Underground Treasure: Sonora, TX

After three weeks of visiting friends and family, Thursday marked our first day of venturing into the unknown. The unknown started with the Caverns of Sonora in Sonora, Texas, where we pitched our new tent in a beautiful little campground, alone except for a small band of deer and a frustrated peacock.

On the way to Sonora, we’d worried about having enough daylight to set up camp in, but towards 9 o’clock we were still watching a phenomenal sunset. This is probably because the sky in Texas is about twice as big as anywhere else — something that a scientist might contest, but only if they weren’t from Texas.

As we were admiring said sunset, we ran into one of the park’s tour guides, Chris, who was out walking his dog and looking for birds. He showed us the woodpecker nest he’d been watching and explained that the male woodpecker builds a nest before finding a mate, to show the females he’s worth their time. (Our peacock friend could probably learn a thing or two.)

Unfortunately, this magical evening gave way to a decidedly unpleasant night. The sleeping cushion I’d bought for seven dollars at Walmart — really more of a yoga mat made out of flip-flop material — was only marginally better than sleeping on the ground, and the stuffy air and insects kept us both up half the night. Worse still, when we finally stumbled out of the tent in the morning, we discovered that raccoons had gotten into our cooler bag (damn those nimble, adorable fingers) and half our food stash was gone.

It was a rough start to the day, but things looked up when we took a tour of the caverns with our new friend Chris. The experience gave me a profound appreciation not just for the vast and bizarre world that exists underneath us, but for the people who worked to explore and study the caverns back when they could only see a flashlight’s length into what lay ahead.

Also, it was nice and cool down there. Why hasn’t Texas built an underground city yet?

We wanted to stay in Sonora an extra night, but none of the three outdoor supply stores we checked in town sold camping gear, and I couldn’t bear the thought of sleeping on my flip-flop mat again. Instead, we packed up and headed for Marfa, Texas. Stay tuned for tales of (hopefully) weird art and alien sightings!

Stomping Grounds: Plano, TX

About a week ago Sean and I made it to Plano, Texas, where he grew up. As a country kid, I used to be confused when he told people he was from “the Dallas area” — like, are you from Dallas or are you from a completely different town? (Fortunately, when I tell people I’m from Iowa their only question is whether that’s the one with corn or the one with potatoes. It’s the one with corn.)

Now, having spent some time in Dallas, I understand that Plano is part of Dallas in much the same way this park bench is part of the creek:

Plano’s Chisolm Creek on Sunday. What climate change?

Basically, the Dallas area is like a transformer made of towns that it swallowed up. This is all very foreign to me; New Orleans, though it contains enough weirdness for a few Dallases put together, is actually a very small city. I’ve never lived anywhere where the downtown had more than three exits. In fact, the town where I grew up could probably be comfortably housed inside one of Dallas’s skyscrapers.

As luck would have it, this turned out to be the perfect time for Sean to visit his childhood home: the day after we arrived, his parents put it on the market. After 20+ years in Plano, they’ve set their sights on something a little more rural. I’m excited to visit them at their fainting goat farm next time around, but I imagine it’s pretty weird for Sean — it’s hard to say goodbye to the place you spent your formative years in.

While his parents shopped for their new home, Sean and I decided to become homeowners ourselves. Our budget was about $12.99, and I think we did pretty well for ourselves.

Feel free to visit! We have a guest wing.

Our visit was also well-timed because it coincided with Father’s Day, and Sean has one of those. His grandfather, Richard, also lives in the area, so the lot of us went out to celebrate their fatherliness with pizza and beer.

We also took a little day trip to Denton, where one of Sean’s high school friends is now a father himself. We spent a few hours in the thrall of Neva’s cuteness, discussing matters such as “hat!” and “hi!” We learned that any item can be classified as a hat when you put it on your head, including but not limited to plastic stacking cups and my hoop earrings.

Take a look at that little tum-tum and tell me you’re not in love.

After Dallas we’ll be in uncharted waters for a couple weeks, covering some territory that’s unfamiliar to both of us. With our hearts full of Texas love, we’re ready to take on anything.

Deep in the <3: Austin, TX

One thing you’ve got to know about Sean: he’s a Texas boy. I’m pretty sure his heart is just one big cast iron star. If you sang “the stars at night, are big and bright,” he’d probably clap four times in his sleep. As soon as we passed the sign welcoming us to the “Drive Friendly” state (which mostly means your fellow drivers will wave as they cut you off), he was in seventh heaven.

I know, I hate the phrase “in seventh heaven” too, but you see what I did there, right?

As evidenced by the surreptitious marketing above, (feel free to sponsor us now, @GuerosTacoBar!) we have indeed been eating a truly impressive amount of tacos. I think it may be a state law that every block in Austin have at least four taco stands. Every imaginable name describing an establishment that serves Tex Mex has been used: Taco Palace! Burrito Canyon! Tamale Wigwam! Nacho Gazebo!

We spent most of our time in Austin bouncing happily from one beer dispensary to the next with various combinations of friends, braving the heat to take in some local art and scenic views.

“Water Woman” by Wangechi Mutu at the Austin Contemporary

Regrettably, this view was made somewhat less peaceful by the church group playing amplified Jesus rock at the lookout point.

Sean and I also spent some time exploring on our own. We passed a morning sunbathing at Barton Springs, a gorgeous spring-fed swimming pool where Robert Redford apparently learned to swim as a child.

We also checked out (get it?) the Austin Central Library in the Market District. As a wandering introvert, I consider myself something of a connoisseur of libraries, and this one topped the charts. Art galleries, tech rentals, work rooms, 3-d printers, a literary puppet exhibit, a rooftop garden, even a cafe and bar. (If you get drunk at a library, it’s still automatically classy, right?)

I’m pretty sure Sean and I could never afford to live in Austin unless we a) won the lottery or b) became sewer people, but it’s nice knowing we’ve got so many good people in such a fascinating and progressive place.