It is about 5 AM. We are only an hour from Pflugerville – a
town next to Round Rock and a few minutes from Austin – this is where Efrain
and Krysta lives and where we will be spending the night. I texted Efrain last
night to give him an estimated time of arrival just in case something happens
to us. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the creepy gas station!
Even though I planned the route and made sure we had hotels
on standby, I left gas stations out of the route and relied on old fashion signs.
We also kept the tank at least half a tank full at all times.
We were in the middle of nowhere between El Paso and Austin
when we noticed the tank getting low. I saw a Chevron and a Valero gas station
in the distance and we decided to go with Chevron because of the cleaner
restrooms. The fiancé hopped out of the car, started to pump gas and ran off to
the restroom. I stayed in the car and the first thing I noticed was the empty stations
and compared it to the Valero – full of cars – across the street. Then I heard
tiny taps against my car. I looked out my window and saw small winged bugs fly
straight into the car window. I looked out the front windshield and saw more
bugs flying straight onto the surface of the car. I then looked around the gas
station and noticed bugs crawling and flying all over the gas pumps and all
over the floor. They were small, ant-like, and winged. There were also a few
moths present. I then see my fiancé walk back to the car. He took out the gas
pump and climbed in. I asked him if he noticed all the bugs flying around, he
said yes and then told me what he found inside is just as creepy. There was no
attendant inside and that though the shop and restroom was clean, it was spooky
an eerie. He then drove us across the street to the Valero gas station and ran
inside to use the restroom. It was strange how the Valero was full of cars and
people walking about. No bugs in sight.
We continued on the road and arrived at Efrain’s house a
little before 6 AM. The back roads leading to Pflugerville were isolated and
covered with hollowing trees that leaned over the road, blocking out the
moonlight. The fiancé was a trooper and have been driving for 24 hours so by
the time we reached Efrain’s house he shook Efrain’s hands and passed out on the
guest bed.
The next morning Efrain texted us that he would be home
about 12 PM to take us out to lunch and give us a tour of the Capitol. We were
well rested and hungry for Texas BBQ so Efrain took us to Rudy’s Country Store
and BBQ in Round Rock, TX. Here we got a rundown on how things are ordered in
Texas. At Rudy’s you order meat by the pound. I was told that a majority of
Texas BBQ joints order by the pound. We ordered a whole sausage, 1 pound of moist
brisket, 1 pound of Pork Spare Ribs, and 1 pound of Pork Loin. I ate the whole
sausage link by myself and stuffed by face with a side of New Potatoes (boiled
red potatoes, drained and marinated with a stick of butter). Everything was
delicious!
After stuffing our bellies, we headed out to Downtown Austin.
I was in Austin about 4 years ago to officiate Efrain and Krysta’s wedding. I
stayed at the Radisson Hotel by the River and it was the best place to stay in
regards to location and scenery. I remember several of the bars that we visited
during the stay and as I mentioned, this was a college town… GOOOOOOOO
LONGHORNS!
While driving into town I noticed the large amount of cars
on the road and pedestrians in orange “Longhorn” gear. I asked Efrain if there
was a game or some college event going on. Efrain shrugged his shoulders and
said that it could be Freshmen orientation or summer camp of some sort. Because
of the high amount of vehicles we decided to park in the parking garage. It
wasn’t until we got out of the car that we noticed large signs and banners that
people were carrying. Efrain then hit his forehead and said, “Oh, the abortion
thing.” Turned out last Friday a proposal on abortion law was presented to the
state House. A filibuster from democrats and raucous protests derailed the
Republicans to pass the law Friday then led to some sort of controversy when
the office stated that the law was passed before the filibuster – don’t quote
me on that, this is from what Efrain said – if passed, the law would make Texas
one of the nation’s toughest places to get an abortion. Today’s protest brought
together college students, female activists, families, and of course a few
religious groups. We made our way to the footsteps of the Capitol and stopped
when we found lines wrapping around the building. The protestors were trying to
gain access into the Capitol to hear the abortion decision and I knew there was
no way I can enjoy a tour of the building with protestors yelling in my ears.
So I admired the building from outside, took a picture and left to grab some beer
with my host.
It is about 3 PM when our host took us to a non-college
block of bars. As we approached the first bar, we noticed the arid aura that
exuberated from the front door, then we noticed the operating hours: 4 PM – 1
AM. Darn, we were 1 hour early. So we went to the next bar, and the next, and
the next. Turns out none of the bars downtown were opened. WHAT? A college town
like Austin has no bars opened 24 hours? Efrain then took us back to Round Rock
where we went to Flix Brewhouse – where they serve movies and beer. Since the
fiancé enjoys beer more than food, he was happy to see the large selection of
beers on tap. He goes by the look of the knob rather than name so he ordered
accordingly.
After the boys threw back a few beers, we then headed back
to Efrain’s house to wait for Krysta. I was tired and so was the fiancé so we
headed back to the guest room for a quick nap. The nap lasted for 1 hour. I
heard Krysta calling our names so I ran downstairs to greet her. I was excited
to receive her hug. Krysta and Efrain are one of the cutest couples out there.
I officiated their wedding a few years back and it is the most important role I
have ever had. I was honored and overwhelmed with emotions that day and I have
no doubt that they have and will continue to have the most beautiful
relationship.
We headed to The Salt Licks for dinner - also in Round Rock.
The restaurant was large and sat next to a baseball field. They cook all their
meat on a stone fire pit that is open for everyone to watch. The smell of bbq
can be detected from the parking lot. Upon entry the aroma charged upward my
nose and awoke my other senses. I start to drool as I looked over at the pit.
The hostess seated us by the window on one of the many picnic benches. They
have a family meal and is also known as all-you-can-eat. I didn’t want to upset
my stomach so I stuck with a sausage and brisket mix. I didn’t like Salt Licks
as much as Rudy’s, but the bbq was still good.
After dinner, we headed back to Efrain’s house and lounged
on the couch watching movies. Our bellies were hanging out and our bodies just
wanted to stay still to let our stomachs digest. The fiancé and I will be
leaving early tomorrow morning so we called it a night.
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