Jerry’s Return to Austin

Welcome back to Just One More….  Thank you so much for taking the time to read and support our blog. It’s Jerry’s turn this week!  Always nice to hear from Jerry! 

Returning to Austin after 45 years:

As we prepared for the trip to Austin, I tried to remember places in Austin from my past stay. Not an easy task with so many years that have passed! I lived within walking distance of the University of Texas, and more importantly the football stadium. The apartment I lived in had students that I befriended and got the scoop in how to get into games! I saw UT play Baylor and Earl Campbell ran over people like a tank! Fast forward to NOW, and our niece, Katie, invited us to tailgate for a game against the Oklahoma Cowboys. A friend of Katie’s, and former player of UT (John), had season tickets and took me in for the second half of the game! I was full of so many emotions! I was born in Texas, and my father and relatives are all UT fans! HOOK EM HORNS!! The game was exciting, but unfortunately UT couldn’t stop the Cowboys or score in the second half. I surprised John by describing the stadium to him from when I was there many years ago! He remarked they had to run on the track that was around the field when the coach was not happy! Tailgating is an institution at UT, people have permanent spaces passed down from generations! It was a sight to see!

We are staying at the La Hacienda RV Resort close to Lake Travis. The resort is the nicest resort we have ever stayed in, during our short RV adventure! They have a putting green, a beautiful pool, and most importantly… it’s clean. There are people that live here full time, and the sites are not cluttered with junk! We would definitely stay here again!

Austin has great high-end shopping along with funky cool places! The Domaine, and South of Congress are two areas that are absolutely amazing! Food, Shopping, Bars, sightseeing etc.… We have been enjoying both areas with the restaurant recommendations from Katie, who has been a GREAT tour guide!!  We did the Bats of Congress Bridge tour.  That was truly an amazing experience.  Check it out! Millions of Mexican Free Tailed Bats exiting under the bridge and flying to go feed.  A must see attraction in Austin.  

Then we found Gordough’s big fat doughnut shop just off Congress Ave.    This place was recommended by @lessjunkmorejourney.  We watched one of their earlier YouTube videos about Austin and then met them in Albuquerque.  They reiterated we HAD to go to Gourdough’s.  So, of course, we did.  We stopped in and had the Fat Elvis: bananas, bacon, peanut butter, maple syrup, on a doughnut! HOW CAN YOU GO WRONG?! The manager came out and chatted with us. He was a hoot, a natural comedian!

Thoughts on the RV lifestyle so far:

As time has passed, I believe we are more relaxed because we are growing accustomed to the routine! The rolls we each are responsible for are more clearly defined and the expectations are easier to understand. For example, Susan is the RV resort booking agent, GPS expert, travel agent, map manager, concierge, my best friend, and co-pilot! My role is easy! My job is to keep 30,000 lbs. of truck and trailer between the lines and not run over anyone! Simple right?!! Ok there is more than just driving! Lug nuts need to be torqued, tire air pressure must be checked, cleaning, checking lubricants, fueling, and meeting manufacturer’s recommended intervals for service! Fuel is our most costly budget item.  Even with a fuel saving program we still spend a lot of money! Hunky, while towing, will average close to 8-9 miles per gallon depending on how hilly and the speed we travel. We prefer to travel on major highways even with the truckers! The roads are wider, multiple lanes, safer, and have truck stops with easy on and off for bathroom/food breaks and fuel. We watch many RV Youtube shows and know the highways on the East coast are crowded compared to West coast roads. We are mentally preparing for the adventure in 2022! We had to contact a mobile mechanic to come out and look at some items that are under warranty. Grand Design has been extremely helpful when we need assistance! Send me questions about maintenance and repairs and I will give you my opinion and advice!

Jerry’s Just one more….. safe travel!

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