Moab, Telluride, Albuquerque, Austin and San Antonio!

Hello Hello!

The last time we wrote we were waiting to head into Arches National Park in Utah. We left for the park around 9 am and it was already at least 90 degrees but that didn't stunt our excitement. When we got into the park we headed for the Delicate Arch Trailhead. The Delicate Arch is really what this park is famous for and whenever you look at pictures of Arches, it is the first thing that pops up. We started off on the trail and climbed up a huge rock and through winding desert paths. This trail was really cool because it was designed so the arch doesn't come into view until the very last possible second. It felt almost like a game, every corner we were like "I bet that's gonna be it!" It was so suspenseful! Finally we made it around the last corner and saw it. The book said this was one of nature's most amazing creations...they were right. Hundreds of people sat and stared at this 52 foot high natural arch just because it is so crazy to think that this was created purely by nature.

After the park we drove back into Moab and stopped in at the Moab Brewery. Conner tried one of their local beers and we split a smoked salmon salad which was delicious. Our plan was to leave Moab that day and head straight to Albuquerque, however, that plan instantly changed. When we were about to leave the brewery a man came up to us and asked us where we were from. We started talking and he asked if we were heading over to Telluride, Colorado. When we replied no, the next 10 minutes consisted of him going off about how we can't get this close and not go to Telluride, his favorite place in the world, it's so amazing and beautiful and we would be crazy not to go...and so on. It was hard not to be convinced so needless to say, we got in the car and headed to Telluride. When we were about 20 miles out of the town, Conner asked me if I had ever seen pictures of Telluride. I said no. He shook his head and said "you are going to be amazed." A few minutes later we drove into the town and I INSTANTLY fell in love. This, hands down, is the most beautiful town I have ever been in. The main road is lined with beautiful, old Victorian buildings (much like Ferndale) and if you look up and spin around 360 degrees, all you would see is huge mountains (14,000 ft) capped with snow and and, I swear, the greenest trees in the world and to top it off, tons of huge, beautiful waterfalls. So, my new life plan? Score the big bucks and buy a summer home in Telluride. The camping in the actual town was all taken up so we drove up the mountain to find another site. We landed on, by far the most beautiful campground that we have stayed in. Right on Priest Lake, we pitched our tent and faced our chairs towards the mountain peaks that lined our site, and the best part? It was free!

We spent a day in Telluride and the next morning we packed up our little car (who is now named Archy, btw) and headed for Albuquerque. I'm not going to lie to you, not too much to say about Albuquerque. It wasn't anything special in terms of scenery, but thanks to Guy Fieri, we are always able to find good food. We drove into town the first night we got there and went to Monte Carlo's Steakhouse. This was not any normal steakhouse. It was in a liquor store. This hole in the wall white building was your normal liquor store, but if you walked towards the back and behind the beer cooler there was a little door that said "Welcome, Restaurant." Walk through the door and you are in a classy, full serviced steakhouse. It was crazy, a secret restaurant. It was Greek influenced and amazing. After dinner, we walked through Old Town, which was pretty cool, except for the fact that everything was closing, but Conner was still able to buy some some Billy the Kid hot sauce.

We left Albuquerque the next morning and started our journey down to Austin, Texas. The drive was too long to make it the whole way in one day, so we stopped at a KOA in Abilene, Texas. It was 103 degrees and we knew (because of our camping experience in Death Valley) that sleeping that night was going to be horrible. The only thing keeping our hopes up was the fact that the KOA had a pool. Then we saw it. "POOL CLOSED." I think I cried a little bit. So we sat at our site, eating chili out of the can and waited to fall asleep.

In the morning, we got in the car as quickly as possible and went to Austin. I honestly don't know how people live in that kind of heat. I felt like my skin was going to just burn off. We were early for check in at our Motel 6, so we headed downtown. First stop? Bikinis Sports Bar. They were celebrating 5 years so we got 50 cent beers, mini burgers and wings. Perfect welcome to Austin. After lunch, we headed up the street to see the capital. Apparently, it's the tallest capital in the US. The heat started to get the best of us, so we headed to our hotel and went swimming. We obviously looked for a Diners, Drive ins and Dives place in Austin, so when we found out about Maria's Taco Express, we couldn't pass it up. It was SO good. The al pastor tacos were so good ( I actually just smiled to myself) I could eat them ever day for the rest of my life. We were so full after dinner we couldn't do anything but go back to the hotel and lay down, which then led to falling asleep. We had made a vow that when we weren't hiking, we would work out so we wouldn't get out of shape, so in the morning we drove down to the river and went for a run. I think I almost died. It was so hot and humid. For some reason, Conner was all pumped up and kept wanting to sprint...terrible. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that I knew I was going to eat a TON at Magnolia's Cafe (Guy Fieri's choice, weird). I must say, Guy has awesome taste, because everywhere we have eaten has been the best food ever. Magnolia's was packed and for good reason. I got an omelette, Con got Texas Benedict and we split their famous gingerbread pancakes. SO GOOD. Again, we were really full so we headed back to the hotel and hung out for a while. Around 6, we took the bus downtown and headed to a few bars. An Irish Pub was our first stop where we both sampled 3 different Texan beers. Next stop? Coyote Ugly Saloon. Enough Said. But what Austin is really known for is the live music. Every bar had live music playing, with most of them having one band downstairs and another upstairs. We sat and listened to some music on a rooftop and had a few drinks and then went to a bar called Chuggin Monkey. There, my friend from high school who has been living in Austin, met us and took us to a few more bars. It was super fun. They close down the two main streets to cars so people are just roaming the streets going in and out of bars.

The next morning we woke up and headed to Lockhart, Texas, home of some of the best BBQ in Texas. There were 4 choices of great BBQ places in Lockhart but when we saw the line out the door at Smitty's Market, we knew we had to go there. It was about 103 Degrees and we waited outside for about 20 minutes. Finally, we made it inside, which you would think would be a relief with air conditioning and everything. No. The pit room is where you order your ribs, brisket, sausage, etc, but it is also where they have the fires going to cook this fabulous meal. So little room, tons of people, fires everywhere, and 103 degrees equals, 120 degrees and smoke blowing in your face. After about ten minutes in that room, Conner, the amazing, wonderful boyfriend he is, told me to go into the eating area (which was air conditioned) and order our drinks and sides. I felt bad, but I was so hot I couldn't' resist the offer. 20 minutes later, he came in, drenched in sweat with a huge grin on his face. He was holding a big crumpled up piece of brown butcher paper that was filled with ribs, brisket and sausage. The best BBQ in Texas that we have ever had. Conner almost passed out waiting for the BBQ but he said it was totally worth it. Plus it was relatively cheap (half rack of ribs, 1 pound of brisket, and two sausage rings for $20)

When we were done gorging on BBQ, we headed to San Antonio, Texas. We stayed in a KOA and the first day we just sat at the pool all day. It was in the 100s again and we really didn't want to walk around. The next morning we got on the bus and headed into the city. We walked around the Riverwalk, which was lined with restaurants and little shops. Tour boats drove through the alley ways, it was almost like a dirtier Venice. San Antonio has a really strong Mexican influence and the markets really make you feel like you are in Mexico. We were so hot after a few hours of walking around so we went to the movie theater and saw Kung Fu Panda 2. After that we had lunch at Bourdos, which was voted the best place to eat on the Riverwalk. We ordered prickly pear margaritas which were amazing and refreshing. We also got their guacamole, that they make fresh at our table and ahh it was SO SO SO good. They said it was known as the best in Texas. And then to top it off we got an amazing tuna/grapefruit salad and we were very happy. We then headed back to the KOA and swam the rest of the night.

We are in New Orleans now but I'm going to save that for another entry. We couldn't ask for a better trip so far and can't wait to get to our week stay in Florida(thank you a thousand times to Grandma Laverne)!

Love,
Katie and Conner