Austin, TX

Wow, Scott and I slept in until 10:30am Austin time this morning. I can't believe it! I guess it is two hours earlier here than Phoenix.

We had a fun day today once we actually got moving. Laura made us a delicious egg scrabble breakfast. We then headed out to the lake for a nice walk with the dogs. On the walk we also went to Barton Springs, a popular swimming hole in Austin. The people side was closed but the dogs enjoyed a quick dip.

After the walk Laura took us over to West Austin. West Austin is really nice because it's so hilly. After the trek out west we went for our first BBQ at the Salt Lick.

The Salt Lick is such a cool spot and I can definitely see how on the weekends the place is packed. It's about a twenty minute drive from Austin and is a very rustic restaurant. When you first walk into the restaurant you are greeted by a huge wood fire grill/barbecue pit about 10-12 feet in diameter. You are also greeted by an incredible aroma that just gets your mouth watering! You sit at long or short picnic type benches and tables. The menu is fairly basic with anything from beef brisket to pork ribs. For most of the plates you can choose two sides, let me just tell you that the potato salad is amazing and not mayo based. On the same grounds as the Salt Lick there is also a small winery. We didn't check it out, but it also looked very rustic. In addition to the inside seating you can also sit outside under huge trees (had the weather been cooler we probably would have taken advantage). The grounds are beautiful with trees all around, grassy areas, and the vineyards. Laura mentioned that it's a popular place for weddings and I can believe it.

After the Salt Lick we headed over to the Flagship Whole Foods store in downtown Austin. I love Whole Foods and this one puts all of them to shame! We all had to do some wine tasting while at the store and of course ended up buying a few bottles. It was so good.

Later, Laura and I headed over to her friend's place who is a hair stylist and I finally got a much needed haircut and color. Meg did an awesome job and I'm sure she will be very successful.

We then headed back to the house to pick up Scott to check out the local scene. Laura took us to Rainey St. It was awesome. Pretty much imagine a residential street where slowly, properties are being zoned commercial and bars are opening in the houses. Definitely a unique and cool scene however I wouldn't want to live on that street!

Overall it's been a great first day in Austin, two more to go!

Are we there yet?

BORED!!

We got to Austin today to visit my sister. We were expecting a 16 hour drive today and thankfully it only took about 14.5 hours. Scott was a good chauffeur.

We left Phoenix at about 6:30 this morning. I slept until we were south of Tucson and then stayed awake for the rest of the trip. Scott stayed awake for the whole trip as well.

The drive was uneventful. After Tucson the largest city that we went through was El Paso and that was West Texas, we still had the whole state to go through...

Hello!

The part of Texas that we went through will definitely not win awards for most scenic. We did drive past many desert mountains but other than that it was land covered in scrub brush. It seems like many of the bushes were brownish/reddish. I'm not sure if that's because it's fall or because the bushes are dying because of the severe draught that Texas is in. There were no trees, it was a pretty desolate drive.

As the sun was setting the scenery started to change as we made our way into the hill country. We could see that there were trees but that's about it. The beginning of the drive back to Phoenix should be very nice.

We got into town at about 11:00pm Austin time and visit with Laura until 1ish. We are all looking forward to the next few days!

Location:Austin, TX

Sunday - Funday

So I think we're pretty much 99% sure we're staying in the valley for the winter.  I'm definitely excited that we're going to enjoy the great weather and living near friends again. 

We've had a low key day today.  We left Shawn and Erin's this morning and started the errand running.

We headed over to the hospital again today to see my Uncle Ernie; unfortunately he was asleep again so we didn't get a chance to say hi.  I guess we'll have to keep on trying, the third time's a charm right?  :-)

After the hospital we headed over to my parent's condo.  It was the first time that I've seen the condo and after all the remodeling it's going to be really nice.  Scott and I are planning on doing lots of the work and I can't wait! 

After checking out the condo we went back down to Brian and Jen's place and watched football.  It was a nice relaxing day.

Hiking in the Superstition Mountains

Hiking! - Scott, Mandy, JD, Jason, Bud

Today was another beautiful Arizona day!!  While we were hiking yesterday I mentioned to Scott that we should plan a day hike with a bunch of our old hiking buddies for today and sure enough, most everyone was available. 

We did a 9 mile hike called the Black Mesa Loop.  The scenery was beautiful out there; I've forgotten just how nice it is to hike in the desert.  We were surrounded by mountains, red rocks, and many types of cacti.  I don't even think it broke 80 degrees while we were out there.  I think after hiking the trails in the Superstitions, the hike has sealed the deal with us staying in Phoenix for the winter!

After the hike we headed over to Shawn and Erin's for a BBQ.  Mike and the girls were there and we also got to see Claire!  What a fun night eating good food and hanging out with the best people!  If only the summer's weren't so hot then it would be easier to move back here full-time.

It's Finally Friday!

The weather has gotten cooler here in Phoenix for the week and we are planning on taking advantage of it. 

Our plans were to hike Camelback since it was in the 60's today but when we got to the mountain there were no parking spots and we didn't want to wait so we headed over to Piestewa Peak.  This is not our favorite hike in the valley but it's the same distance as Camelback.  It was tough, but the weather was beautiful!

After the hike we met up with some friends of ours, Steve and Shawn at Ono Hawaiian BBQ.  The food was delicious, but something happened to Shawn's order and he never received it.  We were not all that thrilled with the way they handled it and only credited him the cost of his lunch...he still had to pay for his bottle of water.  I won't be in a hurry to visit Ono again anytime soon.

We also stopped by the CDI office to say hi to TD.  It was so great to see Terry; I haven't talked to him in a couple years or so.  He cracks me up like there's no tomorrow.  We'll definitely have to catch up with him again before we leave town.

After CDI we met Dave another friend from CDI, out for a couple drinks; it was good to catch up with him as well.  We also had a chance to catch up with Rhonda, Timm, and Shirley.  It's been awhile since both Scott and I have seen everyone so it was great to catch up. 

When we got back to Brian and Jen's house; Brian grilled up some Kobe burgers.  Man it was good.  We then played a couple rounds of Mexican Train.  I know I say this often, but days just don't get much better than this!!

Last day in Prescott

House in Prescott

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day today.  Today was our last day in Prescott at the Hutching's house.  Thanks so much for letting us stay at the house, we loved it!

What a great time we've had enjoying the house, relaxing. and checking out a couple new potential places to live.

We had another lazy morning (this seems to be the theme of our time in Prescott).  We took a walk around the historic neighborhood and then decided to take the kayak's out.  This was both of our first times kayaking and it was so much fun. 

We went out to Watson Lake.  There were huge boulders in and around the lake with mountains in the background.  It was very scenic and fun!  Kayaks will definitely be something that we invest in.

After the kayaking we headed back to the Valley and met Brian and Jen out at a sushi restaurant.

It's a chilly day in the high country!

Brrr, it sure is chilly up here in Prescott. Today we woke up to chilly temperatures and lots of wind. We had another lazy morning and then decided to go for a mountain bike ride and check out more of Prescott.

We ended up doing about a 10 mile ride on the 396 Trail. It was great single track. The trail went through pine forests, high desert, boulders and passed two lakes. It was awesome. The trail was just an out and back and on the way out it felt like we climbed the entire way. That made for an awesome downhill the entire way back. The ride was incredible!

After the ride we headed back to the house but took a nice detour through a couple neighborhoods to check out more of the area. Prescott is definitely turning out to be much nicer than what Scott and I remember.

We had a nice relaxing night at the house and we're looking forward to one more day in the pines.