No, this isn’t a post about lining up a nice drive down the fairway written by someone who doesn’t know how to spell “golfing”. Instead, this is my take on what I would consider to be one of the best road trips I’ve been on. The first week of June my crew and I (girlfriend+dog) made the trek along America’s Gulf Coast from Southwest Florida to (what is now our new home) Austin, Texas.
When you are forced to stay at home for months on end you have a lot of time to plan all of the things you’re going to do when the world opens back up again. PTO days were stacking up from not being used during the stay at home orders and I couldn’t just let them sit burning a hole in my work-benefits pocket. So, we picked out a weekend to make the 40+ hour round-trip drive with Luna.
The 11.5 hour drive from Fort Myers to NOLA was far better than expected both in ease of navigation and scenically. As you drive up 75-North you’re surrounded by patches of greenery as well as stretches of ocean and bays. The closer you get to Tallahassee the more varied the terrain becomes as you drive through hilly roads that you wont find in the flat landscape of SowFlo. Driving through Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana is a straight shot on I-10 West. As you approach the city of New Orleans you’re greeted by massive oil rig equipment reaching into the gulf to the south and bridges that hover over the bayou in front of the city skyline. We were fortunate enough to arrive to this scene with a backdrop of the sun setting over the water. Being the Dave Matthews Band fans that we are, we had to turn on DMB – Louisiana Bayou as we entered the city (video below).
At the time of visiting, New Orleans was in phase one of reopening so bars were not yet opened and most restaurants were takeout only. I’ve never been to New Orleans but I’ve seen videos and heard how crazy the city can get during big events, like Mardi Gras. We knew the city wasn’t going to be in full swing but I anticipated it being a little busier than it was. By the time we got settled into our room and Luna was put to bed it was around 11pm. We ventured out to Bourbon street and there was only one restaurant/bar open: Drinkery. Seeking out some native New Orleans grub we settled on Buffalo Fried Oyster Po Boy and a Hurricane and were not dissapointed. After we ate and had a few drinks we walked through the French Quarter and made the most of our time before heading back to the room for some much needed shut-eye.
The next morning we got up, packed our things and loaded up the car to head to Austin. Before leaving we stopped at Daisy Dukes Cafe for a Bloody Mary and a crawfish omelette, it was good (but probably not good enough to offset me realizing I left my credit card at the restaurant when getting gas hours later, *facepalm*) The drive to Austin was about 9 hours, and the first night we stayed with a friend of mine. As we were debating what to do for the night over a few beers we decided first things first..when in Texas gotta have some TexMex. We ordered some Torchy’s Tacos and woah..best tacos I have EVER had.
Now into the halfway point of our trip, we started out the day with some great breakfast at Java Cafe and a hike near Barton Creek in West Austin. Luna loved being able to stay cool in the Texas heat by splashing through the water. There were plenty of spots to stop and relax along the creek but also some busier watering holes where more people congregated. A few hours at the creek and it was time for us to check into our next AirBnB at the Domain.
Our first night in the Domain area we went to Cyclone Anayas for some margaritas and more TexMex (in the form of bacon wrapped jalapeno shrimp this time, see below). After dinner we invited our friends over to pregame and check out the bar scene in the Domain. We found two cool bars, the first must not have been that cool because I forgot the name but the second was called 77 Degrees. For it being a quarantine the place was packed, and me having high risk tolerance, I loved it. Now, when you’re from Wisconsin it is part of your genetic code that when you reconnect with friends who are also from Wisconsin you have to binge drink to celebrate (I didn’t write the rules). The next morning we got some much necessary fuel in the form of a smoothie, did some shopping and then went to Terry Blacks BBQ for yet again one of the best meals I’ve ever had. We wrapped our trip up and headed back to Florida the next day.
Through and through, this trip was certainly not a bad way to get out and enjoy the world after being limited from it for so long. The trip left us in love with the Austin area. And a few months later my job announced that due to the pandemic they would be extending work-from-home until late 2021 and offering permanent remote opportunities. With an expiring apartment lease in October and us being so enthralled by the Austin area, in November 2020 we decided to move to Round Rock, Texas. I’ll write about our experience moving cross-country and being Round Rock residents in a later post.
Hunter's Happenings 