Day 30: Home. To all the places we went and friends we saw, Thank You! Till next time road, you've been fun.

Day 29: A fantastic finish to the trip as we rolled into Houston today. It was a eerie drive over in the morning, but the sun finally broke free for an afternoon of exploring the city (and a few shops), including lunch at Velvet Taco. This evening, we got to spend some quality time with our friend, Ted Hall, who shared with us some true gems of the city, including JINYA Ramen and 8th Wonder Brewery. Great guy, great city and a great way to wrap up. Tomorrow, we return home to NOLA.

Day 28: In true pirate fashion, we conquered yet another city today. We started with a leisurely Sunday stroll through the Japanese garden. This was followed by a visit to the Alamo. From there, we walked all along the River Walk and took in the downtown sights from the river level. When our legs ached, we took a river boat tour and learned some more about the river and San Antonio, then stopped for a delicious Mexican lunch at Casa Rio. In the afternoon, we rode down Mission road and visited several of the missions as well as St. Paul's Square. We capped the afternoon with a visit and cocktail at the Tower of America. For dinner we enjoyed a hidden San Antonio gem, the "puffy tacos" from Ray's Drive In.

Day 27: Another short/mixed travel day today as we meandered our way through Texas hill country to San Antonio. Along the way, we hiked down to Hamilton Pool, sampled the season's press at Texas Olive Oil Company and checked out the hype at Salt Lick BBQ. Once in the Alamo City, we explored the new hip Pearl district, sampling some brew at Southerleigh Brewery and the meats at Cured. A late stroll yielded some flying Sunfish under the overpass.

Day 26: Kicked off this fun day with the Veterans Day Parade downtown and a walk around the Capitol. From there, we wandered to South Congress and all the funky shops it had to offer. Fun tidbit: ran into a fellow New Orleanian, Rachel, while crossing the South Congress bridge. We grabbed lunch at Lucky Robot and continued our wandering down to Rainey Street. To celebrate all that walking, we went over to the Austin Beer Garden Brewery. We ended the evening with some quality Sam time and dinner at Launderette.

Day 25: What a great travel day today, with two built in stops; first, at the Czech Stop for delicious kolaches, then at Bucee's for, well, just to see what all the hype was about. After our arrival in Austin, we made an immediate stop for tacos at Torchy's then tried to walk it off at Barton Springs. At sundown, we made an unsuccessful attempt to see the Congress street bats, but quickly lifted our spirits at Peter Pan Putt Putt. We capped off the evening with a flight at Independence Brewery (2 thumbs way up) and late night grub at the Barton Spring Picnic food trucks. Whew, these are supposed to be rest days...

Day 23: Another travel day today, this time passing into the great state of Texas. A lot of road time and rain today, but we kept our spirits up with brisket and country music on our way to Ft. Worth. More family fun this evening as we reconnected with our favorite Faubel's (Ryan's cousins) at Meat U Anywhere BBQ.

Day 22: Today was a Hot Springs kind of day. It kicked off with a hike up and picnic on East Mountain. Following our picnic, we took a drive to catch the views of Lake Katherine. Next, a visit to Hot Springs wouldn't be complete without a trip to the Bathouse and their magical water. Our skin has never felt softer. After our relaxing bath we headed down to a nearby Bathouse which has been converted into a brewery and taproom. We ended the evening with a lovely Italian meal at Luna Bella on the outskirts of town.