Floatin'

Kyle and I have been wanting to "float the river" for a while now since we have lived in Dallas. Kyle set the plan in motion and we recruited some locals (Daniel and Chelsey Youman) and Matt McAuley. We set out on Friday after work and headed south towards Austin. We met and stayed with some of Chelsey's friends who so graciously hosted us. I have never been to Austin so I was interested to see what it is all about. We stayed in San Marcos and were introduced to "river surfing" that evening... it's is exactly what it sounds like which is also confusing because how do you surf a river? It can happen when there is a man-made wake/wave created in the middle. I did not dare try, it looked way intense. Chelsey toyed with the idea but wasn't given full encouragement when she heard some people try for multiple summers just to get up. Although we didn't try it was a nice night to sit and watch and take in the views! 

The next morning we woke up and prepared for a day floating the river. We started off the correct way with some breakfast tacos from the local gas station. Again sounds weird, but it's the way to go! So delicious. We had a few minor set backs when getting tubes and such ready for the river. Apparently the whole state of Texas decided to float the same day. None the less we were off and floatin'! It was a perfect day, nice and hot. It was much different than any floating that we have done in TN. A bit slower and a much bigger crowd but it was definitely fun! It ended up taking us about 5.5 hours to float-- I have no idea what the distance was? There were so many people that at one point the whole width of the river was blocked with wall to wall people! We also had a mini crisis when we didn't anticipate water shoots and cell phones... happy to report everyone and everything survived. Well wait, take that back... Chelsey's shoe is still MIA. After a full day of fun in the sun we were all pretty tired but rallied for some dinner at the famous Grist Mill. I think everyone got burgers or chicken fried chicken. Once again, the Grist Mill delivered a nice solid meal!

The next day we headed into Austin for a mini city tour and breakfast/ lunch... note this is NOT brunch at Gordough's. It was pretty crazy to say the least. Everything had a doughnut in it. I opted for fried chicken and doughnut combination. It was tasty, but very rich and filling so I think I ate about half.. maybe less. After our mini tour we headed to Barton Springs pool. This place was awesome! It is a man made pool filled with spring water. Water was nice and cold on the hot day. 

After an adventure filled weekend, we headed back to Dallas. Everyone was exhausted but Kyle was a trooper and got us home safely! 

Below is some evidence from our weekend: 

Texas Adventures

Here's the scoop... Since living here in Texas, I have not explored any cities other than Dallas! Side note: I have almost lived here for a year?! Also meaning that Kyle and I have almost been married a year. Mark your calendars. Where in the world has the time gone?

Ok, back to the scoop. That being said, we decided that it was time for me to go exploring a bit. Our friends down here were up for a mini road trip as well so one Friday evening, Kyle, Daniel, Chelsey, and I hopped in the car and headed south. We headed to Lockhart, Texas where Daniel's uncle so graciously let us crash at his pad. We got in pretty late, but took advantage of his sweet pad in downtown Lockhart and went on the roof to enjoy the perfect evening and some wine. Yes, we are fancy, we know. (Did I mention we drank it straight from the bottle). Classy.

Here is one of the hidden (except not so hidden) gems of Daniel's uncle's place. Meet Noel. There is actually a really sweet story behind her.

We woke up the next day and did some exploring for a local coffee shop, where we enjoyed coffee and lattes and some good conversation. At about 10:30 - 11:00ish we decided it was time for what we really came to Lockhart for... BBQ!! We hit up one of Texas' top rated BBQ restaurants, Black's. We had smoked turkey, brisket, sausage, macaroni and cheese, and don't forget the sweet tea. Let me just say, I am a turkey and mac 'n cheese pro. Both of these passed the test. The brisket was also delicious. Chelsey and I were not huge fans of the sausage, but I think it was more of a texture issue. This sausage was very "gamey", whatever that means? After lunch we strolled downtown and went in and out of antique stores. We sound so old. After strolling aka rolling around because we were so stuffed with BBQ we prepared ourselves and headed... some direction towards Gruene, TX. Gruene is home of the oldest dance hall in Texas. George Straight and Willie Nelson have both been through there and the movie, Michael was also filmed there!

Anyways, our first intent was to head there for a wine and music festival, but we spent a little too much time exploring Lockhart and also realized the tickets were a little pricier than we had originally thought. But we were just going where the wind took us this weekend so we decided to head there anyways. Upon arrival, we were heading up this big hill (big for Texas) and noticed a cute little winery and decided to just have a little looksy. Turns out, they were having samples as well...so in the long run, we won. We got to taste wine at a much cheaper price and after we got to walk around Gruene and enjoy music. We spent much of the afternoon walking in and out of stores and exploring everything this unique little town had to offer. Even though none of us were super hungry, we had to eat at the Gristmill. Let me just say, looks can be deceiving... this place looked like your average size restaurant... but it goes on FOREVER! Seriously, so huge. It's nestled right on the bluff of the Guadalupe river and has a great view! We stuffed our faces again (sort of a theme for this trip) and rolled ourselves out of there.

We continued to explore and made our way to the actual Gruene Hall. Music was playing and there was a large crowd. This was the first time where I really felt "Texan". I loved the atmosphere of the hall and the music that was being played. Chelsey and Daniel so kindly offered to teach us the Texas Two Step (I think that's what it was called), but we declined. We will blame it on being too full (cough cough, Kyle). We weren't ready for that yet!

After enjoying some music and people watching we decided to head out of Gruene and catch the Aggie game with some of Chelsey's friends that live in that area... we hit up a fun outdoor bar that had live music and way better people atmosphere than any here in Dallas. Whoops, yes I said it.

We stayed the night in Lockhart again and woke up and decided to eat.... yup, you guessed it... BBQ! We decided to try another one of Texas' top rated BBQ places, Smitty's.. also located in Lockhart. This time we had brisket, sausage, cole slaw, and of course the sweet tea. I preferred this brisket over Black's but I am not sure everyone agreed.  None the less, it was amazing and once again we over ate. Whoops. Our original plan was to hit up Austin before heading back to Dallas but the weather was less than ideal and Austin City Limits was going on so we figured it would be a mad house. Therefore, we headed back to Dallas a bit earlier.

Side note: everything IS bigger in Texas. Here is a flask from one of the small shops. No, we did not buy it. This is for example only!

In conclusion, we had a "couples retreat" to Lockhart, where we did some exploring and a lot of eating with great friends. It was nice to get out of Dallas for the weekend and see a little more of Texas. If we are being honest, I really enjoyed the Gruene/ New Braunfels area! The whole town felt way more laid back and easy going compared to Dallas. My type of place. Over and out.