Texas & Louisiana

San Antonio is a city full of life and color.

The humidity was a wake up call as we have been so accustomed to the dry heat of the west. We went to one of the top Mexican restaurants in the city and devoured tacos before heading to see the Alamo. The historical buildings were fascinating as well as the stories of the brave Texans.

We grabbed a ice cream cone and headed to the famous riverwalk. I was excited to see the Christmas lights streamed across the water.

It seemed like hundreds of restaurants lined the river, making it so tempting to stop and grab a bite. We knew with the long drives ahead, our budget dictated where we ate. So we found a hole in the wall pizza restaurant and paid less for 2 huge slices than for our ice cream. Although we had driven 6 hours to get here, we had to drive another 3 that night to get outside of Houston. The rest of the trip consists of long driving spells, primarily because we kept taking the days at the end of our journey and putting them into California. We do have a deadline to when we need to get back, so the long drives are necessary so we get to see and do everything we want.

We didn’t know what to expect when we arrived to Houston since we knew the city had taken a huge hit from Hurricane Harvey. A lot of the area looked clean and relatively normal until we arrived at Sabine Park. Grocery bags flew like white surrender flags waving on the tops of trees, a sure sign that the water level was at that elevation. Sand covered the bike paths, huge power lines damned up the river, and liter scattered throughout the park. But we also saw around 50 people riding their bikes, walking their dogs, or running in addition to the workers who were bulldozing, picking up trash, and ensuring this one single park that Zack and I happened to stop at, looked beautiful again. And even though there are still scars and constant reminders, like the flooding that is still prominent, people are doing their best to move on, because frankly that’s the only option they have.

Here’s me falling off my bike, which happens every time I try to turn around for a picture.

We killed a few hours roaming around, mostly because Gatlin’s BBQ, the best BBQ in Houston, opened at 11. It was so good, the staff was so friendly, and we left there seriously needing a nap! But once again, we hit the road and drove a long long way to New Orleans. The 5 hour drive, took 8 and we were absolutely delirious. We would nap while the other drove, but not without making sure the playlist was a good one. We forgot how unfortunate traffic is after not seeing cars for hundreds of miles in west Texas. The down pouring rain made the journey troublesome but we made it, finally.

It was dinner time, but we were still so full from Gatlin’s, we decided to go straight to Cafe du Monde. We topped off our stomachs with some coffee and beignets. Walking around Pearl and Bourbon street, we appreciate the beauty of the French quarters. It was still drizzling out but we had our fun people watching and looking at the Christmas decorations. We planned on being there longer, but the traffic cut our time short. It is a place I would love to go back and see properly.