As I currently sit here in a Starbucks in Arizona, I’m writing about Dillon’s and my past trip to Texas and New Mexico (the Arizona post will come later…stay tuned!). It was my first time going to either state so everything was new to me. To keep this post organized, I’ll talk about Texas first and then New Mexico towards the end because that was the order of how we did things:)
Texas
After having a great time in Panama City, Florida, we continued our road trip. Dillon and I arrived in Texas June 9th and stayed there from Thursday to Tuesday, June 14th. We actually planned to stay at Dillon’s brother’s house in Austin. We really had such a great time with my in-laws in Texas. They were so hospitable and it just made the road trip more special to stop by and see family along the way!
I must mention though, we happened to be in Texas during a big heat wave where temperatures felt like the peak of summer. It was around 100-107 degrees F during the day every day. So that could only mean more pool time for us haha. The first two days there were more about relaxing and enjoying pool time. Dillon’s brother and wife even grilled outside by the pool! It was such a great time! We also loved that we got to hang out with their kids by the pool. The first full day in Austin, Dillon and I went to the neighborhood gym. It can be more challenging to stay consistent working out while on a road trip, but it’s so important! We made some great memories the days we were there!
On Sunday, Dillon’s brother got a rental car for all of us to explore downtown Austin. Since there was a big heat wave, we opted out of going on walks outside. It was just too hot for that! Instead, we drove around town exploring the cool things about Austin. We ate at Whataburger to fuel up in the afternoon. I’ve never head of this fast food restaurant (I don’t think it’s in Florida), but it was good! Then I had such a delicious sundae at Sandy’s Hamburger. Ice cream was definitely a good idea on a day like this! On the drive around downtown Austin, I thought it was really cool seeing so many people paddle-boarding or kayaking in the lake. I wanted to jump in too for a second!
We also went to Mozart Coffee Roasters. This is a great option for coffee lovers! There is patio seating right next to Lake Austin. They even had a live performer singing and playing the guitar. It made the whole vibe so nice! I went for a hibiscus tea but they also have cupcakes, cookies, and other delicious things to try. That evening we went back to the neighborhood and they have a really nice community area with a pool, the gym we went to, and a restaurant called Canyon Grille Rough Hollow. I ordered the Mahi Power Bowl and it was so so good! I could eat that for a week straight haha.
The next day we went to The Alamo to see the historic site in San Antonio. Scroll down to see a picture of a cannon at The Alamo. This site is known for the 1836 Battle of The Alamo. It was very interesting learning more about the history of Texas. How many of you know that Texas was once part of Mexico, then became its own independent country?
After that, we went to the Riverwalk in San Antonio. That was actually my favorite place in the Texas trip. The first picture in this post was taken there! I can imagine it’s so nice to go later in the year when it’s not too hot. There are tons of restaurants and shopping areas around. As mentioned earlier, it was way too hot to eat outside so we were looking for places indoors. As it turned out, there was a lot of restaurants closed, we assumed because it was a Monday. Just keep that in mind if you decide to make a trip there. However, the Riverwalk itself is always open so you can still walk around and take a stroll by the river.
We finished the day with J. Alexander’s takeout and seeing my in-law’s family. Overall, I had such a great time in Texas. I loved getting the chance to hang out with Dillon’s family since we don’t get the chance to see them too much.
New Mexico
On Tuesday we headed to Carlsbad Caverns to see the bats fly out. To be honest, I was slightly scared because I didn’t know how close the bats would be to us, but they are so fast while they fly away. For those of you who are not familiar with bats (I wasn’t), they fly out around sunset time to go hunt for insects since they are nocturnal. They sleep deep in the caves and come out at night and then return to the caves pre-dawn. The season to see them is May-October. You can find more information about the Bat Program at their national park website.
The next morning we went to Carlsbad Caverns again, but this time to explore the cave. This was such a new and unique experience for me! This was the same cave we saw the bats come out of the day before. But don’t worry, I didn’t see one bat inside the cave. They stay hidden far from the paved area where people walk through. The Big Room trail is 1.25 miles, but there is a shortcut you can take which reduces it to 0.6 miles. One thing to keep in mind, is that the hike down is very steep. It curves around several time. There is an elevator that takes you down and up if you prefer not to hike down. Dillon and I hiked down and then took the elevator up.
That afternoon we drove past Albuquerque towards Gallup, New Mexico. We stopped and ate dinner at Oasis Mediterranean which was right by the historic Route 66. It was casual dining but so good! We finished dinner with baklava for dessert. We slept in that town and then headed to Arizona the next day. Stay tuned for the next part of the trip!
