So today was supposed to be the hottest day of the week so we decided to go for a dip.

But first, back to Franklin’s Barbecue. We pull up and the line was as long as it was on Saturday but it seemed less “dense”. So we got in line and the manager comes out and says there is a 60 minute wait but they were out of ribs but still had plenty of everything else. So I asked her if it was worth it and she said, “Oh yea!” so wait we did and … .how do you describe brisket that absolutely melts in your mouth in a puddle of smoky, barbecue goodness! I guess I just did! It was that good. Seriously. If ever in Austin, you have to stop here. This was the best brisket we have ever had and we have had some good brisket before. With about 6 or so people ahead of us, the call came out that there were more ribs available. Woo Hoo! Well, the guy right in front of us scooped up the last 3 ribs. (reminded me of going to Washington D.C. for the Millennium New Year and waiting in line for 45 minutes for hot chocolate only for them to run out with the person in front of me!) We were starved by the time we got to the counter so we ordered everything! In our defense, you order by the pound so it is kind of hard to judge how much you will be getting.  So below is what we got! Holy Cow!! (ha ha…get it!) Also in our defense, we did not finish it all and ate the leftovers for dinner and they were still fabulous!)

 

We sat in a little table in the corner of the porch and realized that the smokers were right next to us. We peeked in the door and they invited us in! They have converted old propane tanks into smokers. And man was it hot in there and it wasn’t even August. I have no idea how those men work in that environment (10-12 hours/day we were told) but we so appreciate their sacrifice!

On to Barton Springs. According to their website:

 

Here is a quick video of a dog who knew how to entertain himself.

Looking for some really authentic Mexican food, we zeroed in on Papalote Taco House. We munched on HONGOS Y EPAZOTE (Mushrooms with hominy, serranos, onions, epazote, queso fresco, and a slice of fresh avocado), ADOBADA (Huajillo marinated pork topped with fresh cactus, queso fresco, and a slice of fresh avocado), CACHET (Steamed marinated beef cheek topped with onions and cilantro) and TLACOYOS (Oval shaped black bean corn masa cakes stuffed with potato, covered in our homemade green and red sauces, and topped with fresh cheese, cilantro and onion). Wow, what a meal!

Graffitti Park on Castle Hill was our next stop. Spray paint can in hand, we were impressed by the quality of some of the art. I added my scrawls…

… and then on to Bangers which is supposed to have the largest tap wall in Austin. A private party had the bar closed to the public so we walked down Rainey Street and came across G’Raj Mahal. How could we resist? Still full from tacos, we had a drink and watched the cooks make endless amounts of fresh bread dough and the hugest pan of onions frying we have ever seen!

We also went in search of the Austin “postcard” mural only to be a little disappointed that it was so small.

Papadeux’s was the dinner destination for their Crawfish boil. When the plates came, we looked at each other and said that we should have split one order. But we did a good job on the crawfish and saved lots of the shrimp and potatoes for another meal.

Then back over to the other side of Austin, again, to see Bill Kirchen, the guitarist from Commander Cody. Buzz had seen him perform before with the Commander way back in 1973 and also at a birthday party at great friends Becky and David Thornburg about 10 years ago. It was great to hear all the old Commander Cody songs and some of Bill’s own work.

Well, we hauled our bikes all this way so we decided on Thursday we had better use them! Research before we left home showed lots of rides detailed on the Austin Bike Club website. Well, now we realize that they are very far away from where we were staying. So we picked the closest, flattest ride and headed out. When we got there an hour later, Buzz went into the Library and asked for permission to park there and she told him that the road we were going to ride was curvy and narrow and had a fair bit of traffic and she suggested a different route. So we drove there and between the wind and the rolling hills and the fact that I had not ridden my bike in 18 months, I only lasted a couple of miles. Buzz went on further but still really not enough to justify hauling these bikes so far. Oh well….

After a lunch consisting of the leftovers from our crawfish boil, we headed out to a sculpture garden which was nice but not worth the drive to get there. Next stop was Infinite Monkey Theorem wine tasting room. There is actually one in Denver too but we decided to visit this one. They do not grow any of their own grapes but they make some nice wines.

Se decided to head back to G’Raj Mahal for dinner and it did not disappoint. Then it was time to head out to the bat boat ride we had booked. Austin is home to the nation’s largest urban population of Mexican Free Tailed Bats. We decided to take the boat ride rather than fighting the crowds on the shore or on the bridge. We were disappointed in San Antonio that the bats had not migrated there yet but they are here in full force in Austin. About 700,000 of them! And once they give birth in a month or so, that number will double. They live in the cracks of the Congress Avenue Bridge over Lady Bird Lake. We watched them come out for about 20-30 minutes. After the babies are born, it can take 2 hours for them all to get out! It was a sight to behold.

 

After the cruise, we decided to go back to Rainey Street where G’Raj Mahal is located. There are so many cute little bars and restaurants on this street and most of them had some kind of live music. We made it to Bangers tonight and they do have 100 beers on tap. Beer Nirvana!

Last stop: Voodoo Donuts. Buzz had to drop me off because 6^th street was blocked off again but unlike Saturday night, there was hardly anyone there and no line at Voodoo Donuts. (the donuts were just donuts but we did not get the really crazy flavors or ones topped with Fruit Loops!)

Tomorrow is the long drive home with a fun stop on the way back in Colorado. Stay tuned….