Days 3 & 4: Texas

Texas was a real roller coaster ride for me! It started upon entry of the country …oops, I mean state (right, Dad!). It just felt different than the other places in the U.S. that I have been. It’s tough to describe, perhaps the best I can do is by saying that it felt like there is this unspoken code that one receives upon birth or perhaps some kind of initiation to the state and if you don’t have this then you just won’t get Texas (and they don’t seem to care whether you get them or not). It looks like that if one does get it then everything about the place will make the blood flow. I think I just got a glimpse and this is why I felt this roller coaster sensation while there. Either that or this state, which felt very alive, had some sort of beef with me!

The ride started slowly creeping up the rails of the track as I hit the first bit of traffic and some serious thunder storms, neither of which I had experienced since the road trip begun. I got to the top of the ride when I made it to my first Texan destination, Austin. This was by far the highlight of my couch surfing experiences to this point. This is where I stayed with Jade and Oli …one of those beautifully matched fire and wind type couples. Jade toured me around and gave me the behind the scenes scoop of Austin. There’s no way I could have come to appreciate it for what it is without her. She pointed out many unique local spots like the G’Raj Mahal Cafe (say it out load…get it?). This is an Indian restaurant, and I’m not sure what the connection is to Indian food, but they had these bikes out front that were created into various ride-able art forms, like butterflies and dragonflies. The best was a series of 10 or more bikes that were welded together underneath the form of a snake, which people actually ride through the town on particular occasions …or for no particular reason at all, I can’t really remember? The funny thing is that in Austin, it would be mainstay to see a gigantic snake just cruising the streets! As we drove around I learned about the history of their moon towers and got to see a person scaling a high city structure in the dark and learned that this is actually an organized thing that is done to commemorate particular town events. I also found out about the renegade crocheters who go around in the middle of the night and nit the coolest designs around the signs of local businesses. Apparently the new Austin fad these days is these crazy decked out trailers that people sell anything from cupcakes to…I can’t remember, probably something like talking burritos! .

I was so jazzed-up to get moving in the morning to hit up the coffee shops and a trail that Jade had pointed out. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I felt like I dropped steeply just to be catapulted back up and down a few more times as I raced around the town trying to get everything in before it was time to head out. It was fun though. I went to three coffee shops before I found “the” one where I could blog it up. Then I made my way to the greatest park where I attempted to exercise in the 20 minutes I had left before meeting up with my hosts for lunch. My exercise was consumed by a classically bizarre Austin scene of a dog repeatedly climbing trees (higher than I am probably capable of) in order to attempt to catch squirrels!

I spun around the tracks of this ride way longer than I anticipated, having a difficult time getting off. When I finally did, I busted out of control into a nauseating scheme of vehicle obstacles, including auto repair and a speeding ticket.

It’s a good thing that the roads of Texas are long and desolate because, by this point, I REALLY needed some space. I drove for hours into the pitch-black night, which was occasionally lit by the headlights of a fellow driver on this two-lane, 75 mph highway. I wearily made it to my final Texan location in Lubbock …apparently the place that inspires depressing country songs. My host sweetly waited up for me and made me as comfortable as possible but the urgency to run as far away from Texas as I could didn’t really afford me the chance to get to know her or Lubbock very well. Funny thing is, I never saw any signs that indicated my departure from Texas but it was like I could literally feel it release me. Now it may sound like I loath this place when I use statements like, “running away from” to describe my experience. This is why the analogy of the rollercoaster is so well suited to depict this experience. Because, as much as rollercoaster’s may be hated while riding them, there is typically some twisted love for them will that has the ability to bring the rider back for more!