Category: travel

— In case you didn’t read my last post, this is part three in a series of posts about my recent Texas road trip. The first post can be seen here. —

I didn’t have an itinerary for Sunday, per se, just some places I wanted to see. The whole point of the road trip was to get outside and enjoy some warm weather.

Sunshine would have been nice, but that was not to be. Not that I’m complaining.

Overcast skies are actually better for pictures. When the sun is too bright, images get washed out, you have to contend with shadows, you constantly need to worry about the position of the sun, etc.

I set my alarm Saturday night so I could see the sunrise. At least I think I set it. When I woke up at 8:30, much later than expected, I didn’t remember having turned the alarm off. And, looking at my phone, wasn’t able to tell if it had actually been set or not. I was a tad disappointed until I looked outside. It was FOGGY. So, if I had gotten up, I wouldn’t have seen much anyway.

The extra sleep was actually kind of nice. I didn’t waste any more time, though. I grabbed some coffee from the breakfast buffet and then headed off to the the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. It’s actually right in Port Aransas, so it only took me a few minutes to get there.

Before I go much further, I should warn y’all that, as my post title implies, this day was all about birds. I find being out in nature relaxing. And I’ve always enjoyed bird-watching. As it turns out, there were LOTS of birds to be seen. Not only was I in a coastal environment, I was also in a completely different part of the country. Port Aransas, Texas is at about the same longitude as Tampa, Florida. It’s not often that I get to the coast or that far south.

I did take pics of some other stuff, but it’s mostly birds. In all, I shot over 450 pictures. I won’t share them all here, but I did post about 90 on Flickr (link follows this post).

Oh, and one more thing. I’m not a bird photographer. I knew I wouldn’t be capturing stunning bird images. My goal was just to get reasonably clear images of the critters. Bird photography is challenging. You need skill and really good, i.e., expensive, equipment. You try capturing clear images of a bird in flight and see how well you do. With that said, I’m happy with the shots I got. They’re not National Geographic quality, but, for the most part, the birds are at least recognizable.

Of course, I had to spend some time identifying them after-the-fact since most were birds I’d never seen before.

I also visited nearby Port Aransas Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture.

The parks were within minutes of each other. I actually went back to the birding center (hoping to see the resident alligators, to no avail) and moseyed around town a bit. I was hoping the fog would lift a bit so I could see the beach.

It didn’t.

So I grabbed some breakfast for lunch…

I’d intended to grab a sandwich. But when I saw that there was a breakfast buffet for $8.95, all I could think of was BACON. I was quite surprised when they offered to prepare eggs for me, any way I liked. Usually buffets have those nasty pans of scrambled eggs. I ordered two over-medium, but they brought me three, along with a nice order of fresh hash browns. I ate about a third of the meal before I remembered the picture. Despite the late hour (around 1:00 PM), everything off of the buffet was still warm and fresh.

Yes, I pigged out.

Then I headed back to the birding center. Slowly but surely the day appeared to be clearing.

The foggy finally started lifting in the late afternoon, so I did actually get to go to the beach. I even walked in the water for a while.

It was lovely.

I even shot a quick video so you could see what the beach was like.

To my surprise, there were even cool birds at the beach.

I actually spent a couple of hours on the beach. I did a bit of shopping before dinner. I wasn’t very hungry (surprised?), so I popped into Whataburger for a lite and fast meal.

Good thing it was fast. I hadn’t been paying attention to the time. Upon exiting the restaurant, I noticed the sun was setting.

I hustled back to the Port Aransas Nature Preserve, which is actually on the eastern side of the Corpus Christi shipping channel, and captured some sunset shots.

I actually thought I’d missed the main event.

It actually got better. I’ll share a couple more sunset captures later.

If you can’t wait and/or want to see more pics from Sunday, they’re on Flickr and can be seen here.

Thanks for touring along with me. Did the bid shots bore you stiff?

Upon learning that I had to be in Austin on a Thursday and Friday, I hatched a plan to stay for a few extra days and enjoy a mini road trip. After a never-ending, cold Winter, I felt I owed it to myself. Besides, not doing so would have just been silly, right? I’d been to Austin twice before, but had never had time to see much of the area.

Plus, Austin is sorta close to the beach. All I could think about was SUN and WARMTH. And sand. I love the beach, but don’t get to go much since Hubby isn’t a beach type.

I had settled on a beach town in advance (Tracy had recommended Port Aransas) and knew there were some things in and around Austin I wanted to see, but I didn’t really have an itinerary. I was anxious to reach the beach, but the weather forecast was rather iffy. So I figured I’d look around Austin and visit The Salt Lick barbecue on Saturday morning and then head for the Gulf coast.

Before I started working for a company based in Texas, I didn’t know much about the state. For example, I didn’t know Texas BBQ was it’s own important food group. During one of my first trips there I ate at the airport location of The Salt Lick. It was fabulous. Tracy shipped a bottle to me, and Hubby became hooked, too. Of course, you can’t buy that sauce anywhere in or near Virginia — it’s even hard to find in Texas — so we have to have it shipped in regularly. That’s the reason behind wanting to visit the original location.

The Salt Lick BBQ started in Driftwood, Texas. With a name like that, I figured it should at least be interesting. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

As I mentioned in my last post, I went into downtown Austin on Friday night. After seeing a glimpse of the pinkish-looking capitol building, I decided I should get a closer look on Saturday. On the way, I passed through the South Congress (SoCo) shopping district. I HAD to stop there first to get a picture of Lucy the Zebra (found her in my RoadsideAmerica.com app).

There were several funky little shops in SoCo. I looked through a couple, but most opened later in the day (I was there around 10:00). And I didn’t feel like being indoors anyway. So I snapped some pics then headed deeper into the city. First, though, I detoured over to the river to see if there was a good waterfront view. There wasn’t. But I did see this cute dog. It made me laugh to see him quietly people-watching (the hike/bike path went right past his apartment).

Don’t you just love that expression on his face?

Before I go on, I have to say I culled through my pics and ended up with 60 to share with you. That’s far too many for a blog post, so you’ll have to visit my Flickr site if you want to see more. I’ll share that link later…

I was hoping to find a coffee shop in town. Most places were either closed on Saturdays (I was in the business district) or opened for lunch.

I hadn’t planned on going into the capitol building. However, I figured a potty break would be a good idea before driving out to Driftwood.

The capitol really is pink as it appears. It was made from a pink-hued granite. Long story. Feel free to Google it if you care.

After gawking at the building a bit and snapping some photos, I headed out to the country. I really am not a city girl. I much prefer wide-open spaces.

It didn’t take long at all to leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind. It was Saturday, remember. Had it been a weekday, I would have taken MUCH longer. Traffic around Austin can be a bit of a bear.

If you’re interested in seeing the map of my route for the day, it’s here.

Less than 30 minutes after leaving the capitol, I was in Driftwood.

I’d arrived at The Salt Lick BBQ as planned, just in time for lunch.

As expected, The Salt Lick was a bit of a tourist trap. The food was good. Very good, in fact. It just wasn’t the best I’d ever had. I thought Rudy’s brisket was better. And, if I’m being completely honest, my husband’s ribs are better. The ribs at The Salt Lick had a good flavor, but they were a little tough. And that Hubby of mine makes kick-ass ribs. So I was judging The Salt Lick against some very high standards. Their sauce, however, remains my favorite. There’s just nothing like Salt Lick BBQ sauce.

It would have been better with a beer, too. I still had a long way to drive, though. Oh, and I only ate about half of what you see there. I don’t like driving on a full stomach.

Speaking of driving, my buddy, Bob (of RidingTheWetCoast fame) requested lots of pics so he could see what Texas looks like. Bob lives up in British Columbia, Canada.

Most motorcyclists like back roads. Even when traveling in a car. Secondary roads are called either “farm to market” or “ranch to market” roads in Texas. I took FM-150 from Driftwood over to I-35. The first half of the route would be lots of fun on a motorcycle. It was a sorta curvy, undulating road with relatively smooth pavement. I wouldn’t want to be on it in the rain, however, as there were several low creek crossings with water depth markers, which makes me believe it floods a lot when there’s rain.

The cool thing about traveling solo is that you can stop whenever you want to for whatever reason. And you don’t have to feel even a little guilty stopping quickly and often when there’s something you simply MUST capture with the camera.

I don’t think I mentioned that the wildflowers were in bloom. Bluebonnets (the Texas state flowers) were in bloom everywhere, along with Texas Paintbrush (red), Indian Blanket (red with yellow), Greenthreads (yellow), Winecups (pinks), and Primrose (yellow) seemed to be the predominate flowers. But practically everywhere you looked there was color. The trees were freshly green, too.

I took quite a few shots of that cute cow until this rude heifer came along. She made me giggle…

I did say I took lots of pictures, right? LOL. Here are a few stand-outs/oddities…

Those are also called Pump Jacks (among other things). Yes, I had to Google it.

I assume those are oil-related. Why there needs to be a giant, burning blow torch in the middle of a field is beyond me.

I saw lots of pick-up trucks, too. And cows. A lot of cows. But who’s complaining?

One thing that struck me, particularly as I got closer to the coast, was the rich, dark-brown color of the earth.

I can’t help it, I like cows.

When I passed this next field of cows at about 75 MPH (speed limits are high in Texas), I HAD to do a U-turn. Despite the rain, even.

Those are Egrets hanging out with the cows. Cattle Egrets to be exact. (Thank you, again, dear Google.)

Cattle Egrets hang out with the cows and eat the bugs stirred up as the cows graze.

Another plus of lesser-traveled farm-to-market roads is being able to hit the brakes when you zoom past stuff like that.

I just love the sweet smell of salt air as you approach the coast.

I think it was around 6:30 when I reached Port Aransas. Just five hours, give or take, after leaving The Salt Lick.

I was quite tickled to discover that Port Aransas Beach Road is actually ON the beach. I didn’t know I could drive on the sand.

After greeting the Gulf, I broke out the phone, started the Booking.com app, and found myself a hotel for the next two nights. Yes, I used the phone to pay for it, too. Gotta love technology.

After checking into said hotel, I needed dinner.

Oh, wait. I NEEDED a margarita. Dinner was just a bonus.

That was Saturday.

Next up? Why, Sunday, of course.

I crack myself up…

If you’re interested, all of Saturday’s pics are on Flickr for your viewing pleasure.

Friday started off like any other day. With a sunrise…

The sunrise shot above was taken moments after I realized the sun was coming up. I didn’t have the camera settings right, but still like the result. I sat drinking my coffee, waking up slowly as I watched the light painting the sky. It was quite peaceful.

And the rest of the day was all uphill from there. Literally. My office is in a building in the hill country northwest of Austin. Did you see the pics I posted last week? (There was a sunset shot there, too, captured a bit later than this.)

Most of my day was spent in the office on Friday. Except for lunchtime, which is when my boss, Tracy, surprised me with a visit to Rudy’s Country Store and BBQ.

It was fabulous. Seriously.

I usually stay away from chain restaurants, but Rudy’s is a smallish chain that started in the hill country outside of San Antonio. If all of the locations are as good as the one where I ate, you can’t go wrong. Trust me.

The decor mimics that of the original country store.  Notice all the folks behind the counter working at the cutting station.

You don’t order sandwiches at Rudy’s. You order your meat by the pound. You can get as much, or as little, as you like.

The cashier greeted Tracy and I warmly, then asked if we’d both been there before. Tracy replied by saying one of us had and, nodding toward me, one of us hadn’t. So the cashier asked where I was from. After I’d replied with “Virginia,” things got interesting.

The cashier hollered something like, “There’s a lady from Virginia in the house and she needs a sample board prepared!” All the workers stopped what there were doing, chanted something loudly together, then commenced to preparing small portions of the meats for me to try.

Some folks would be appalled by the attention. I thought it was fun. Not only did I get to try the various meats, I had an opportunity to sample some of the sides, too.

It was all delicious. I opted for a bit of both briskets and some spicy chopped. I also got some creamed corn, which is more like corn swimming in a very thick, tasty cream. YUM. The cole slaw was delicious, too.

The meat is served on thick, waxed paper. The sides are in Styrofoam bowls. Sauce is on the table.

The not-so-lean brisket was my favorite. It was melt-in-your mouth tender, had a delicate smoky flavor, with a dark, peppery bark.

Oh. Em. Gee.  I was in meat-eaters heaven.

I don’t usually consume that much food for lunch. I didn’t finish everything (left a few bits of spicy chopped, corn, and pickles behind), but I polished off quite a bit of it.

Tracy was either impressed or appalled at the amount I managed to put away.

We’d ended up sitting next to the oven access door. It wasn’t as hot as you’d think. And while we were eating, we got to see a worker feeding the fire with some hill country oak.

After lunch, Tracy took me to her house to meet her beautiful dogs, chocolate labs, Boca and Bella. I got a tour of her house, which is situated at the end of a cul-de-sac on one of Austin’s greenbelts, and backs up to trees. It’s a very peaceful, natural oasis. Lovely place. I was able to see the girls playing in their pool, too. Tracy says the dogs let people use it sometimes.

Then it was back to the office.

Tracy was driving, so I was able to capture this shot of the cliffs lining the highway near the office park.

It’s really a great office location. The lease is almost up, so next time I visit, I won’t get to see this.

Surprisingly, I managed to stay awake all afternoon. And, on the way out, I grabbed another shot of the view, this time from the parking lot.

Thanks to Google maps, I found the back way out of the building complex to my hotel, avoiding a big slug of traffic. Essentially, I had to climb the hill behind the office and then follow some side streets for a bit.

It was while climbing that hill that I captured the next “million dollar view” (thus named because the houses up there are big and expensive). I actually parked and got out of the car, in case you were wondering.

After that, it was back to the hotel to change into something a bit nicer and then into downtown Austin for the corporate event I’d traveled to Texas to attend.

It was a fun evening, a murder mystery dinner at the Courtyard Marriott. I had my camera along, but would have felt overly conspicuous taking flash pics during dinner. So I sat back and enjoyed my co-workers’ company instead. Many had significant others along, too. It was lots of fun.

I really enjoyed seeing folks again. And meeting those I hadn’t seen before. January 2012 was the last time I’d been in the Austin office. Reconnecting with everyone was well worth the trip.

The leisure part of the vacation will be discussed in future posts. So y’all come back now, ya hear?

But wait, there’s more…

I discovered this video on Rudy’s website. You can get their meat shipped to your house. The video tells you all about that and explains how to prepare the food once it arrives. Watch at your own risk; it’ll probably make you hungry (if I haven’t already).