Austin, TX - Live Music Capital of the World

After an eon in Houston waiting for our visas to India, we were excited to move on to the ‘live music capital of the world’ – Austin, TX. As many of you know, Jaci spent a year in Austin attending UT before moving to Atlanta. She was excited to connect with some old friends and show Matt the town. Once we arrived there was – yet again – much ado about Wyatt’s weight from paranoid hotel staff across the city (more sizeism and discrimination for the pup). Finally, we were able to find a hotel that would accommodate our enormous and vicious dog (as if) and we checked ourselves in and hit the showers. With the hotel challenge completed, we now needed to find a dog friendly spot for dinner and drinks. Hmmm… Just then, one of Jaci’s great co-op friends, Ed Tierney, rang up with an invite: a back porch, a 9 month old Border Collie named Buster, beers, excellent company, and great travel tips. Thanks to Ed for making our first night in Austin perfect and to the rest of his gang that shared stories, advice and a great time (pardon the sap but it was a lot of fun).

The next day we got up early to take Wyatt on a walk through Austin’s famed Barton Springs. For those who have never been, Austin might be the greenest city in the U.S. and full of some of the happiest and healthiest people on the planet. After experiencing Barton Springs it is clear why: it is all about design. What a magnificent park full of miles of trails, a lake, and a ‘doggy springs’ where you can swim alongside your dog. We didn’t have time for the swim but the rest of the park was fun and a nice break from the car. The previous evening we decided to stay an additional night in Austin and made reservations to board Wyatt. So, after a great hike at Barton Springs, we headed toward Dripping Springs, TX and the Stay ‘n’ Play Pet Ranch where Wyatt would spend the evening. The Pet Ranch was a great investment and the staff recommended we check out Dripping Springs’ Founder’s Day Festival in their downtown. This trip is about following the moment, so, of course, we agreed to check out the festival and took a drive into downtown. Once we arrived, we were thrilled to see rows and rows of smokers and grills cooking up that famous Texas BBQ. It was delicious.

After Dripping Springs we took a drive down to the land of burnt orange and the UT Austin campus (hook 'em horns!). We walked by Jaci’s old residence at the 21st Street Co-Op in the West Campus area of UT Austin and she reminisced a bit about those old days at the co-op. We walked down to the main part of campus and the infamous clock tower where another school shooting occurred back in 1966 when Charles Whitman, a student at the university shot and killed 13 people and wounded 31 others from atop the University's 27-story tower. Strange to be sitting there in the wake of what has happened at VaTech less then a week earlier (love the hokie nation).

We had another great evening hanging out with Ed and some other old friends. It was great to see Nicki (congrats, babe!), Irene & Rick, and Jamie. It was as if we hadn’t skipped a beat from Atlanta and we left really appreciative of the longevity friendships can have. We left Austin intensely jealous of its inhabitants and swearing to return in the near future.

After Austin, we departed for the happening city of Lubbock, TX. We took a series of Texas county roads to reach our destination from Austin and were pleasantly surprised with the drive. A few hidden Texas gems included: LBJ’s childhood home, wineries in Fredricksburg, peach trees (more than I’ve seen in GA), lamb, sheep, vultures, long horns, buffalo, alpaca, Texas wildflowers, Texas Rebel Radio 107.9 The Fan (fantastic), and ‘DON’T EAT THE APPLE’ in Eden.

While Lubbock might not seem to have a lot to offer on its own, it is the proud home of one Thomas Whiteside and his family. Thomas is making a unique debut on this blog for a few reasons: 1) he is one of Jaci’s better friends from 21st Street Co-Op, 2) he has one of the better My Space pages around (a prize to anyone who finds it and writes back/posts about the ‘x-mas card’), 3) he ironed his money as a child, and 4) he has one of the best attitudes EVER about his recent experience battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. You can check out his blog here. This is our shout out to Broccoli and his fam – thank you a million times over, it was wonderful to see you, and please share some of that tremendous energy and joy with the rest of us! (For those of you who know Whiteside, the last few months in Lubbock have somehow made him a huge Tech Fan. I’m not sure why but – go Tech!)
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Southern Louisiana to Galveston, TX

One begins to understand the true feeling of the bayou when taking a drive on Route 10 through southern Louisiana. The majority of the time we drove hovered twenty feet above the swamps and rivers, catching glimpses of gators, pelicans and other multi-colored birds, fishermen, crawfish farms, and Spanish moss draped trees. Our friend Hank in Cartersville, GA has a duck hunting camp no more then 30 minutes from where we were in Grand Chenier, LA. Although we were unable to visit due to time constraints, there is little to do but to sit back and appreciate another gem on the southern edge of the United States. After two hours we entered Beaumont, TX with hungry stomachs in tow and couldn’t pass up the first sign we saw for Boiled Crawfish. The stand off of Rte 10 was run by three local guys who spent their days catching, cleaning, selling and always eating the little crawdads. Per the owner’s request we tried them on the spot and we plowed through many pounds of crawfish (bite the tail and suck the head) unable to slow down our consumption of the delicious, spicy guys. The young owner, in his cowboy boots and all, had just moved back to his home town in Louisiana to run the crawfish business but he was also preparing for law school in the fall. He wished us well on our trip, reminded us of the importance of wearing a seatbelt, and then we jumped back in the Outlander knowing we had an hour to get to the Galveston Island State Park campsite.

Pelicans lined the Gulf of Mexico as we arrived at the Ferry to take us onto Galveston Island with about 30 minutes left to check-in. It was a site as the boat ferried us and Wyatt in our car across the water onto the island. After a quick drive to the southwestern side of the island we found our campsite, set up our tent, and took Wyatt to experience the ocean for the first time as we strolled across the sandy beach at dusk.

Galveston was once known as the richest city in Texas but their prosperity suddenly came to a halt on September 8, 1900, when the deadliest natural disaster in United States history hit Galveston Island. A storm with winds exceeding 120 miles per hour and tidal surge devastated the island and killed more than 6,000 people. Today it is a popular destination for Houstonians when they want to escape to the beach for a weekend. We enjoyed the evening sunset and awoke bright and early to drive into Houston to get our visas for India. After a day wait for the paperwork to be processed we hit the road for Jaci’s old stomping grounds - Austin, TX.

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New Orleans, LA - Visit to the Bayou

After our first camp night on the road, we packed up the car and started the 2 ½ hour drive to New Orleans. We decided we wanted to really experience the city and opted for a hotel room in the French Quarter instead of our tent that night. As much as we wanted to keep the pup with us, New Orleans is really only friendly to dogs under 30 lbs (one of Wyatt’s first of many lessons on injustices during this trip). We decided to board him at a kennel near the airport and returned to town to take in the sights. This was Jaci’s first trip to New Orleans and both of our first time since Katrina devastated the city. It was clear that much work has been done to restore the touristy French Quarter area but driving around the outlying areas of town proved that much more work is left to be done. Sadly, many people have decided not to return to New Orleans after the storm and many buildings stand abandoned and unlivable. Spirits are still high with those who stayed, however, and we were welcomed by so many interesting people who were thrilled we took time for a visit.

After checking into the Chateau Sonesta (thanks MZ), we headed straight out for some tasty Cajun food. We both love spice, and we found incredible Jambalaya and Crawfish Ettoufe at The Desire Oyster Bar on Bourbon street. Best we’ve both ever had. The rest of the night we spent walking around the Quarter and making friends throughout. Perhaps one of the more interesting stories we heard was from Jamie, our fabulous bartender at Utopia. Jamie recently moved to New Orleans and he explained to us how he was able to purchase a $350,000 five bedroom house off Canal Street for only $12,000. Of course, what was Jamie’s good luck was due to the crippling impact Katrina had for many home owners in town. This was a harsh reality to hear, but a sentiment that would repeat itself throughout our time in the city: locals trying to make it work with what is left. Again, we encountered wonderful people everywhere we went. Neither one of us can believe we haven’t taken more weekend trips here over the past few years. I guess we’ll have to change that when we get back…

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Alabama - Wyatt's Civil Rights Road Trip Begins

The last few months have been so busy that we severely overlooked the amazing route we decided to take through our native roads en route to NM. After seven years in Atlanta, we are ashamed to say that we have left much of the South untouched. You need not look much further than I-85 South a few hours to find yourself in unfamiliar land. And for those of you in Atlanta (none of our friends of course) – who travel but never leave – go see your countrymen/women in Alabama. They’re good folk.

We departed Atlanta bright and early Tuesday morning headed for the bustling town of Montgomery, AL. Our intention is not to bore you all with a history lesson in the Civil Rights Movement but hopefully some of these ring a bell – Dexter Ave. King Memorial Baptist Church, Ms. Parks, SPLC, The First White House of the Confederacy (as an aside, first person who posts or emails with a definition/explanation of all of these gets something special in the mail. Please include a mailing address. We’re keeping score.) Montgomery was much as people described – not a lot going on. There is, however, a fascinating juxtaposition of Civil War history and the Civil Rights Movement. There is certainly something that leaves you shivering when, on one street, you stand pinned by two very different notions – ‘freedom for all’ and ‘the south will never die’. As this was our first stop, we have plenty of great photos of Wyatt learning about history and contemplating his role in the fight for equality and justice. And that’s only 2 ½ hours in…

Fifty miles west and we arrived in Selma, AL. Again, not to bore everyone with the history lesson, but, seriously, look it up. Out of all our domestic travels, we were most excited about this. The bridge, the church, the ideals we were certain must surely linger on the riverfront… To be certain, those things are in Selma but are severely broken down. We were incredibly surprised to see these tremendous declarations of civil rights in our country in serious disrepair. The Edmond Pettus Bridge is a fantastic entry point to the city and Wyatt enjoyed walking around the various civil war era buildings. Farther into town, however, the house where SNCC, SCLC and the DCLV gathered in 1965 to organize the Montgomery Marches was as abandoned and shot through as anything we’d ever seen. There was one sad sign out front that dismissingly acknowledges its significance but it is hard to see through the overgrown yard. The AME Church, again a reality check for us both, is not like an historical site you might have expected. It is in a tough neighborhood that we’re certain many visitors haven’t the stomach for. Of course, while trying not to be such obvious tourists, Wyatt decided to lose his tail bandage (cut his tail a few days earlier) and we had to perform emergency surgery in the street alongside numerous suspicious onlookers. You’ll all be relieved to know that Jaci can do a mean wrap job and Wyatt’s tail is making a full recovery.

After Selma, we used state highways to head toward Mobile, AL. Uncertain of where we would sleep, our intention was to soak in as much of the countryside as possible. Again, more beautiful and unexpected scenery. High trees, kudzu canopies, Spanish Moss and the proverbial ‘more churches than people’ vistas. Also, good folk sitting on porches, waving us by, and enjoying the weather. We were the Locomotive… We ended the day at the I-65 RV Campground where we scored our tent plot for $12.50, pitched our home, played with the pup, and reminisced about the day. More South please…
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Atlanta, GA - Storage & Midtown

A huge thank you to Matt, Josh, Todd, Brandon, Cara and Stephanie for all your help with our move this past weekend. After ten hours of sorting, boxing, truck loading, and filling the storage unit our warehouse space was finally empty and we were ready to move out. Over and over we are amazed at how supportive our friends have been and this was no exception. Not to mention Joel taking the time to hook up our ipods for the journey ahead. We will have no problem finding the right tune to match any moment (music is my church, dance is the way I pray - much love JH). After one night camping out on the floor we spent the next two at Josh's place (you are the man JR) in midtown as we finalized our last minute to-do's. The next step is to hit the road for Wyatt's (our 2.5 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback) Civil Rights Road Trip. Finally.....on the road.

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Atlanta, GA - Volleyball & Last Brewhouse Brew

The past week has been incredible as we get ready to send off on our trip. Sean was as always extremely gracious to open up his house for another night of volleyball and grilling. Although chilly, nights like those are what we hope to have again when we get back this fall. This past Friday night we went to the Brewhouse Cafe in L5P Atlanta for our final sendoff. We were serenaded by a great poem and Bon Voyage bag from Stephanie and enjoyed one last toast with our "Atlanta family". Lots of love to Jonathan for watching our cat, and John and Dianna who will be getting married while we're gone (cheers you two!). Jaeger's on the house when we return!

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Atlanta, GA - Packing

We have boxed up all our things at the Warehouse minus some additional items we are finishing up this week. We will be taking everything to a climate controlled storage facility in Norcross, GA this weekend. I have been recruiting a few guys to come knock it out so hopefully it won't take us to long. The plan is to keep our items in storage until we return mid August. Upon our return our good friend Josh is letting us crash at his place until we find a new place to live. After this weekend it is just us and our backpacks for the next several months.

Atlanta, GA - Travel Gear

We picked up most of what we still needed as travel gear today after a four hour stint at REI. We now have two backpacks (thanks johnna & craig and joel), two daypacks, a duffel bag, a raincover for the packs, rain gear, dri-fit clothes, hiking shoes, chaco sandals, sleeping bags, sleeping pads (thanks joshua), a multi-purpose utility tool (ditto), 2 person tent, mosquito net (treated with permethrin), DEET spray and lotion, water bag (thanks b&g+b), 2 locks (ditto), cooking pots, document holders (thanks awf), passport and money sleeves, wool socks, and two water bottles. Other items we will be bringing include all our toiletries, playing cards, hackeysack, a laundry list of books (including A Storm of Swords), camera, flashdrive, and journals/pens. It is all coming together...little by little.

Atlanta, GA - Sam and Cara

We spent Saturday night with our good friends and neighbors Cara and Sam from unit 208 at the Warehouse. Ahhh, the Warehouse! Lots of great memories....They surprised us with a bottle of champagne and some gadgets for our trip. We had a great time enjoying each others company and reminiscing about how great the past two years have been getting to know each other. Most importantly we played one more round of spades, of which the outcome is not important (ok - jaci and cara won, again...). We can't wait to attend their commitment ceremony in Florida this October when we get back from the trip. Cheers Sam, Cara, Aja and Oscar!!

Atlanta, GA - We're Married!

On Friday, April 6th at 4pm, we went to the Dekalb County Courthouse and got married. After five years of an already great adventure together we formalized our partnership as we prepared for another new adventure. We both said our "I Do's" in front of a group of like minded Atlantonians. After the ceremony our good friends John and Dianna met us with arms open wide as we walked out of the courthouse. We toasted the event with some champagne at the Brickstore and went on to call home with the exciting news. We are going to plan a fall get together for our families over Labor Day Weekend. Look for details to come!! Miss and love you all!!!

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