7 days and 7 nights. We had officially been sleeping in the Ford Focus for one whole week. Our modifications to the car post our November test run had and have proven to be essential to keeping both our sanities in check when assembling and disassembling our bed setup.
We arrived in Houston, Texas looking forward to a few days break from the car and the road. Chris worked a lot in Houston whilst I applied for online copywriting work, and spent time writing this blog!
We did do a drive by of NASA. Only a drive by because we arrived shortly after all the tourist ventures closed. So we sort of saw NASA. From the car. I have a very blurry picture of the NASA sign to prove it.
Houston was covered in NFL paraphernalia. Neither of us follow football and embarrassingly only just realized that the Super Bowl was in fact in Houston this year. I think we went as far as to utter out loud: “Wow! They really like football here” and “I think there’s something going on here.” We were there a week ahead of the Super Bowl.
We actually realize this whole Super Bowl thing was happening as we were driving out of Houston. As much fun as tailgating at THE Super Bowl would be, we had not planned to stay in Houston that whole time. We debated it a bit but kept moving.
From Houston, we travelled three hours North to Tyler, Texas. Chris had set up an interview with another lawn care business. It was another successful and insightful interview. Thus far we had managed to fit 5 interviews within the first week and a bit of our trip.
We spent the rest of the day catching up on laundry and cleaning up the car. Chris worked, and I wrote.
Dallas, Texas was next on the list.
First up: Standard driving practice for me.
I’ve driven standard once seven years ago. A quick lesson with my dad.. Chris’s Ford Focus hatchback is a standard vehicle. From the get-go, I did not want to be put in the driver’s seat until I had a brief practice lesson. I knew how to drive standard. Knowing how and doing are entirely different things.
I am not even sure exactly how many times I drove around the same bank practicing getting the car into first gear. Enough times for Chris to wonder if they would call the cops.
Props to Chris for his patience in the passenger seat as we went in the same circle over and over again.
Stop, go, stop, go, stop, go.
The people working at the bank are probably still wondering why we felt it necessary to drive by their entrance so many times.
Once comfortable, I drove us the two hours from Tyler to Dallas. Some stalling of the car. Varying spikes in my cortisol levels (maybe Chris’s too). No accident or injury to car or persons.
We spent the later part of the afternoon and evening walking around Dallas, finding spots to lounge on our laptops and exploring Klyde Warren Park. The park near the Art District had a very modern vibe. There was an open covered space where a Zumba fitness class was taking place, food trucks, foosball, and ping pong tables, and various spaces with seating and tables to sit and lounge at.
The added bonus: we were averaging temperatures in the low twenty degree celsius range. We hadn’t had a particularly cloudy day since leaving Alabama. For two Canadians, it was amazing weather for the beginning of February. No complaints.
After much debate, we headed back down south to Austin. We planned one day and one night for Austin as we had not entirely intended on going there.
We spent most of the afternoon at a cafe called Bennu Coffee.
That night, we headed to see a movie at what is renowned as Tarantino’s favorite movie theatre. We drove a whole half hour out of our way to it.
Arriving early, we spent the time in the parking lot joking around and eating a quick bite before heading in. Soon we found out we were at the wrong theater.
Not to be discouraged we decided on getting dinner and exploring downtown Austin. We walked around and had some of the best Mexican food I have ever had. It turned into a really fun, relaxing night.
One of the great things about this kind of trip is not having a set itinerary. When something doesn’t go entirely as planned it doesn’t phase us. Nothing is entirely planned. The go with the flow mantra has adopted into our everyday life on the road. We often decide what our plan is the day of based on how we feel. Sure, I have to be back to work by April 20th. Yet, that is a whole 2 and a half months away. A lot can happen between now and then. We are constantly excited about a new day, new adventures.
From Austin, we began a 2 day, 10+ hour drive to the mountains in Colorado Springs!
