Texas Eclipse 2024 Day 3: How I’ll remember the Alamo

The morning was overcast and drizzly, but the house I was staying at had an outdoor pool I was determined to use before leaving. One detail the owner omitted that I discovered the hard way: said-pool was not heated. Chilled but ready for the day, I headed toward San Antonio where I started to see the traffic I’d expected. I made a stop along the way at a Buc-ee’s, marveling at the sheer number of gas pumps, and clean stalls in the ladies bathroom. The store also made for some fun perusing, but I didn’t linger long as there were other sights to see.

Buc-ee's

When I thought of places in this part of Texas to visit, the Alamo was the first thing that came to mind. I arrived in the crowded square and as I was taking it in, got an alert about General Conference. I knew I’d have limited internet access all weekend, but asked to be notified when they were going to sustain our newest apostle, Elder Kearon. I tried to find a slightly less busy spot under a tree, but I can only imagine how it looked to see a woman raising her hand every few moments–truly a Conference moment I’ll remember. Shortly afterward, I met up with a friend’s family who was also there for the eclipse, and it was fun to meet up with them briefly before beginning my tour. Admittedly, the most iconic spot is the front and it doesn’t require a ticket, but I did appreciate learning a little more about its history as I toured the rest of the grounds. 

Meeting up at the Alamo

the Alamo!

"Big Tree" in the Alamo courtyard

Davy Crockett

Not knowing when I’d return to San Antonio, I made time for the other thing I knew about the city: the River Walk. Waiting at the stop closest to where I parked, I had the good fortune to skip much of the line as a solo rider and hop aboard. The captain did a great job of explaining the history, and there were some beautiful spots I would’ve missed otherwise.

River Walk boat cruise

On the way out of town, I made a slight detour to see the San Antonio temple, arriving just as the afternoon session of Conference was starting. Of course the grounds were closed, but it was still beautiful to see through the fence.

San Antonio Temple

From there it was a race north to Fredericksburg, and I managed to arrive just before their city museum closed, but too late to be allowed in. The main street, like many others I’d seen on this trip, was darling, and from the (outside) signs, it was interesting to learn about its German heritage. They’re clearly proud of it, and it endeared the place to me. As I walked around their round church in the town square, though, I made an unexpected discovery: for a brief time there’d been a Mormon settlement there! The colony of “Zodiac” only lasted a few years, but the Church had plaques commemorating it.

Vereins Kirche, one of the oldest buildings in Fredericksburg

Zodiac Memorial

My friend’s family ranch was a few miles outside of town, and I wanted to be sure I found it during the day, so I headed in that direction with a brief stop at Wildseed Farms for the obligatory photoshoot with fields of poppies and bluebonnets.

Poppies at Wildseed Farms

Blue Bonnets at Wildseed Farms

Once I’d arrived at the ranch I was warmly greeted by the sisters, and had a chance to pitch in a little bit as they prepared for the weekend. Then it was back to Fredericksburg for dinner at a German restaurant (naturally) called Auslander. I connected to the wifi to catch part of the evening session of Conference, and was delighted to catch Elder Uchtdorf’s talk while eating German food! 

Dinner in downtown Fredericksburg

Guten appetit!

After dinner I strolled the main street a little more, and picked up a few snacks at HEB before returning to the ranch. As the other guests wouldn’t start arriving until the next day, they graciously let me delay pitching my tent and instead sleep in one of the casitas that would become communal. It was so quiet out there, and easy to fall asleep after a long day.

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