Texas-New Mexico Vacation: Day 2 - Austin

We began our second day in Austin by going over to Mount Bonnell. There were a few stairs to climb to get to the top, but from there we had a great view, even on this cloudy morning. Here we are looking toward downtown Austin.

And then on the other side looking at the Colorado River.

We had a reservation for the Sunday Gospel Brunch at Stubb's BBQ, but we had just enough time beforehand to see the Texas capitol building and, more important to Kai, catch several Pokémon.

We then walked over to Stubb's, only to find the gospel group had cancelled so there would be no performance. I was really disappointed, as that was something we were looking forward to. Kai got upset, too. I don't think he particularly cared about missing the gospel performance, but he hates any change in plans.

For the second straight day, we went to Plan B. Threadgill's is a local institution known for live music that also has a Sunday brunch. We took the cab up there while Kai steamed about going to a more remote location where we were less likely to see Pokémon.

Once at Threadgill's, we were seated close to the stage, and then went to load up on the buffet.

I liked the bluegrass band, though it wasn't really what my wife or Kai wanted to see.

Kai made a taco of sorts out of tortilla and potatoes and pepper juice.

We didn't stay for the whole performance as we had other things on our agenda. The next item was to return to the capitol for a tour.

The following photo is looking up at the top of the rotunda.

We saw both chambers of the state legislature. The following photo is of the senate chamber.

The capitol building was beautiful, and the tour was worthwhile as the guide talked a lot about Texas history, and Texas has a pretty interesting history compared to most states. Of course, The Alamo is a big part of that history, and here is a painting depicting the famous battle.

There were many portraits, including this one of Davy Crockett, one of the heroes of the Alamo.

After the tour of the capitol, Kai and I spent a good amount of time walking all around the surrounding grounds to look for Pokémon. My wife walked a little bit, but mostly rested while Kai wore me out with all the walking.

And then it was time to go to Barton Springs Pool, a 3 acre pool made from natural spring water that emerges from the ground there.

The water is said to be 68 degrees year round which doesn't sound too bad but felt really cold. The air temperature was in the upper 80s, so it was kind of refreshing to get into the cold water, but it difficult to swim when your body is so cold. Plus, the pool is at least five feet or deeper in most places so if you were not a good swimmer, it felt a bit challenging.

Kai loved it, though. He even went off the diving board in the deepest part of the pool.

We walked back to the hotel, making several side excursions along the way to catch Pokémon.

We capped our day by going to another barbecue restaurant. At Terry Black's BBQ, you wait in line to order, and scoop your own sides as you get closer to the front. Up front, you tell them how many ribs or slices of brisket you want and they slice off the pieces in front of you. We got pork ribs and beef brisket, plus potato salad, cole slaw, green beans, and peach cobbler. The ribs were really meaty, mostly meat and very little bone.

What you see on Kai's tray was for both he and I. Everything was delicious but it turned out that our appetites were bigger than our stomachs as we ordered way too much food and could not finish everything. But it met may wife's seal of approval as she said it was the best barbecue she's every eaten.

Next, we leave Austin and head down to San Antonio.