I had a great first day in San Antonio. Checked out of my hotel this morning and headed out for a leisurely ride northwest of downtown to the house of my new Warmshowers hosts. I stopped for lunch at an outpost of a local vegan chain, Project Pollo, and enjoyed a “chicken” Caesar wrap. Then I biked around a nearby lake at Woodlawn Lake Park. When I got to the house, I was greeted by a friendly young couple and their friendly Pomeranian, Joey. I got settled in, and then headed out to the house of a local Servas host, Debbie, who had kindly agreed to drive me to a destination about 30 miles north of town.
On the way to her house, I passed through a beautiful nature park, Brackenridge, and happened upon a man walking the path I was cycling. (Hi, Carlos!) He recognized my bike as a folding one, and we got to talking about bike touring. In his youth, he had biked partway across the country, beginning in New York. I was running late, so we couldn’t chat long, but it was cool to bump into a kindred traveling spirit, if only briefly, on my first day in town.
Then I biked the rest of the way to Debbie’s place. Turned out her car was a Tesla! It was fun to ride in it; I had only been in a Tesla once before. We shared some good conversation in the car, and after a wrong turn or two, we found the Cibolo Gardens Nature Preserve and Event Center. (Don’t bother googling it; they have a very minimal online presence. It’s a hidden gem, just outside of town!)
The owner, David, met us (along with his two exuberant and adorable large dogs) and gave us a tour. He had purchased this 45-acre parcel about five years ago, from its previous owners, an older couple who had begun creating it about ten years ago (I think—David, please correct me if I’m factually wrong on any of this.)
Forty acres of the land is a nature preserve, surrounded by limestone quarries and residential developments. The land hosts many wild animals, including deer, foxes, snakes, and a wide variety of birds. The remaining five acres is slowly being built into an intentional community of five to six small/tiny houses, as well as a camping (and “glamping”) spot, and site for workshops on topics as wide-ranging as herbal medicine and blacksmithing. (Classes are already being offered.)
They are working to go completely off the utility grid: solar power, composting toilets, rainwater catchment, etc. Cooking is done by propane.
We toured the outdoor kitchen area, indoor classroom, swimming pool/hot tub/hammock area, outdoor tub and shower area, gardening areas, and the sites of several dwellings being completed.
The space also serves as a sort of sanctuary for a number of farm animals, including pigs, chickens, ducks, and rabbits, whom we got to meet. (Photo credit for the pig: Debbie!)
I found the place very inspiring and ambitious. In the next few years, with volunteer help, they will complete the structures and infrastructure, as well as building up more of a web presence to share themselves more accessibly with the public. Already, though, they have campers and glampers (through hipcamp.com); educational workshop participants; and researchers from local universities, studying the biodiversity of the area.
I really appreciated the opportunity to tour such a unique place. (Thanks again, David!) I wish Cibolo Gardens all the best, and hope that other people around the country and world will be inspired to set up similar properties.
After the tour, Debbie and I headed back into town and enjoyed a nice outdoor dinner at Vegan Avenue.
My time in San Antonio is off to a great start, and I’m looking forward to more adventures tomorrow!
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I had ended up staying much longer than I had originally intended with my wonderful Warmshowers hosts in Austin, mostly because of the weather, but also because of sparse workable alternatives. But it was past time to give them their personal space back, so for yesterday afternoon I headed to a hotel, for my last night in town. This morning, the sun was out and the temps were slowly climbing, so I ventured out and realized that the location of the hotel—northeast of the university—would allow me to visit the vegan restaurant I had most wanted to visit in Austin: Rebel Cheese. I had been thinking I would have to miss it, so this morning’s opportunity was fortuitous. I would be meeting my friend Rusty in the late afternoon, and then departing on the train for San Antonio a little after 6:00.
I checked out of the hotel at 11. There was a bit of drama as I did so: a woman was waiting in the lobby for the attendant (who I assumed was also the owner) when I entered to check out. A verbal kerfuffle ensued when he did not refund her $50 deposit after briefly inspecting her room; he claimed she had stolen one of the pillows from the room. She yelled that she had not, and added that he was going to burn in hell for this. They went back and forth a few times, and then she stormed out, repeating multiple times loudly that he would be burning in hell. He looked at me, and the other guest who was checking out, and told us that he had seen the pillow in her car, as well as noting its absence from the room.
Fortunately I checked out without incident, and got my deposit back.
Rebel Cheese was still about a 15 minute bike ride northeast of the hotel. I mapped it on my phone, committing most of the route to memory. But as I pedaled along, daydreaming, I managed to overshoot it by a couple of blocks.
Sadly, within those two blocks, I rolled over a dicey area of shattered glass, and heard the telltale hiss of bad news.
Argh.
My heart sank, but once again I actively chose not to freak out:
I had plenty of time. The weather was reasonable. I imagined there was probably a bike shop within walking distance. (I did not wish to tackle this myself.)
I was confident enough about these assumptions that I decided to simply walk the rig the three blocks to the cheese shop and enjoy a nice lunch, while plotting my next steps.
The shop was amazing. You can see one of the cases in the photo; there was another of similar size to the left. They carried not one, but two, brands of dill havarti, which is a cheese I have only tasted a few times in my life—and loved—and definitely not since going vegan in 1999. A vegan dill havarti is not available in Portland.
I ordered a caprese sandwich for lunch, with a side of potato salad, and tacked on a caramel brownie for dessert, because… of course. Then I ordered one ounce each—the smallest portion available—of the dill havarti and a smoked Gouda. I have not sampled them yet, but I look forward to doing so tomorrow.
While I enjoyed my sandwich al fresco, I took out my phone to search Google Maps for local bike shops, filtering by “open now” since it was a Sunday. Sadly, that filter removed the closest one from the map.
I knew there was one Brompton-certified shop in town, Cycleast, which happened to be located on East Cesar Chavez Street, the commercial strip I had most looked forward to visiting in Austin, but which I mostly had not—except for that one early meal at Mr. Natural—because I had spent the last five days holed up indoors against the cold. This shop seemed about equidistant to the other closest bike shop (which is not to say close) so I decided to go there.
Then I debated whether to walk—probably about an hour and a half—or call a Lyft.
I wasn’t thrilled about all the money that was flowing outward, from the hotel to the cheese to the bike repair… and it was a reasonably pleasant day for walking… and I did have plenty of time with very few plans… and maybe this would be a good way to experience the city.
On the other hand, strolling comfortably is one thing, and pushing a 120-pound rig with a flat tire for an hour and a half, I guessed, would be another. I opted for the Lyft.
The driver arrived in a small car, and both of them looked a bit the worse for wear. But he was a very good sport about the unusual situation, maneuvering the heavy and bulky trailer single-handedly into the back seat (after I removed the hitch to make it fit) and then clearing off the front seat so I could sit there. We chatted along the way; he had moved to Texas from Florida, but drives a truck for the petroleum industry all over the country. Said he had been to 47 states, excluding only Alaska, Hawaii, and Rhode Island.
He dropped me off at the bike shop and helped me to unload. I said thanks and goodbye, and left him a generous tip on the app.
The bike shop shared space with a coffee shop, and I sat at a table there and charged my phone while the mechanic worked on the tire.
When he came to talk to me, I was extra glad that I had not only not tried to handle it myself, but had made the effort to go to the Brompton-certified shop: it turned out the tire was sliced pretty badly in two places. At first he only noticed one, and asked if I wanted a $2 patch on it, or to replace the tire. I was tempted to save money, but I was also concerned that a patch might not hold as well as a replacement. I asked him what he recommended, and he said he thought the patch would work well. I agreed to it, but when he went back to install it I began to worry that this might become another source of stress for me, like when that tube mysteriously failed in LA and I never knew why, so I continually worried it would happen again.
Fortunately, he came back to give me the “bad news” that there were two weak spots, and he thought I should really replace the tire. The good news was, they did have the 16” Marathon Plus tires in stock. Not cheap at $50, but absolutely worth it for my peace of mind, and once again I counted my blessings that things didn’t go worse today: those tires, in that size, are not easy to find. He told me that the shop had been out of stock for some time during the pandemic because of rampant supply-chain issues, so that when they saw them become available again, they had ordered three dozen.
It’s a safe bet that no other store in town would have had those tires in stock. I breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled as he returned to replace the tire.
Mission completed, I was free to roam down Cesar Chavez to one of my favorite vegan bakeries, Capital City Bakery. The last time I had visited was exactly five years ago, and I remembered walking in and admiring all the treats in the cases. This time, it was post-pandemic, so they just had a display window with the items to choose from outside on the porch, and then you ordered at a separate window.
It worked for me. I got a cupcake and enjoyed it in the sunny seating area in front, then headed down to the riverfront park-and-path area. Austin has wonderful river parks on both banks, as well as really nice walking and biking paths all along both banks. I stopped periodically to sit on sunny benches and admire the river, and then I headed over to meet Rusty at (Oregon-based vegan chain) Next Level Burger, which was inside the flagship Whole Foods store downtown.
I ordered a Cobb salad, which I saved for the train, and then Rusty and I had a brief but wonderful catch-up session at a sunny table outside the store. She gave me and my rig a ride over to the Amtrak station afterward, and waited for the train with me. It arrived about 45 minutes late, so it was nice to be able to continue our visit in that way, and she said that being a part of the train trip with me in that way had inspired her to want to take an Amtrak trip sometime too. Of course I encouraged her to do it, and if anyone else reading this hasn’t tried an Amtrak train trip yet, I encourage you to do it as well!
I boarded with my rig mostly without incident; the attendant just frowned at the lack of space in his coach car, but then led me to another coach car with ample storage space, which also was nearly empty of passengers! I asked him if it was usually so sparse, and he said no, so I made an extra point of appreciating the solitude.
We pulled into San Antonio right on time, just before 10 pm, and I navigated to tonight’s hotel easily; it was only a few blocks away. (Also half the price, and twice as nice, as Austin’s—I guess San Antonio’s real estate prices are not as outrageous as Austin’s.)
I’ll bike to my new Warmshowers hosts tomorrow, about five miles away, and I’m excited to spend the next four days exploring another new-to-me city!
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Two days ago, we hit a high of 87 degrees, and I was loving life. Yesterday, Austin experienced a record-breaking temperature drop of 56 degrees in 24 hours. Today, our high was 37.
My massage yesterday got canceled, because the massage therapist works out of her unheated garage. Big bummer.
Then today, my hosts had a prescheduled (from weeks ago) appointment with HVAC workers to completely overhaul both their heating and air conditioning systems, so between 8 am and about 6 pm today, we had no heat inside. I didn’t have a thermometer, but I was definitely in hibernation mode for most of the day, shivering under a blanket in my room and doing very little. Thankfully, the newly installed heating system does seem to be working now, so I’m feeling much more comfortable.
Also meanwhile, Russia has invaded Ukraine. I’m not knowledgeable enough on the topic to say anything very coherent at this point, but I think it’s safe to say this is quite ominous and concerning.
So… sorry I don’t have any more fun outdoor travel photos right now. Realistically, based on the forecast, I may not have enough to blog about for the next couple of days. On Sunday, when it should warm up a bit, I will be hopping on the train to San Antonio. I do have some cool stuff planned for my time there.
So if you don’t hear from me for a few days, please know that I am probably safe and sound and cozy indoors. I hope the same is true for all of you; I know that Texas is not the only place having a cold snap right now!
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Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)
Well, it got up to 87 today, which was amazing. Tomorrow it will be in the 30s, and highs 50 or below for the next few days. Darn… makes it much harder to explore.
But today was great! My Warmshowers host Karen took me on a bike ride through some neighborhood parks, and then the Texas state capitol building. It is the largest state capitol in the US, and as you can see, the design was modeled after the US Capitol.
First we went to Pease Park, where a big orb had just been constructed during the COVID era. If you look closely at the photo, you’ll see it has a netted, trampoline-like structure inside, where kids were joyfully bouncing around. Right across the path from the orb was a large chess set for park users to enjoy.
From the park, we proceeded to the capitol. I had hoped to meet my former-Portland friend Rusty there; she had planned to attend a global meditation and dance event there, but unfortunately was feeling under the weather and unable to make it. But Karen and I went inside and took in the glorious rotunda. Absolutely beautiful architecture. I was very surprised to see two people sitting directly under the rotunda, meditating together as a part of the global event, which a videographer told us would be livestreamed within the hour. I could not imagine something like that happening inside Oregon’s capitol building… and this is Texas!
After we left the capitol, Karen took me on a brief bike tour through the University of Texas campus just north of there—including a whimsical canoe sculpture—and then led me along car-free bike paths down across the river to south Austin, where she dropped me off to meet my friend Jason for lunch at a vegan food truck, ATX Food Co. I enjoyed some kabocha squash tacos while we talked for a few hours about a variety of topics including fairy godfunding; he was intrigued by the concept, and enjoyed brainstorming some ideas about it.
After we parted ways, I went back to the riverfront path and then decided to try another vegan food cart on the south side of town, Conscious Cravings. I sampled a huge, and very reasonably priced, eggless tofu wrap.
Then I was craving something sweet, so I decided to hit up Austin’s outpost of Portland’s homegrown quirky doughnut palace, Voodoo Doughnut. I availed myself of my favorite offering, the Portland crème, which was probably half again as large as its Portland counterpart. (I was reminded of the saying, “Everything is bigger in Texas.”) I was also startled—and not a little aghast—at the sign on the door about handguns. It’s a different world down here. I saw a similar sign just a few minutes later, when I stopped at a credit union’s ATM for cash. Portland credit union staffers—to my memory, at least—do not find it necessary to post signs prohibiting open-carry guns in their branches.
Tomorrow I plan to stay inside most of the day, catching up on reading and administrative tasks. I do have a luxurious 90-minute massage scheduled in the afternoon, however, as well as a get-together with some friends of a Portland friend.
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What a great day! High temperature in the 80s. The humidity was mild, and with the gentle breeze, it actually felt kind of nice after all these months of dry air.
Early this afternoon I set out for a wonderful local spot across the river called Casa de Luz. I had hosted a Dream Into Change salon there, five years ago when I first visited Austin. The food is all vegan and very healthy, but consistently delicious. You enter through a lovely outdoor corridor, go inside and pay for the meal (oddly priced at $14.07) and then wait for the staff to put together a plate for you with the day’s menu. As I enjoyed the meal at a shaded outdoor table, I also appreciated looking at a hammock strung up right near the table, available to anyone who might like to lounge in it.
After Casa de Luz, I pedaled along the extensive riverfront bike trail to Barton Creek, where I met a friend for a hike along the creek. We talked edible plants and travels, and he even showed me an active spring in a quiet part of the creek. There are several springs in the area, but this was the first time I had seen a spring actually bubbling out of the ground into the creek that surrounded it. Apparently during the summer, that creek bed runs dry.
Downstream a bit, though (or maybe it was upstream?) we passed by the large dammed area that is used as a local swimming hole. With the warm sunny weather, we passed swarms of people in swimwear, some actually swimming and others sunbathing. It felt surreal to me in February, especially since local temperatures are forecast to drop to 33 degrees two nights from now, with daytime highs in the 40s and low 50s. I did my best to appreciate today’s weather while I could.
After I said goodbye to that friend, I rode along the bike path for about another half hour, passing wonderful bridges and city views, until I crossed the river again and met up with another friend for dinner at another of my favorite Austin restaurants, Mr. Natural. This is a longstanding all vegetarian restaurant, with mostly Mexican offerings. We dined al fresco, warm enough even after the sun had gone down.
Then I biked back to my Warmshowers hosts’ place, and we had some great conversation for a few hours.
One more hot day tomorrow! I’ll need to find a way to maximize my enjoyment of it.
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Today I got out and explored west Austin on my bike.
First, I had to visit Rabbit Food Grocery, the all vegan grocery store here. The location had changed since I last visited Austin; now it’s next to a much-loved vegan restaurant, The Beer Plant, which I may or may not also end up visiting during my stay here. I stocked up on some treats for myself and others at Rabbit Food, including some locally made chocolate bars.
Then I continued north to Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve. This was an interesting place, containing both hiking trails (some much steeper and rockier than I had anticipated) and manicured gardens and buildings… and even a resident flock of peacocks!
After exploring the park for an hour or so, I decided to climb a bit more of a hill on my bike to reach Covert Park at Mount Bonnell. One of my hosts had mentioned this place as a good spot for views, if I didn’t mind some climbing. Sure enough, the road was pretty steep for a little while. When I got to the park, I discovered a very long stone staircase to the top. I did want to see the view, so I huffed it up the stairs carrying my bike, first in its rideable form, and then folded up, when I decided that would be more efficient.
I made it to the top, but found myself chagrined to discover that everyone in Austin apparently had had the same idea. The small area at the crest of the hill teemed with people, so it was hard to really take in the view or relax much. There again, the terrain was quite rocky. Rather than carry the bike back down the stairs, I rolled it as best I could downhill to the parking lot, but the footing was rough and quite uneven at times.
Afterward, it was a pretty smooth downhill ride for most of my way back. I did stop for groceries at the flagship Whole Foods location in downtown Austin, and passed some pretty sights on the way there; I stopped for a scenic rest on a bench along the popular riverfront path.
The temperatures are to reach into the 80s for the next two days, which will possibly be the highest temperatures I have experienced in the entire five months of my journey so far. I need to enjoy the warmth as best I can, because the mercury seems set to drop precipitously again shortly thereafter, and we might even see some rain. Never a dull moment in Texas when it comes to navigating the weather!
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Today my Fort Worth Warmshowers host Bill took me around to see a few more sights in the area, before dropping me off at the train station to make my way to Austin. One highlight: we visited a museum with the world’s second-oldest light bulb, which has been continuously burning—albeit dimly—for 113 years! The weather was lovely and mild, in the low 60s.
The train ride to Austin was OK, but I admit I was a bit unnerved when I first arrived at the station and was “greeted” by a gliding security/surveillance robot that patrolled the station. It called to my mind the Daleks from Dr. Who (“EX-TER-MI-NATE!”) and creeped me out whenever it rolled past me, seeming to linger just long enough each time to get a “look” at me.
When I boarded the train, it was the first time no Amtrak staff (um, nor robots) had approached me ahead of time to give me a hard time about the size and shape of the trailer, or tell me that I would need to check it as baggage. So I thought I was home free… until I wheeled the bike and trailer down the extremely long platform to board, and discovered that there actually was not enough room in the luggage area on my car. (I later discovered that there would have been in the next car down, so I still maintain that my carry-on system is virtually always workable.) So, I did end up having to check both the bike and the trailer. The good news was that it was a breeze to do so. The “modified baggage car” is actually a part of the coach car, so my belongings were actually in the same car I was in, and very easy to retrieve afterward.
Unfortunately, toward the very end of the four-hour trip, we ended up being delayed by a Union Pacific train (as you may know, the freight railroads own the tracks, so their trains always get priority in the case of any conflicts) and the delay lasted an entire hour. So it was dark by the time I disembarked in Austin.
Then there was a snafu: I biked to my new Warmshowers location—an unoccupied condo in the cool east part of town—along wonderful separated bike paths, in temperatures mild enough to eschew my sweater. But when I arrived, the key code didn’t work for the door. I texted the host, but he was having a birthday retreat this weekend, so he didn’t get the text for at least an hour.
I chose not to freak out, but instead headed over to a nearby Whole Foods (despite their current Amazon affiliation, Whole Foods was founded, way back when, in Austin, so there are many of them here in town) where I used the restroom and grabbed a quick dinner from the deli. As I ate it outside, I texted another Austin Warmshowers host who had agreed to have me at their house a few days from now. They were very gracious and welcoming, and said I could head over early. (Whew!)
Unfortunately, the main street on the easy route to their house was blocked off, so I ended up huffing it up a few hills, but finally arrived at this lovely house on the west side of town. I had a great conversation with my hosts, and look forward to spending the next few days here.
I also want to share a few more photos here from my visit to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden the other day. I took so many photos in the Japanese Garden within its confines that I didn’t want to overwhelm the blog with an excessive photo dump that day. Today is a good day to include those non-Japanese Garden scenes from the botanic garden. Two highlights: more Patrick Dougherty stick art (I had seen it before in Montreal and a Portland suburb) and an unexpected reference to Biosphere2!
I enjoyed my time in DFW, and now I’m looking forward to Austin!
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Today was still cold (in the 30s when my host Susan and I first headed out at 11:00 am) but I made it a day of artsy sightseeing.
First, Susan took me to the “cultural district” of town, where there are many museums within a short walking distance of each other. To be honest, I’ve never been much of a “museum person,” but it did seem like a good way to spend a chilly day. I ended up visiting three art museums, all of which offered free admission, which was really cool.
Over the next few hours, while Susan went into town to take care of some remote work for her job, I explored the Fort Worth Modern Art Museum, the world-renowned Kimbell Art Museum, and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. In that last one, I found many landscape paintings with beautiful lighting effects, including one of Willamette Falls in Oregon City! Just south of Portland, that is a place I have loved to ride beside on the train, many times over the years.
Amidst my museum wanderings, I also used my Happycow app to locate two vegan restaurants within walking distance: Juice Junkies and Cinnaholic. I availed myself of both, enjoying first a mock chicken salad sandwich, and then a decadent frosted brownie.
Along my way between the museums and the restaurants and back, I passed a number of artsy street scenes as well, so I captured a few of those.
When Susan picked me up from the Carter in mid-afternoon, she then took me to another cool local attraction, the Fort Worth Water Gardens. It was a really cool park, with two beautiful fountains—an active one and a still one—and a nice brick 1976 film Logan’s Run.
We walked around the park for a short while, and then met up with her husband Bill for another meal at the Fort Worth location of Spiral Diner. This time I ordered the house-made burger, which was great, and I noticed that the mustard did indeed form a spiral!
It’s been a short but enjoyable time here in Fort Worth. Tomorrow, on to Austin!
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Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!
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Wow. I had thought I had outsmarted the cold here in DFW, by lingering so long in Arizona. I had thought the DFW forecast looked OK. And my first two days here were indeed lovely and warm. Yesterday did start getting a bit iffy.
Today? Wow.
The forecast had shown a high of 68, so I had thought that sounded just fine. Little did I know that that high temp happened in the middle of last night. By the time we woke up this morning, it was in the 40s and dropping, with wind on the way.
My host Brandon was generous enough to spare me the frigid bike ride by driving me to the commuter-rail station downtown, before heading over to his volunteer shift at the bike co-op. On our way, even the truck was feeling the blustery winds on the road, so I was extra thankful for the ride.
But first, we stopped for an early lunch at one of his favorite places, a nearby all vegetarian Indian restaurant, Kalachandji’s. It is run from a Hare Krishna temple, an architecturally beautiful building. We went inside and found a buffet line filled with colorful and fragrant items. We took the food to go, and enjoyed it back at his place before loading up my things into the truck.
Arriving downtown, we just missed the once-an-hour train at the platform, unfortunately, so he dropped me at a Chipotle a few blocks away so that I could keep warm. I ate a bag of tortilla chips, and then on my way back to the train platform, I stopped across the street at Insomnia Cookies to get a few chocolatey goodies for the trip.
The train arrived on time, and I was able to maneuver my rig onto it by myself. (I’m starting to get the hang of such things now.) The railcar was a warm and comfortable place to pass the one-hour ride to Fort Worth.
When I arrived at the T&P station, my new Warmshowers host Bill picked me up in the cold and windy parking lot, and took me back to his lovely house in a tree-filled neighborhood, where I met his wife Susan and their adorable dog and cat.
But first, he gave me a quick tour of some nearby Fort Worth areas, including a gorgeous old post office right near the train station. It is still in use as an active post office, but doesn’t get much “business,” so it was quiet when we went in to admire the 1930s art-deco architecture.
Afterward, we all enjoyed a home-cooked meal and shared stories of bicycling and life. I’m now sitting in front of the cozy gas fireplace in the living room, feeling very thankful for the shelter and warm welcome in this cold snap.
Tomorrow is forecast to be mostly chilly, but warmer than today, with a high of 57. (I must admit I’m glad to have visited the botanic garden the other day, when the weather was balmier.) Susan has said she can accompany me into downtown Fort Worth to check out a few museums and attractions, so I’m looking forward to exploring on my last day in the area, before I take the Amtrak train to Austin on Saturday.
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Today was a low-key day; the weather was much cooler, and we had a bit of rain, so I mostly stayed inside.
I did get to meet up with a Facebook friend I’ve known for years, Jodi, who lives just north of Dallas in Richardson. She picked me up on her lunch hour and took me to the venerable Dallas vegan eatery Spiral Diner! I had heard about this place for probably at least ten years, so I was excited to finally experience it. We ordered a serving of the chips and their signature “cheese” dip to share, and then I ordered the “bunny bowl” so that I could get some vegetables in, but the veggies were surrounded by fried “chicken” strips and smothered in ranch dressing, so the dish felt like a rich indulgence nonetheless.
We caught up on each other’s lives, and I heard about some of Jodi’s cool travel experiences and future plans. (Past: an ice hotel in Sweden! Future: possibly Antarctica!)
The rest of the afternoon, I stayed inside and attended to laundry and administrative tasks.
But in yesterday’s post, I ran out of space to share some lovely sunset photos I took when my host and I biked along White Rock Lake to get some vegan soft serve after dinner. I loved the colors in the sky, and the view of the downtown skyline, so I’m sharing them here now.
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Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!
Want to be notified of future blog posts? Use the green “sign up” button to subscribe!
Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)
