum would be closing. We needed more and one of us needed a nap (looking at you Eric, not to mention names). The Museum of Fine Arts Houston, we will be back! 

The Rocks by Van Gogh 

Old Stuff we Whizzed Past (we only had 2 hours) 

We had noticed, when leaving from the hotel parking garage, graffiti a few blocks from our hotel. Naturally, we headed over that way. Graduation season upon us, it seemed every high school graduate was in cap and gown and camera crew (aka mom and dad) in tow ready to take photos. We managed to get some good shots and enjoy the art so much that we went back the next day when we were headed out of town.  

Proof we were in Houston.

Vibrant Graffiti Walls

Now it's time for some truth. Dinner was the main reason for this trip. You see, over a year ago we watched an episode of Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods show. Crawfish & Noodles was featured. We then made a pact to go. However, crawfish season eventually ended and we never made it. Then, it was everywhere! Anthony Bourdain was featuring Vietcajun crawfish! David Chang's Ugly Delicious went to Crawfish & Noodles! We had to go! Especially since Vietcajun was slowly starting to trickle its way over to Louisiana (see the evidence). We had to experience this for ourselves from the Godfather of the Vietcajun Crawfish. 

Vietcajun Crawfish Coated in Butter Magic Sauce

Spoiler: GO! Eric was, unknowingly, feeling extra bold with his spice choice when he ordered for us. We had a late lunch, so we both had 2 pounds each. Eric ordered Spicy for me and medium for himself. It should be noted here, I probably would have ordered medium for myself and mild for Eric. When I am trying a new place, I usually go medium to play it safe. I can eat Thai hot with the best of them, but sometimes I just like to get the lay of the land first. The crawfish arrived piping hot. Bibs and gloves were options, but we're from Louisiana. We're experienced. We turn our noses up at such trivialities. Neaux, thank you.  

So Good...So Spicy!

So we semi-scorched our fingers peeling the piping hot crawfish. They were so good! Unlike any crawfish I've ever had! The buttery, hot, spicy, garlicy, lemongrass touch was so delicious! I'm not sure I can go back to traditional crawfish. No joke. If I'm invited to future crawfish boils then I hope people don't mind when I show up with my own Vietcajun butter magic sauce. Sorry folks. I see your tradition, but I prefer this amazing magic sauce now! We strongly suggest the crawfish. They have a special if you order 5 pounds you get the 6th pound free. Also you have to get them cooked all the same spice level. However, if you want Spicy you can request the spicy sauce on the side. Tables around us were also ordering the Salt and Pepper Crab. When we make it back to Crawfish & Noodles, I plan to order. It is supposed to be the second must-have on the menu. Tips: arrive hungry and arrive early! We got there on a Saturday around 5:30. When we left at 7:20, we had to push and shove to get out the door. Please let us out. It just means a table for you! Logic is lost on so many.

Discovery Green

Discovery Green's Monument Au Fantome 

Discovery Green was having its 3rd Saturday of the Month Flea Market. We hit the hotel room to digest. Our hotel room overlooked The Green, so we could see the festivities building below. We headed down after recuperating from the Crawfish & Noodle goodness. We walked through the goods for sale and checked out the food stalls. A band was playing, so we sat on the lawn and enjoyed them. Nearby people were enjoying the setup they had for a movie in the park. Jumanji was the movie they were showing. Everything in the park was free. My friend suggested we bring chairs and bug spray. We were pretty fortunate that we didn't need either.  After the band wrapped up their gig, we called it a night.

Cover Shot if Eric had a Rap Album

We woke up the next morning, showered and had one last walk through Discovery Green. It's a hotspot for joggers and the fountain seeking youth alike. We checked out of the hotel and headed on to see the graffiti murals in a different light. Then we hit I-10 and we didn't stop until we saw Buc-ee's in Baytown. We grabbed a few things at Buc-ee's before heading back to Louisiana. We still didn't get to cross everything off our list but we had a great time!  So Houston we have a problem we just didn't get enough time to enjoy you this trip.  We will however be back soon, once the weather cools down!  

   
         

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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west texas here we come

Christmas is a time of giving. Fortunately, our employers give us a break from Christmas to the new year. We decided to forgo traditional gifts and gave ourselves the gift of each other. That's not the cop-out it seems. We're talking road trip people! We were going to make memories or make each other crazy. Spoiler alert, we did a little of both.

First things first. Where? We each listed five places we had never been before. The only rule s that it had to be within driving distance. What is considered driving distance? Turns out, a little further than originally considered.

Comparing our lists, we found one spot where our lists overlapped: San Antonio, Texas.  Eric also had listed Big Bend as another one of his picks. After a quick internet search, and asking a few coworkers with previous trips to Big Bend under their belts, I was on board. We could spend a day in San Antonio, then on to Big Bend, and another stop in San Antonio on the way back. 

You know what is pretty popular between Christmas and the new year? Big Bend. The decision was made about a month ahead of time. Helpful tip, plan earlier that. Places were already booked pretty solid. Out of necessity, we were going to see a little more of west Texas than originally planned. Thanks to Airbnb we were able to secure 3 places to stay between the San Antonio bookends. Yep, we were booked for five places over six nights. As our blog about the trip unfolds we’ll share each of these unique places with you.  We also used Priceline to book our hotels in San Antonio and in New Braunfels (just northeast of San Antonio). 

The day after Christmas at 6:30 am we were on our way. A quick stop at Starbucks and we were officially off.  This is where we skip over things. The first thing of note happened in Baytown, Tx. There was a place that we heard about from others who had been, so when we saw the sign we made the stop. We didn't realize at the time, but we were about to find Eric's happy place. Buc-ee’s.  

Buc-ee (pictured center)

When we pulled into the Buc-ee’s parking lot and were greeted by what was literally about one hundred gas pumps. What bizarre world was this? And the large bronze beaver out front?  Obviously we took a selfie with the bronze beaver because it seemed to be the thing to do. I mean, it's a bronze freaking beaver.

Stepping inside Buc-ee’s, when I'm pretty sure Eric heard angel's sing from on high, we were both drawn to very different directions of the store.  I gravitated toward the never-ending choices of snacks, drinks, and made to order food.  Eric on the other hand was smitten with the beaver t-shirts with his new hero Buc-ee plastered on them.  Buc-ee’s is HUGE. In our excitement we lost each other and had to call to regroup.  Having snacks for days, a fully stocked Yeti, and Eric's new Buc-ee’s Beaver t-shirt, we began to make our way from Baytown to San Antonio.Pro tip:  Every road trip needs an ice chest. Use frozen bottles of water and continue to freeze them no ice mess. If you can have it at arms reach in the seat behind you then you're golden.  

It was chilly.

We finally pulled into San Antonio around 3 pm and checked into our steal-of-a-Priceline.com-deal Residence Inn. We fancy like that. It was then back in the car and to the Riverwalk. We stumbled upon a pep rally for The Alamo Bowl (TCU vs. Stanford) as soon as we hit the Riverwalk. School bands and cheerleaders. Who knew? We then strolled along the Riverwalk taking photos and found ourselves at The Briscoe Western Art Museum. If you’re in the area then know it's free after 4 pm on Tuesdays. As luck would have it, that's exactly when we happen to be strolling by. Two please.

Things are getting peppy.

We returned to the Riverwalk in search of food. A nice TCU fan heard us talking about restaurants and recommended a Mexican place. Eric's memory isn't exactly the greatest, but that's why he's lucky to have me. that being said, the Riverwalk can be a little tricky to navigate when hangry. We are not sure if we ended up at his recommendation or just lucked out on finding Rosario's. We both enjoyed our dishes and requested more of the fire-roasted salsa. Luck would be on our side when it came to restaurants. There were a lot of delicious discoveries made on this trip.

Don't mind if I do.

We ended our evening in San Antonio walking through Hemisfair Park. It was fun watching people play table tennis, and other games that were free for the public. We walked through the houses and later learned after a Google search, “It will be an urban district with multiple parks, residences, and local businesses.” 

So that brings us to the end of day one. You can find more pics of our trip on Instagram. Please check back as we add more posts. We still have javelina, Big Bend, Prada Marfa and the best breakfast burritos ever.