After a disturbing nights sleep we were on our way to the Texas capital, in the same clothes we had wore the day before because I hadn’t bothered to find a laundromat to do any laundry. (This trip really tested my patience, my sanity, my love for my husband, and my morals. I am not one to wear dirty laundry or sleep in a trashy motel but hey, marriage. And compromise.) We made the two and a half hour drive from Houston to Austin where we hit stop and go traffic. Everyone knows that s.a.g. traffic sucks but when you’re on a motorcycle it’s even worse. It was 92* and humid as well. We were dying in our riding gear!
We finally made it to the capital grounds after some time but couldn’t find a parking spot. It didn’t help that it was graduation weekend and lots of people were in town for graduation ceremonies and dinners. After several loops around the block, we found an open spot close to the building. We jumped off our bike and peeled our sticky gear off immediately. I fed the parking meter and after a not so quick phone call about work we walked to the entrance of the Texas state capital.
We walked inside and were blasted with nice cool air. The place was full of tourists and school groups on their fieldtrips. We toured, we saw, we enjoyed the air conditioning.
We sat for a piece of legislation regarding abortion being read by the senate. Very interesting to see the state legislative process carried out. One thing however, that we found very odd was how seemingly disrespectful the other representatives were during the session. As the congress woman was reading her proposed bill, a host of other congress men/women would be chatting with each other at their desks nonchalantly.
After the congress woman finished reading the bill, we headed out to explore more of the capitol building. We ended up finding a few assistants to some of the legislators during our elevator ride down to the bottom floor. RJ asked them about the behavior of the legislators during the session, and they mentioned that a lot of the legislators are already briefed on what each bill is going to be, so by the time they go into session, they already have their mind made up on how they are going to vote.
Personally, I think both RJ and I felt kind of sad that there wasn’t more professional behavior in the sessions of state congress, but hey, what do we know :).
We left the building to go next door for our stamp and Texas mug. I found literally the biggest mug I could get my hands on. I mean c’mon, I had too! Everything’s bigger in Texas and that also applies to my mug.
We headed back to Moty and by the time we had hiked back, the cooling affects of the air conditioning had worn off, and we were nice and sweaty when we had to put our gear back on, and then somehow figure out how to fit my perfectly sized mug with our luggage. I had to resort to holding the mug in my lap because our trunk and saddle bags were completely full. After sitting in traffic for another 20 minutes or so, we left the city and headed for Rockwall. This is where we would be meeting up with Dad, Thomas and Jessie who were also on a roadtrip. They drove to Tennessee to pick up the Wake9 boat and surfed in eight different states on the way home. (To see their road trip click here. They had an epic adventure.) We were super excited to see them and I was going to meet Uncle Danny and Aunt Carrie and their kids for the first time. We put the peddle to the metal or rather, set the cruise control to 85. We had to make a quick stop at Whataburger for lunch because when in Texas, you have to eat there. The burgers are as big as your face and their small drinks are a large anywhere else.
After scarfing down our burgers we hit the road again.
Three and a half hours later, we made it to supper where we were greeted with hugs and good food. Many jokes later about Ayla’s neckbrace and Brett’s whelchair, we were ready to head back to Uncle Danny’s for the evening. Ayla had asked to ride back to their place on the motorcycle but first, we had to make sure my helmet would fit over her neckbrace. It actually fit and Aunt Carrie gave the OK so I hopped in the truck with Dad, T, and J.
After catching up with Dad and the kids on their trip and talking with Uncle Danny, Aunt Carrie and the cousins, RJ and I headed for Uncle Thom and Aunt Nina’s place where we would be staying the next couple of days. An hour later we arrived. I immediately started a load of wash as we were still wearing the same clothes we had been in Louisiana.
Cheers!
~em and rj