Roadtrip Day 1: Houston to Balmorhea

Day 1:
Well… Here we are! A year has gone by since we competed in England and we are doing another big trip! This time we decided to keep it local and not cross the ocean. We are only driving to Oregon. Only…. It feels like it will take forever to get there! If we could EVER get out of Texas!

It’s the first day of our epic road trip. In total it will have been an 8 1/2 hour drive for Pedro and Ellis who came from Houston and a 5 1/2 hour trip for me after the boys picked me up in San Marcos and we haven’t even made it close to the border yet. Many miles to go! It could get interesting! (Side note: It wasn’t even a mile into the trip from my house when I spilled my first drink #disaster.)

An early start, Pedro and Ellis left Houston at 6:30am to come meet me at my house in San Marcos. It made me laugh because when we first started talking about doing this road trip Pedro thought we would be able to fit our suitcases, food, and 4 gambas all in his trunk. I remember him telling me how surprisingly big it was and yes… It won’t be any problem to fit all our stuff in there. Mmmmhmmmm…. I won’t let him live that down.

Luckily we were able to borrow a roofbox from my parents (thank you forever mum and dad!), roof bars from my brother Aaron (you’re the best!), and Pedro bought the appropriate equipment to attach the bars to his car and we were able to get ourself some extra space. Turns out with that extra room we were JUST able to make room for Ellis to squeeze in the back among the food and instruments (we have 4 currently – 2 bass gambas, a tenor, and a treble!)

 

The long drive lead us on I-10 through the Hill Country, a bunch of flat land, some mesas, and then by some windmills and small mountains to a tiny town called Balmorhea. (Side note: It put Pedro in the mood to find a donkey and dress up Don Quixote #inspired.)

Balmorhea is known for its large natural spring and people drive from all around to swim in the cool water. At the end of the day it was a perfect way to relax.

After we swam we made our way back to our adorable hotel and walked next door to “the cutest restaurant in Balmorhea” to grab food and play cards on their sweet little outdoor patio.

 

All in all it has been a fantastic first day!

P.S. I feel like I’m finishing this post far too late. Despite how cute this small little town is… or probably because of how small and in the middle of  nowhere it is, the internet is incredibly slow. It has literally taken me 3 hours to finish this post. I’m very ready for bed. But I have determined to do a blog post every single day of this journey so I am doing it!