Day 18 - West Texas (Arlington to Ft. Davis)

Days on the road: 18.
Miles today: 490.
Miles to date: 3846.



I nearly hit 500 miles today as I sped across West Texas, a vast land of rust red soil, oil fields, wind farms, oil refineries, and cattle ranches.


I was headed to Fort Davis on the recommendation of an ex-pat Canadian I met in Austin. The University of Texas has a facility there in the form of the MacDonald Observatory. My route took me to Fort Davis via the Wild Rose Pass and into the mountains of West Texas. Fort Davis is located a mile above sea level and the observatory is at between 6300 and 6800 feet in elevation.




Whilst I've never been much of an astronomy guy, I must admit that seeing Saturn, its rings, and its moons through 16 and 22-inch telescopes was rather humanizing. Plus, the astro-geeks that run the "Star Party" are VERY enthusiastic about space stuff. Sadly viewing was not optimal as the weather was overcast and there was "considerable disruption in the upper atmosphere". But still, I've never seen so many stars in my life. The elevation and lack of light pollution made me feel as though it was a night sky from many, many years ago.

Day 17 - The Romans Built A Coliseum Once...

Days on the road: 17.
Miles today: 256.
Miles to date: 3356.

Say what you will about the new Cowboys Stadium's design aesthetic, but it is a marvel of engineering and worthy of acceptance into the "Everything Is Bigger In Texas" file. It is over-the-top huge and has really, really, really, really big TVs.



Here's a shot for the lovers of dance and readers of this blog (huge cross-over marketing opportunities):


Big mileage day tomorrow. Heading West.

Day 16 - San Antonio

Alamo? Check:


Riverwalk? Check:


Eyewitness to a duck attempting to murder a duckling? Check:


Bored in San Antonio and regretting booking that 2nd night? You betcha.

Day 15 - Austin, Driftwood, San Marcos, and San Antonio

Days on the road: 15.
Miles today: 162.
Miles to date: 3100.



Today was an easy day behind the wheel and involved great coffee @ Frank's (again) in Austin, a visit to the Austin Museum of Art for an interesting Smithsonian exhibit on The Art of Hatch Show Print, some unbelievable Texas BBQ, shopping at the most gigantic outlet mall I've ever seen, and the start of my visit to San Antonio which will mark the Southern-most point in my journey.

As some will recall, I encountered a BBQ sandwich outside of Chapel Hill, NC that has replaced the whale in my dreams. And until today, no other form of BBQ had come close to it. Well, Allen & Son, meet the Salt Lick. I have decided to worship at 2 BBQ altars and to split my journey toward smoked and roasted meat enlightenment between these 2 schools of wood-fired thought.


The waiter, a man named Jack with tremendous posture, suggested I try the combo plate. He also offered the all-you-can-eat option which I viewed as just plain wrong. Jack returned in a few minutes with the combo plate - a sampler of their pork ribs, sausage, and brisket joined by coleslaw, beans, and potato salad. A side plate of uber-fresh bread, pickles and onions magically appeared as well. Let me dismiss both the coleslaw and the beans as nothing special. The potato salad, however, was transcendent in a way that I was not aware potato salad could be.

But nobody traveled 3000 miles for potato salad. Redheads, maybe. But not potato salad. The star was the three parts of delicious former barnyard animals. The pork ribs were porky and smoky and sweet and barely hung to the bone. The sausage meat was finely ground but the casing had a serious snap to it. And the brisket. Sweet Jesus, I have never been a big brisket guy, but I hope to one day major in it at BBQ community college. It was moist and succulent and had smoke penetration of about 3/8" into the meat. WOW. And all of it was covered in a light brown/orange house bbq sauce that sang like angels. Here's a shot of their bbq pit - housed directly in the restaurant, just behind the cash register. When I asked to take a photo, they made me go into the prep area to get a good angle:

(YOU MAY WANT TO CLICK TO ENLARGE THE SHOT AND LICK YOUR SCREEN)


Sadly, I've been on a Lipitor drip since. And I'm not sure, but I don't think Texas Hill Country is the most politically correct corner of the planet:

Days 12, 13, & 14 in Austin - Part 3 - Seat of Power, Bats, Bat Shit, And Bat Shit Crazy.

That's right, dear readers, this post gets its own teaser title.

Many, many of those that call Austin home suggested I see the Capital Building and I'm glad I did as the architecture is special and access was free and easy. The building has a dome that can be seen in most city views and plays prominently on Congress Street. The details within are impressive and Texas-subtle, which is to say over the top. The woodwork, stonework, mouldings, light fixtures, inlays, and portraits of former governors all capture the eye and make for captivating visuals.




Austin also has a massive (estimated at 750,000 - 1,000,000) Mexican free-tailed bat population that call the underside of the Congress Street Bridge home. Come dusk, they funnel out from the safety of their hives (???) / bat caves (???) in wave after wave of batty-ness to the amusement of the citizenry and visitors alike. My venue for this spectacle was a pontoon party boat operated by a local tour company. Fortunately, I selected a seat on the boat with an overhead canopy as, once underway, we were informed by our guide that prior to taking flight, the bats like to, um, lighten their loads, and well, you know. The water began to ripple as if so many tiny pebbles had been dropped into it. And then, a black funnel of winged mammals took to the evening sky, flying away from the setting sun and along the river in search of food. The lake cruise at dusk was pretty fabulous as well and provided some great vistas of the Austin skyline.




Finally, whilst roaming the city streets on Monday, I spotted this very unique resident:



Yes, this woman is wearing a Mexican wrestling mask (Lucha Libre) at 11:30AM on a Monday in the heart of the city. I witnessed her casually stroll and even stop and smell flowers along her way. For some reason, she reminded me of one my dear sisters. Can anyone guess which sister???

Days 12, 13, & 14 in Austin, TX - Part 2

President Calvin Coolidge once said, "The business of America is business". Well, if ol' CC was around these days, he may have have to amend that to "the business of America is feeding Americans". The sheer number and concentration of bars and restaurants in Austin is staggering. 6th street alone is a run of bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and tattoo parlors. In, other words, I felt most comfy there. Here's a few of the watering holes that I, uh, read about:


Tasty Old Fashioneds, Brooklyn Lager in all its hoppy goodness and artisan sausages at Frank:
(Also home to some of the best coffee I've ever had - they are coffee freaks there.)


The dreaded goat-sucker of Mexican lore and legend:

I was thirsty and had some nickels:

I liked their signage:


No books in this library:

Days 12, 13, & 14 in Austin, TX - Part 1

Days on the road: 14.
Miles today: 92.
Miles to date: 2938.


Let me preface this entry with a note indicating how flattered I was to receive a number of emails requesting, nay, demanding more posts. It is a pleasure to have such a rabid following. I was having such a good time in Austin that I figured the posting could wait until I had lots to write. Perhaps in the future, I won’t let it go so long...

I will have spent 4 nights in Austin because I like the city that much. It is a great size - about a million people, easily navigable, fairly pedestrian and bike friendly, a great mix of bars and restaurants and really good music everywhere I went. I also felt a significantly youthful energy stemming from UT (go longhorns!) and an eclectic mix of competing factions. These factions include hipsters, politicos, musicians, artists, high tech geeks, business knobs, oilmen, former cheerleaders, dirty hippies, and a huge Mexicans. Of course, the further South I’ve driven, the better the Mexican food has become triggering Fusco family memories circa 1981-1984.
A few observations on Austinians (Austinites, Austininos?):
1) Women of Austin freely call me (and possibly others) “Sweetie”. I think I like it even better than “Darlin’”.
2) The “y’all” is softer in Texas, and far less annoying. Perhaps I’m becoming conditioned to it, but my hyper vigilance to that which annoys me doesn’t seem to agree with that.
3) There are an unusually large number of red headed women in this city. This is a very good thing. And while my observations are far from scientific, the visual evidence is abundant and a pleasure to study.
4) The people of Austin are the right amount of nice. Not so nice that I find them highly suspicious, but nice enough that the fine tradition of the bartender buy-back is in full effect. This is one of the most glaring omissions from Toronto culture – I could write 50,000 words on this, but its mention will have to suffice for now.

I met a nice (but not too nice) couple that had moved to Austin from Chicago last year. They were confused by my non-regional dialect and could not believe I was from Canada. In keeping with the “Ask a local” policy of this trip, they provided many suggestions on activities whilst in Austin. One of which was to tour the UT tower – site of a sniper attack on unsuspecting campus goers in the mid-60’s. The tower was only recently re-opened to tours, now conducted under very tight security involving a metal detector (which, of course, was set off by the lone Canadian), many security guards, and tour guides. The view of Austin from the top of the tower is expansive and the weather was terrific, but the metal cage for visitor safety impaired some shots (photos, that is).

Day 11 - Texarkana, AR to Austin, TX

Days on the road: 11.
Miles today: 404.
Miles to date: 2846.

Day 11 started ominously as thunder roared outside my window and woke me unexpectedly. I had gone to bed last night after watching the local news and hearing far too much about heavy storm warnings included a record high reading of 7 on something called the "TORCON" - a tornado condition measuring system, and this morning thunder seemed an ominous precursor of the day to come.

I decided to get on the road and make miles before the heat of the day stirred up the atmosphere into decidedly non-convertible weather. The humidity was high and the sky, she was ripe with rain babies. The top stayed up and it was the right move as moments after pulling onto the road, the rain came. While it got quite heavy 2 or 3 times along the way, things didn't get too hairy. And the generous Texas speed limits meant my progress was brisk. Unfortunately, the conditions for photography were less than ideal, so the camera stayed on the trunk again today and the internet will have to provide the pictures.

My route took me Southwest into Texas and its lovely visuals of:

Big pickup trucks (more than I could count):


Oil Rigs - just like on the 80's TV show "Dallas":



Cattle ranches:


And many cows (or as I like to call them, future-steaks):



Safe and sound in Austin for a few days.

Day 10 - Memphis, TN to Texarkana, AR

Days on the road: 10.
Miles today: 409.
Miles to date: 2442.


A very long day in the saddle today, dear readers. My morning was spent traveling South through the Mississippi delta with the mighty river out my right window. The low, flat land was filled with rich black soil. The elevated roadway allowed free sight lines and imbued an understanding of how just a few extra feet of water level could cause trouble (See Great Flood of 1927). I drove along the Blues Trail and couldn't help but feel the weight of history as I steered the little blue Audi around the many bends and curves that followed the river's wandering path. Alas, I encountered no cloven-hoofed man looking to bargain fame in exchange for my soul. I crossed the Mississippi and into Arkansas around mid-day.

Interesting visuals of the day included crop dusting planes in use and resting, 250-300 yd long metal irrigation rigs, dust devils in random fields, 1 brave turtle successfully (well, at last visual at least) crossing the highway, and 2 not so successful armadillos.

I feel as though I can admit this to you all: I broke and had chicken fried steak for lunch today at Sawyer's Steak House in lovely downtown Hamburg, AR (Pop. 3029). The lunch conversation went something like this:

Me: So, what do you suggest for lunch?
Sassy Southern Waitress: It's Thursday, darlin'. That means we got chicken fried steak, white gravy, dressing and brown gravy, mashed potatoes, baked corn, green beans and Baskin Robbins pie. You should have that 'cuz that's what we cooked.
Me: I see. I guess I'll go with that.
SSW: Well, the buffet's over there. Go help yourself.

After lunch:

SSW: You all done there, darlin'???
Me: Yes, that was quite the lunch.
SSW: I hope you saved room for Baskin Robbins pie?
Me: What is that?
SSW: Chocolate pudding, vanilla pudding, and Cool Whip in a graham cracker crust.
Me: Sounds delicious.

$8 dollars and at least 4 years off of my life. Totally worth it. Those would have been less than optimal years anyway.

With the chicken fried steak sitting in my stomach like a so much radiation blocking lead liner, I was not at my sharpest and missed a turn, ending up in Louisiana. Not part of the plan. Fortunately, I noticed my navigation error quickly and avoided any "Deliverance"-like rural incidents. After my 30 mile error, sailing was smooth and my shot across Arkansas concluded. Let me explain the state to you this way: AR started as delta farmland in the East, and heading West turned to forest and many logging trucks, then horse country, then cattle country, and finally I saw my first few oil wells.

Could be some severe weather tomorrow....

Day 9 - Memphis Events & Lessons From Elvis

Days on the road: 9.
Miles today: 58.
Miles to date: 2033.

Oooohhhhh.....big tourist events today. Graceland? Check. Mississippi riverboat cruise? Check. Memphis style BBQ? Check. Beale Street blues bars? Check. Feeling like I was in a remake of "The Firm"? Check.


People sure do love Elvis. In fact, I'd say people love Elvis a little too much. Yes, I took the tour and much to my dismay, the upstairs of Graceland is not on the tour. The handy audio guide says that it is because upstairs was Elvis' private sanctuary and out of respect to him, they don't allow visitors up there. Did I feel ripped off? You betcha. I do, however, feel as though I should share the following take-aways with you:

1) Elvis, as evidenced by his choice of interior design, home furnishings, deep-fried cheeseburger consumption, "enthusiasm" for prescription drugs, and choice of sequined jumpsuits as everyday attire can be summed up by the following words: "restrained elegance".

2) He seemed to enjoy statues of monkeys.


3)He often enjoyed racing golf carts around the property with friends.


4) His custom logo (which was applied liberally to his planes, walls of his home, and clothing) included a lightning bolt and the letters "TCB" for "Taking Care of Business".


None of this is made up. I share because I care.


The riverboat cruise was relaxing and educational. I won't bore you with the many facts that I absorbed, but I was happy to have a learning portion to the day. I sampled some Memphis BBQ, but I still prefer NC BBQ. And blues on Beale street was much more pleasing to me than my Nashville country music experience.

Nashville to Memphis, TN

Days on the road: 8.
Miles today: 248.
Miles to date: 1975.


Waynesboro, Savannah, Adamsville, Selmer, Bolivar, and Whiteville (Hmmm...I wonder why they named it that???) were the pass-through towns on my journey to Memphis today. I had truly excellent tacos al carbon at a tiny little Mexican place in Selmer. Who knew? I didn't ask a cop, just went with my finely honed Mexican spider sense and sniffed 'em out.

There was hardly any traffic on my chosen route but plenty of road repair / economic stimulus at work. It was an easy and scenic cruise and I even pulled off the road and did some laundry at a middle-of-no-where and deserted coin laundry / car wash. The little blue Audi rested and was given a gentle power spray bath while my limited traveling wardrobe tumbled softly with Dr. Phil on the TV in the background. This timeout allowed me to do some reading in the shade and
remember the good old days of condo ownership and the luxury of in-suite laundry.

Things I'm enjoying:

• Memories of the pulled pork sandwich outside of Chapel Hill, NC. Seriously. I could turn around and just hang out in their parking lot for the next 5 weeks and make up these blog posts. Nobody would know, I'd just say that my camera had been stolen.
  
• Being called "darlin'" by unfamiliar women with no expectations.
  
• Podcasts and every CD I've ever owned on my ipod - helping greatly to pass the miles.

Things I'm not enjoying:

• "Y'all". Ugh. Really starting to annoy me.
  
• The shocking lack of driving ability of so many of those that I am sharing the road with. Many seem to think that drafting isn't just for NASCAR racing.
  
• I haven't had a decent cup of coffee yet. Horrible, horrible coffee everywhere.
  

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Nashville, TN to Bowling Green, KY and Back to Nashville, TN

Days on the road: 7.
Miles today: 181.
Miles to date: 1727.

Day 7 involved a blast up I-65 into the verdant and rolling hills of Kentucky and on to the Corvette factory in Bowling Green. Perhaps it is all the Mighty Machines / Thomas The Tank Engine / and Pixar's Cars that I've seen over the last 5 years as friends have been breeding, but just 1 car factory tour wasn't enough. The differences between the BMW and GM factories were plentiful, but one thing that stood out was the number of GM workers wearing a brace or a wrap on a body part. I didn't notice even 1 BMW employee playing hurt. Does that have something to do with the fact that GM is unionized and BMW is not or something to do with the relative ages of employees (GM decidedly older)? It was very interesting to compare and contrast both operations. The National Corvette Museum was quite the place where as the BMW museum was rather lacking and specific to models that had been produced in the USA.


Fusco's Fun Fact For The Day:

Did you know that Bowling Green is called "Tree City USA"? Mind you, the town has fallen far from grace, but it is leafy.


Post tour, I explored Bowling Green to little reward. I headed back to Nashville and with time to kill visited Opry Mills. That's right, there's a giant shopping mall attached to The Grand Ol' Opry for all your food court, IMAX theatre, and factory outlet needs. I had popped in to the bookstore to pick up some reading material, but toured the mall like a dis-affected teenager in search of a skateboard.


CONTENT WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES.


I call the following photo essay, "Cupcake, Meet Thy Master" and is proof of what happens when friends (PJ & LZ) insist on me going to the Cupcake Collection for the traditional Nashvillian afternoon snackette of Sweet Lemonade and Sweet Potato cupcakes:









They didn't stand a chance.