Texas Eclipse 2024 Day 2: BBQ and Blue Bell

The day started with a bit of logistics, as I borrowed as much camping gear from Anna’s family as possible, picked up the air mattress I’d ordered online from their nearest Target, and tried to remove the smell of cigarette smoke that came with my rental car. But it also included breakfast tacos at a place called Titas Taco House in Humble before hitting the road. Titas was popular, and we clearly were the only newbies who didn’t know what we were ordering. I pointed at a few options and wasn’t disappointed–I think it was chorizo that was my favorite? 

My friend and awesome hostess, Anna

Pre-trip breakfast

Hitting the road and hoping to beat the expected eclipse traffic, I caught my first glimpse of bluebonnets on my way to Brenham. They were so lovely! I arrived in time for lunch at Truth BBQ, per Devan’s suggestion, and enjoyed a sample of their food before heading to the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory. The brand got its start in this town, and they had a small museum. Unfortunately I missed the hours when their observation platform was open, but the other draw was their ice cream counter where I sampled a fresh scoop of cookies and cream. I was also intrigued by their distribution map–spreading in all directions, but nothing to speak of in ice-cream-loving Utah? Maybe someday.

First BBQ stop

Lunch!

First ice cream: Cookies and Cream

Why not Utah?

Thoroughly full but not done yet, I continued on to Lockhart, the BBQ Capital of Texas. You could smell it as you arrived, and from the town square there appeared to be an option in every direction. Per Devan’s recommendation, I attempted a BBQ Triathlon with a stop at the 3 major places for a sample at each: Smitty’s Market, Kreuz Market, and Black’s BBQ. Each had their own vibe, each had a massive stock of wood in the back, and each was delicious. They were also within a short walk of each other, which was helpful to digest between rounds. But I ordered so much at Kreuz, that by the time I got to Black’s, I could only muster ordering a single slice of brisket to go. 

Welcome to Lockhart

County Courthouse

Smitty's Market

Lockhart Stop #1

the woodpile behind Smitty's

Lockhart BBQ Stop #2

BBQ #2 (with sauerkraut for balance)

Lockhart BBQ #3: Black's

Keeping it in the family, the owner at work

From Lockhart, it was a short drive to San Marcos for an eclectic stay on the outskirts of town.

Texas Eclipse 2024 Day 1: Pillowcase to the rescue!

The eclipse made for unusual times, and travel. The cost of flights from DCA to Austin were prohibitively expensive, so I opted to fly out of BWI on Spirit Airlines (a first) to Houston with a tent packed in my largest suitcase. This matters because when I went to check my bag, I discovered that it weighed 49 pounds…and unlike the other major domestic carriers, Spirit’s weight limit is only 40 pounds. At that moment I recalled a video I’d seen, and stuffed all my clothes into the pillowcase I’d brought to use while camping to lighten the suitcase, bundling it into my rain jacket. My suitcase went down to 41 pounds, and the nice man at the counter didn’t bat an eye–call it mercy or apathy, I was grateful! It created a new challenge, though, as this pillowcase was a pink poly-satin that had no intention of staying put inside my jacket and kept sliding out. But both the pillowcase and I made it on the plane, arrived in Houston, and I was warmly welcomed by my friend Anna and her family.

Day 9: Do you know the way to San Jose?

I started the day with a sunrise swim in the ocean, trying to soak in the pink and lavender sky reflecting on the wet black sand, and ocean water tepid enough to walk into comfortably. But the desire to linger was at odds with remembering what the drive was like from the airport and getting nervous about the possible traffic on the way back. Wouldn’t you know, the traffic was fine and I arrived at the airport with hours to spare. 

seeing the birds coast above the breaking wave reminded me of home

loved seeing the forest meet the water

the resident macaws across the street from my hotel

The first leg of the flight had me seated in between a guy who flies from Florida to Costa Rica monthly so he can play golf and get drunk (and wasn’t ready to quit drinking yet), and a girl from New England who was in a training program there but coming home early for mental health reasons. I’m normally content to watch the movies and leave people alone, but she clearly wanted to talk to someone, and that was me.

Our layover in Fort Lauderdale had the adventure of navigating customs, and because I’d checked the box that I’d visited a farm I was pulled into a smaller windowless room for additional screening. That line moved even slower, and I felt bad for some of the travelers who looked stressed about missing connecting flights. When I finally had a chance to explain that the farm I’d visited was a cocoa farm, they dismissed me and my gear for the final leg. I wasn’t sure if the layover was going to be long enough, but in the end I had plenty of time to wait at the gate–a little too long. I’d settled into a nice spot, called home, and had started to lose track of time until I heard them calling my name. It turns out the gate was switched to one just behind a column from where I’d been sitting so I hadn’t seen any of the boarding, but made it just in time. The plane was nearly empty, I enjoyed a movie, and before long was home and in my own bed again.

Day 8: Pura Vida, Kellee-style

My last full day in Costa Rica started with a morning yoga class at a nearby studio that overlooked the treetops, and with only one other student it felt like a private session. getting up early to exercise isn’t my norm, but when in Jaco, right? A funny thing about supermarkets is they tend to sell the fruit that’s not local, so my attempts to find passion fruit had been…fruitless. I asked the instructor after class, and he gave me directions to a nearby produce shop that sold a little of everything–including passion fruit! In my excitement to finally find it, I bought five, and the hotel was kind enough to cut them open for me to enjoy with my breakfast. The meal was great, and all the better for including my treasured fruit, but I probably overdid it a little with the quantity. 

The yoga studio just after class

The full breakfast, including passion fruit (in the glass)

The area had several chocolate tours and farms for tourists to visit, and one stood out to me called La Iguana because they were a bean-to-bar operation. The drive was a little longer, but worth it and gave me a chance to see palm oil and banana plantations on the way. I arrived to learn that they typically give tours at set times, and that I’d arrived in their downtime between those times. But when I started asking nerdy questions about their cocoa varieties and agricultural practices because of the projects I’d read about at work, the farmer graciously gave me a personal tour and nerded out with me on the different varieties they’re growing, the various practices that encourage wildlife, etc. that would probably bore the average tour group. He said their generation is the one doing this experiment to transition the farm, that their relatives on neighboring farms think they’re a little crazy, but that their farm is now a wildlife corridor connecting forest patches. He also showed me the small conching machines and other equipment they have to craft their chocolate on site, and how they’ve started to learn that trade. Their building with the kitchen, gift shop, etc. had an upstairs classroom, where his sister graciously made me a traditional chocolate drink and shared more about her role in the business. Seeing the cocoa trees, vanilla vines, and spice plants used to make their chocolates up close made it all the more enjoyable to select bars to bring back with me.

The cacao farm I visited

Check out all the colors of the cacao pods!

This cacao tree doubles as a trellis for a vanilla bean vine--they'll pair up again in a bar of chocolate.

One of the test varieties of cacao trees.

in this type of farming system, cacao is just one of many types of trees

view from the rooftop--can you spot the cacao?

one of their educational signs about this type of farming

the ingredients and tools to make a traditional cacao drink

cacao beans drying and curing

vanilla pods and spices drying

this modified bike was their early grinding equipment

for contrast, at the base of the mountain I saw this train of palm oil fruit from the surrounding plantations

The rest of the day was spent finally enjoying the hotel pool I’d been just looking at all week, getting further in my fluffy book, and getting in a little time at the beach (again, the black sand wasn’t the best choice on a hot afternoon). But it was great to enjoy another sunset over the ocean before heading into town for a nice dinner at a restaurant called Lemon Zest that makes an effort to source their ingredients locally. The food was delicious, and my seat on the balcony made for some great people watching of fellow diners and the tourists below. Back at the hotel, I capped off the night with a swim, and the deserted pool was just the right depth to enjoy that weightless feeling as I dusted off some ballet moves from my recent class.

view from my balcony towards the ocean

poolside in the late afternoon

sunset in the hammock

dinner at Lemon Zest

Day 7: Sunday Driving

My day started with a sunrise walk on the beach, which was perfect because black sand beaches can get painfully hot under a full sun. After a delicious breakfast, I drove to the nearest branch for church which was nearly an hour away. Missing the building the first time, I nearly walked into an evangelical service by mistake (the neon cross behind the altar helped me figure it out quickly). It was Fast Sunday, and the branch president invited everyone to testify in the language they felt comfortable with, so I appreciated hearing the mix of Spanish and English from locals and visitors alike. It turned out a couple was also visiting from northern Virginia–small world!

View from the breakfast table

The meetinghouse (note the sign right by the car)

Grateful to gather

Church was near a famous national park that had sold out for the day by the time I looked, but I still drove up to the entrance of Manuel Antonio just to enjoy the scenery. My outing for the day was to a private park called Rainmaker, offering a short hike in the forest with the return via a series of waterfalls. The heat of getting there made the pools that much more refreshing, and it was nice to take my time and capture some photos along the way. It was at one of these moments that in my haste to take a photo while on a bridge, I let go of my hat and watched it fall on the rocks below. I was embarrassed and started looking for possible ways I could retrieve it without endangering myself, but it looked too risky. Just as I was about to give up, a group walked by, figured out what was going on, and one of the guys used a nearby log and a bit of rope he happened to bring with him to retrieve it. I was grateful, still a little embarrassed, and definitely clung to that hat the rest of the day.

Spotted this lizard on the trail--loved the color change!

View from the top of the hike

Part of the trail at Rainmaker

The first waterfall--the water was chilly, but so refreshing!

My hat's adventure

Cheated twice out of a sunset at the beach, I made sure to get there early and stake out my hammock to enjoy the show. The sand to and from the hammock was scalding, but the view didn’t disappoint. For dinner, I headed into the nearby town of Jaco for a place my shuttle driver had recommended for Costa Rican food. I wanted Pinto (beans and rice) like I ate all week at La Selva, but was missing a critical piece of information: Pinto is only served at breakfast. Doh! Instead I had a filling sandwich before calling it a night.

View from the hammock

A handy way to keep sand off their sidewalks

Art in downtown Jaco

Day 6: “Same same” Snorkeling

Today was another bright and early start, dedicated to a snorkeling excursion. I’d scoured different options and picked what seemed like a decent company and price, and because I was the furthest away from our launch point the shuttle picked me up first. What I quickly learned was that rather than launching at the nearby harbor with more time on the water, our boat left from the village further north with all the other companies after a longer drive to get there. Our small boat sped across the Gulf of Nicoya, and was one of the first to arrive. Approaching Isla Tortuga, I saw a small island with rocky cliffs surrounding a small white sand beach that was framed by coconut trees.

Gulf of Nicoya

First glimpse of Isla Tortuga

It looked picturesque, and as we came ashore it quickly became apparent that we were penned in on the beach, and this place was designed to cater to tourists who wanted to drink, party, and spend cash. Nothing wrong with that, unless you wanted to enjoy wildlife and have a quieter place to sit. The part that surprised me the most was having to pay a few dollars to use the only bathrooms, and that this wasn’t covered with our tour package–thank goodness I had brought some money!

Enjoying the beach pre-snorkel and rocking my new work hat.

I was eager to start snorkeling, but our boat turned around to bring another boatload of passengers, and in the meantime the other companies started arriving in their bigger boats. So after splashing in the water for a bit, I found a shady place to sit with my book and was grateful I’d worn a swim shirt to avoid burning as easily in the sun. When our turn finally came for snorkeling, the boat took us to a smaller rock jutting out of the water not too far away, along with many of the other boats. This was the stated purpose of the tour, and I knew these kinds of areas are environmentally sensitive, so I was shocked when the staff handed me a snorkel and mask, but no fins, and told us to come back in 30 minutes. No guide, not even a card showing us what to look for or what they’re called, and for any newbies in our group, no instruction on how to avoid harming the wildlife. I decided to make the most of my time by circling the island and practicing all the skills and best practices I’d learned on other tours. The fish were as colorful and interesting as I’d hoped, and there was something cobalt blue on some of the corals that I never did figure out. It’s a special place, but it was also clear that it’s being overloved and underprotected by these groups. I didn’t have a watch on and was by myself, but thankfully it was easy for them to spot me in my bright pink shirt and all too soon, it was back on the boat heading back to the island.

Happy snorkler (our spot was the rock just left of my head)

Lunch was delicious, and the afternoon was spent dipping in the ocean in between rounds of reading in the diminishing shady spots (no wonder they charged so much for a chair and umbrella!). A good day, just longer and different than planned. When it was time to head back, things started to go downhill. The staff were clearly ready for their shift to be over, so the captain drove the boat back so quickly that it felt unsafe, and our yelps and signaling to the other staff seemed to have no impact on his reckless driving. After dropping us off, he headed back to pick up the other group, and it was at that point that we learned our shuttle wasn’t coming and we needed to wait for the other group and take their bus to a spot where another shuttle could meet us. Things happen and they did try to make it up to us by giving us soda and water while we waited, but after that crazy ride the news we had to wait on a hot dock for over an hour, we were not happy campers. For what was advertised as a half day excursion, the delay meant it was once again after dark by the time I was back at the hotel, and once again I was grateful I had snacks to enjoy for dinner and could call it an early night. In Vietnam, they’d use the phrase “same same” to persuade us whatever it was–the tour, the car, the meal, the souvenir, etc. was the same value as its alternatives, only to have it fall short in reality. The weather and wildlife were wonderful, but otherwise this felt a little “same same” to me.

Our "same same" boat before it went to pick up the other customers

Day 5: Beach-bound

For my last morning at La Selva, I wanted one final short walk in the jungle with a more peaceful feel than my previous one. It was a pretty tame trail, but I did manage to spot another poison dart frog and appreciate the sunlight breaking through the trees. 

Poison dart frog

How I want to remember this forest

Our van left right after breakfast to head back to San Jose, and with Carlos in our van, we had a mini-tour en route, stopping at a waterfall and a scenic overlook where they had hummingbird feeders and fruit set out to attract the local birds. It was such a colorful variety, but if I had to pick a favorite it was a purple hummingbird.

View from the overlook

Possibly my favorite bird at this stop

Taking in the view and identifying birds

Just a sample of the variety we saw

Lured by bananas

Also one of my favorite birds at this stop

We made great time to the airport, and it was a little hard saying goodbye to the group, but I was excited for the adventure ahead. My colleague Kayva was staying a little longer in San Jose, so she joined me for lunch at a restaurant near the offsite car rental. It was local fare and so filling! Picking up the rental was easy, but I got a bit of sticker shock when I was informed I’d need to buy additional insurance that basically doubled the cost. There weren’t really alternatives, but between that and the traffic caused by road construction and an accident, my road trip got off to an unpleasant start. My first stop was the San Jose temple, which I’d seen as we’d landed on Monday and which appeared to be just on the other side of the airport. Expecting a quick detour, I hadn’t expected the traffic would be so slow, but it was lovely and a bit of calm once I finally made it. 

Lunch with Kavya

San Jose Temple

Back on the road to the beach it was weekend traffic, so I didn’t make it to Playa Hermosa until after dark. It didn’t help that roads there aren’t always signed, so more than once I missed a turn and had to double back. My hotel was right on the beach, and between the long drive and an early start the next day, I was content to unpack and eat a granola bar for dinner listening to the waves from the balcony before calling it a night. And after a week at La Selva, it was pretty exciting to sleep with air conditioning again.