Lost in the Lone Star State
Texas- A mystery to many of us here in the northeast, but also now one of my favorite states! I really thought I’d be back on my worldly adventure flow by now, but the hoops we have to jump through to travel internationally these days have convinced me to stay local. These restrictions have also given me the perfect opportunity to figure out where I want to settle down once I bid farewell to my “always on the go” New York City lifestyle. Texas often gets a bad rap for its politics. Being someone with a moderate approach to most things in life, I will defer that conversation to another place and time. What I will say, however, is that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed my time in the Lone Star State.
Anyone who’s ever met me knows it takes me ages to process information and form my opinions on it. So it should come as no surprise that three months after this trip, I’m finally finding the time to sit down, sort through the hundreds of photos taken and write about my experience. I guess you know what they say. “Better late than…” Never mind. Anyway, the last few weeks of soaking up the summer rays and ocean breeze at the Jersey Shore have really given me a chance to veg out and recharge from night school. I’ve finally mustered up enough energy to continue my pro-American travel rant.
The Texas state motto is “Friendship” and oddly enough this applies to road etiquette as well. “Drive Friendly- The Texas Way.” As a New Jersey native, this concept is completely foreign to me, so I was itching to see what this meant for myself. Almost immediately after arriving in Austin, I was greeted with the biggest, warmest “Howdy” from a local man wearing cowboy boots and a straw hat. I was definitely not on the east coast anymore. After meeting up with one of my closest friends and travel buddies, I was ready to eat, explore and check out all that Texas had to offer.
Keep Austin Weird. Not my words, but still. I loved everything about this city and I’m pretty sure it loved me back. During my first night out I remember thinking “wow, I almost forgot what it feels like to be out dancing without a mask on.” It was truly liberating to feel some sense of normalcy again. While in Austin, I also experienced my first meal at Chuy’s (ugh, I still think about that green sauce everyday) and ate Texas shaped waffles for breakfast. I probably took more photos of those waffles than anything else- it really is the little things in life! After spending a few days getting acclimated to this southwestern state, we were ready to hit the road. Like all good road trips, this is when the real adventure began. From cruising along the Texas-Mexico border to driving through dust tornados (Ali, I know you’re reading this and yes it did happen!!), this trip was full of breathtaking landscapes, late night laughs over tequila and turtle-racing and a legendary karaoke playlist to get us going in the morning!
When planning this holiday, I wanted to continue the momentum of exploring the U.S. National Parks. So after learning there were two located in Texas, I knew there was no way I could pass up the opportunity to explore them both. But first, we had to visit San Antonio, the location of one of the most famous battles in American History: The Battle of the Alamo. We spent the day exploring this fortress and its nearby attractions and then had a fun evening eating and drinking along the Riverwalk. Fun fact: Casio Rio was the first restaurant built along the San Antonio Riverwalk and comes as highly recommended by local guides. Unfortunately, it was closed during our stay so we opted to enjoy a Tex-Mex meal from a restaurant nearby. San Antonio is a small city, but I would highly recommend spending at least a night there for an “unforgettable” experience.
From San Antonio, we set off straight for Big Bend National Park. The drive itself took about six hours, so we decided to split it up by spending a night in Del Rio, a border town located only a mile from the Rio Grande. From there we got an early morning start on our final stretch towards Big Bend for a day of hiking and outdoor adventure under the southwestern sun. Admittedly, I have a bad habit of trying to cram too many activities into my holidays and this trip was no different. We arrived to the park shortly after 8:00 AM, and after spending some time at park headquarters, we decided to set off down the boasted scenic drive. At this point in the morning, parking for the Lost Mine Trail was already at capacity, so we continued straight to the Santa Elena Canyon Trail, stopping for photos and the opportunity to take it all in along the way. After a short hike, we continued our journey through the park towards the small town of Terlingua via Old Maverick Road. Despite being equipped with a small rental car, Old Maverick Road still allowed us to experience some good old fashioned off-roading, the Texas way.
After an evening of exploring the Ghost Town in Terlingua, we packed up and set off for our next target: El Paso! We opted to travel along the border via FM170, a 114 mile stretch of rolling highway situated right in the dessert. The route itself added about an hour onto our total travel time, but with such scenic views we didn’t mind. For lunch, we stumbled upon a traditional Mexican restaurant in the small border town of Presidio, also known as “La Junta de los Rios”. Also situated along the Rio Cochos, the land surrounding Presidio is typical of the western landscapes that I grew up dreaming about. Personally speaking, this dessert oasis was one of my favorite stops on the entire trip. Being in the middle of nowhere certainly has a calming effect on this city girl. After exploring more of Presidio, we continued on our way to the Sun City.
Other than being the hometown to one of my favorite R&B singers, Khalid, I had previously known very little about El Paso. After arriving, we quickly learned a number of fun facts: El Paso is one of the sunniest cities in the world, is the boot capital of the world and is one of the safest cities in America. Certain dining establishments also served margaritas-to-go which was definitely a major selling point. El Paso was an ideal base location for us as we planned to explore the next two destinations on our list: Guadalupe Mountains National Park and White Sands National Park.
Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas and the hiking enthusiast in me was ready to take on the challenge of climbing it. Located 2 hours east of El Paso, visitors to this park are welcomed with a gorgeous view of the park’s El Capitan (not to be confused with the rock formation located in Yosemite with the same name). We arrived shortly after sunrise and after getting situated with parking (it’s a bit tricky due to the campsite location), we began our trek along the Guadalupe Peak Trail. After three hours and 4.2 miles of strenuous hiking, we finally made it to the summit of this mountain. My physical fitness level at the time of this hike was well below what I’ve been used to over the last few years, so the absolute gratitude I felt for myself once I finally reached the peak is a feeling that I still keep with me to this day. After taking a mental snapshot of this moment, and some real photos of the landscape around us, we made the slow journey back down to the trailhead. This was the last major milestone completed during our trip and I’m so satisfied by the fact that we were able to end things on such a “high” note.
One of my personal goals for 2021 was to be more present in the moment, and I can say with confidence that I had done a much better job of being in that headspace during this trip. Thank you, Texas, for a hearty and wholesome experience! A return trip, maybe even a permanent one, is already on my list.
-E
BONUS:
Hello, New Mexico! The short drive out to White Sands National Monument through the “Land of Enchantment” was almost a no brainer side excursion. Larger parks typically require a few days of exploration, but this one in particular was immensely appreciated during the few hours we had to spend there. We arrived early in the afternoon, so we opted for the well-known and well-marked Alkali Flat Trail. Though this loop was only about 5 miles in total, we really struggled with exposure from the blistering sun. There was absolutely no escape from it, and next time I know for sure to hike through these dunes either early morning or in the evening. Luckily for us, we had an old school Taylor Swift playlist on repeat to help get us through!
