Houston and an Astros/Mariners Game

Had plans of touring Johnson Space Center but thought better of trying to drag a 6 and 8 year old around all day on a tour before taking in an Astros game. We slept in a little, barely made the free buffet breakfast at the hotel, and then relaxed in the room for a bit. We did a little walking tour of downtown and the kids got a chance to get wet in the fountains of Discovery Green. We nearly melted on the walk back to the hotel to cool off before the game....and the locals tell us this is cool weather for this time of year....wow. We headed to the game about 6pm and got in a little catch with Will at Discovery Green on the way. Minute Maid is not the most attractive park from the outside but it's a nice experience from the inside (thankfully, the roof was closed so it was cool). One new feature for us was the metal detector on the way in....uhhhh, ok. The food was decent but a step back from the Rangers Park. Best thing we had was a brisket sandwich which was good but not great. We watched the game from several places including upper deck behind home plate, right field and the Crawford Boxes in left. We met a couple, Michael and Holly, from San Francisco who were on a similar baseball quest. They're in the picture with the "Home Run Pump". Minute Maid was their 17th baseball stadium.  Mariners ended up winning 10-4 and we saw 6 homers. Just made it back to the hotel and everyone is getting ready for bed.

Austin to Houston

Kids got in a morning swim before we headed out to breakfast at the very exclusive Austin IHOP. ;-) Last stop in Austin was the state capitol building. Apparently, it is the 6th tallest state capitol building and 14 ft taller than the US Capitol. The statues as you enter from the south entrance are of Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin. The walls up to the rotunda have portraits of all the former Texas governors and presidents (from pre-statehood). The most recent former governor is "W". After the quick capitol tour, we drove the ~3 hrs to Houston, arriving about 6:30. We had pizza at Frank's Pizza and headed back to the hotel (Hotel Lancaster).

University of Texas, Good Friends and LOTS of BBQ

Started the day by grabbing a muffin and heading straight for La Barbecue for meat. We got in line at 10:30 (30 min before opening) and still ended up waiting for 2 hours to order. You can see in the picture they had already run out of beef and spare ribs before we got a chance to order. We met a couple of UT students (Justin & Karthik) who pointed us in the direction of the keg of free beer for those waiting in line. Okie dokie! The food was awesome but the whole experience of talking with Austin locals and a little live music was just as good.

Next stop was the UT campus. We walked from one end to the other, passed the football stadium and ended up at the LBJ Presidential Library where we took refuge from the heat and humidity. The campus is impressive with all the live oak trees and massive modern buildings.

Next stop was back at our friends, the Craigs, where Lee was cooking up a TON more barbecue - smoked sausage links, baby back ribs, and bacon covered brisket. Will informed Lee he would be coming back to Oregon to cook more ribs. :-) The kids had a great time together and it nearly ripped our hearts out to leave (especially with the the kids begging us to come back tomorrow). We miss you guys.

San Antonio to Austin

Slept in a little late so missed the free breakfast....ended up hitting a bagel shop instead. We went back to the Alamo to get our national parks book stamped and then walked along the river one more time to San Fernando Cathedral - beautiful church where the heroes of the Alamo are (supposedly) entombed. There is some doubt as to whether the remains are actually those of Crockett,  Travis,  and Bowie. The kids soaked themselves in the fountains outside the Cathedral just before we left for Austin. Poor William got car sick about 20 miles down the road and ended up laying across 2 chairs for 30 minutes instead of eating lunch. He eventually bounced back and we finished the trip to our good friends, Lee and Theresa's house arriving there around 4pm. The kids got to play with the three Craig triplets and the adults got to catch up a little on the 8 years since Lee and Theresa left Portland for Austin.... so good to see them! Checked into our hotel (Hilton Austin Airport) around 10pm and crashed. 

Alamo & Riverwalk

Started with breakfast at the hotel before heading to down to the Riverwalk and walking to the Alamo and into a Phil Collins presser welcoming the Griswolds to town (there was also something about him donating some Alamo artifacts but that was surely secondary). We got in a tour, a movie about the Alamo, and a trip to Hag N Daz before the skies opened up with another downpour. Fortunately,  that was the only significant rainfall of the day. Christy got in a little shopping before we had Mexican food at Rita's on the river and then went for a short cruise. The Riverwalk did not disappoint. It was as beautiful as advertised. The kids were spent and hot by the time the boat ride was over so we went back to the hotel for a nap and a swim. Finished the day off with dinner at the hotel. Check out the Drury Plaza Hotel on your next trip to San Antonio. They greeted us with a free upgrade to a suite. They also have "free" breakfast,  dinner,  WiFi, and a great rooftop pool/jacuzzi included in their very reasonable rates. Count me as a huge fan.

Dallas to San Antonio

We got hammered by several thunderstorms on our way to San Antonio but we survived. We landed in town about 6:30 and went to Mi Tierra for Mexican food. The place is pretty amazing with its murals, lights, flags, etc. The wait staff were super friendly. Our original waitress,  Regina, came back to our table after she was re-assigned to another group and insisted on giving us a tour of their different murals. She took the kids by their hands and led them back to take a picture by their largest mural. She gave them both big hugs on our way out. She really made a great impression.... as have most the people we have met so far.  After dinner we checked in our hotel (Drury Plaza Hotel Riverwalk) and got a free upgrade to a suite. Woo-hoo! No gaming in the closet tonight.  :-) Finished out the evening with a swim with the kids while Christy unpacked and organized our gear.

Sixth Floor Museum / Rangers game

First stop after breakfast was Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum in the old Texas Book Depository. We walked by the "grassy knoll", stood in the same location as Zapruder when he was filming the JFK motorcade, saw the location where Oswald's gun was found, and saw the "X" on Elm Street where Kennedy's car took fire. Kids were amazingly patient with us as we took the audio tour in the museum. We had ice cream in the museum cafe afterward with a grandmother who was originally from Alabama but who had spent 8 years living in Portland (Rock Creek). Will had made friends with her 8 year old grandson from Tennessee. After ice cream, we headed back to the hotel for a quick nap before heading to the Rangers/Tigers game. We had a good thunderstorm both on the way to the game and for the first few innings. Will loved the lightening. We gave Globe Life Park (as it is now named) mostly high marks. The food is very impressive. The 24 inch hot dog in the picture is no joke. We had a brisket sandwich that was strong. They also had foot long corn dogs, bacon (about an inch thick) on a stick, turkey legs, & brisket nachos. Only real downside is the location....about 20 miles from anywhere,  right next to the spaceship that is AT&T (Cowboys) Stadium.

Perot Museum

Had a decent but not fantastic breakfast at the eclectic All Good Café after experiencing a little Dallas culture on the light rail ride. After breakfast, Jess took a turn on stage for a picture after a small bribe. Headed to the Perot Museum for a few hours - similar to OMSI for my Oregon friends. Kids were not impressed until we got to the Sports Hall and Building room. Jessi and Christy got to race a T-Rex. Will enjoyed racing a friend. He also liked the super slow-mo camera which captured him pitching and hitting a tennis ball. The build-your-own pinewood derby car and paper rockets were probably the biggest hit...since they got to race and fly them. Had a ribs and brisket dinner at Lockhart Smokehouse that was excellent....score one for the hotel valet.