A hole in the ground

When Cas and I got moving this morning, we drove to New Braunfels, where we discovered that the New Braunfels Smokehouse is permanently closed.  Thankfully, we figured this out before looking for it in earnest- the Internet told us so when we tried to plot a drive there with the phone.  So, we looked around and found a place called the Tortilleria.  It looked an awful lot like a few trailer homes were jammed together and turned into a restaurant, but the food was amazing.  We weren’t super-hungry, so we split a plate, then, we proceeded to eat every bite.  They didn’t worry about the decor or ambience- they let the food do the talking.  I felt like we landed at a place that locals visit, not a spot for tourists.  

From there, we made our way to the Natural Bridge Caverns.  The place had a zip lining course, some amusement park kind of exhibits and a country singer with an acoustic guitar right in the middle of it all- but none of that was what brought us to the Natrual Bridge Caverns today- we actually came to see the big hole in the ground.  We walked down with a tour group to the underground space where the natural formations were the stars of the show.  It was a precarious journey down on steep sidewalks that were damp with condensation.  About halfway down, I started to ponder how difficult the trip back up would be.  Turns out, it was a bit of a challenge.  I blame Covid for keeping me out of my gym for the past year. Hey, it can’t all be my fault, can it?  

Still, for a paid trip down a hole in the ground, it was a very cool journey.  We wore long pants and tennis shoes, because it was supposed to be cool down there.  We failed to account for the humidity.  When we got back to the car, we each drank a full bottle of water- having finished the one we took with on our trek.  We were pretty grateful for Cas’ car air conditioning when we got back to the parking lot.  

After that, we headed to Austin via San Marcos, where we decided to pause for a nature walk through a place called The Meadows Center.  It’s a nature preserve that most certainly must belong to Texas State University, and they offer glass bottom boat tours.  We didn’t book far enough in advance to get a spot on one of those boats, so we just went for a walk.  It was a nice, little walk- it didn’t take too long, and it put us back on the road at just about the right time to check into our Austin hotel at our intended time.  We’ve just arrived at The Driskill Hotel- in keeping with our historic hotel theme, we’ve found another classic.  The Driskill’s website claims they’ve been here for more than a century.  We’re once again on the fourth floor, and again, have scored a room in what the desk personnel described as “the historic part” of the hotel.  Two for two on that.  It’s a nice room- very fancy, and we will certainly enjoy these digs this evening, but for now, it’s nearly time to find a place to eat diner.  Maybe, since we were just at a hole in the ground, we can find a hole in the wall.  I’ll keep you posted.  

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qd4HG7MEc8auwHvF6