Hey there listeners, and welcome back.
It’s that fallow period between Thanksgiving, Christmas (Hanukkah!), and New Year’s. Time barely counts, calories sure as shit don’t, and your bank account is full of Monopoly money.
I am not the man to tell you what to do with all that cash burning a hole in your pocket. In college, I wore jeans and a white t-shirt every day for seven months straight. My iPhone is 3 generations out of date. I drive an ugly, dorky car because it fits my budget and gets great gas mileage. My consumer interests are niche at best.
But I do love spending money on time. It’s the only thing in the world none of us get more of. A finite resource, but how we use it is up to us. Most of us have agency, even with the responsibilities of work, kids, pets, romantic partners, and navigating the sadness and stress and chaos that is life in an uncertain world.
We have some choices in where we go, what we eat, and how we relax when the opportunity presents itself. Here are a few of mine, rolled up into a perfect recent weekend.
Get Outside
I’m a middle aged, middling talent rock climber. But since my first foray into the German Alps in 7th grade (an upside to life as an Army brat), I’ve loved the combination of elevation and physical exertion.
Today I live in Austin, with an elevation of basically sea level. The “mount” in Mount Bonnell is a load-bearing stretch of the term. But Austin loves parks. It’s one of the few things our city leadership did well a generation ago (meet the new boss, same as the old boss), so we’re blessed with ample green space.
We’ve got Zilker, the Greenbelt, McKinney Falls , and the underrated Bull Creek. I started off my dream weekend with a quick climbing session at Bull Creek. The air was clean, the rock cool to the touch, and I had the place to myself. I didn’t think about work, or groceries, or my elderly grandmother’s poor health, or Matt-fucking-Gaetz for 90 entire minutes. Priceless.
You may not live in Austin, and you’re probably not a rock-climber. But I bet there’s a small park within walking distance of where you live. You probably drive by all the time, thinking “I should go to the park someday.” But then YouTube shorts call your name, or the kids need dinner, or you realize you forgot to send that client email. The park waits for another day. Let that day be today. Get outside!
And if you’re up for something more challenging: For the many, many, many things politicians in Austin have done to let us down, one of the few they didn’t completely eff up is the creation and maintenance of our state parks. Whether it is Big Bend State Park, Dinosaur Valley, or Mustang Island — Texans are surrounded by access to natural beauty.
For me, that means a two-hour drive from Austin, up the ever-expanding Hwy 183, to Colorado Bend State Park, located near Bend, between Lampasas and San Saba. The jewel of Colorado Bend is Gorman Falls. Even for a fit hiker, expect 35-45 minutes to and from the parking lot to the river and falls. (And I know from personal experience, call it 90 minutes each direction if you’re marching with two kids under the age of 10.) Towards the end of your hike, you’ll encounter some steep, slick limestone, protected with an installed handrail. Just spicy enough to make for an adventure, but never unsafe enough to make you doubt your choice to visit.
If you’ve been to Hawaii or the Pacific Northwest, Gorman Falls might leave you underwhelmed. But you’ll lose cell coverage the minute you enter the park — maybe even on the drive in — and that means no scrolling, no calls, no texts, no goddamned Twitter. Just nature. You might even forget how gray your beard has become over the years.
Cost: $0 or $5 state park day pass, $20 in gas, $7 in trail mix and Gushers at the Lampasas H-E-B
Free Community Events
Did you know the Downtown Austin Alliance hosts outdoor movies at Republic Square? I didn’t! Turns out it’s among the many ways the good people at the DAA work to make the city I call home a great place to live. I joined a few hundred strangers for a viewing of The Last Dragon on a recent Friday night. Sho-nuff, a night of joy under the canopy of Austin’s downtown construction boom, was just what I needed. You haven’t lived until you and 250 strangers have hooted and hollered at Leroy Green kicking some henchmen’s ass.
In Dallas, check out Visit Dallas for free community events; in Houston, Do 713 tracks the same; and the San Antonio Current keeps their own running list. Get outside and enjoy some art, a film, or some music. You won’t regret it.
Cost: $0
And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Lights
In years past, my family, out of town guests, and friends have all enjoyed an evening at Austin’s Trail of Lights. And while I’m old enough to remember the event “before it got so corporate and so big,” the truth is that even those of us who have sometimes bristled at our city’s wealth-fueled growth should admit that Trail of Lights pretty much frickin’ rules. It’s a communal experience for thousands of our neighbors each night, powered by hot cocoa, mulled cider, elotes, corn dogs, and maybe a cold beer or three.
If you can get to Austin – especially if you’ve got kids or out of towners in tow – make the trip to Zilker Park and enjoy the lights. Eat a funnel cake, take your kids on the ferris wheel, and make sure to spin yourself dizzy under the moontower-turned-Christmas tree when you’re done with the trail. Just like a local!
Dallasites can hit up your own trail of lights, and ditto our friends in Fort Bend County and San Antonio.
Quick Trip to a “Real” Schitt’s Creek
One can’t work across industries and regions in Texas as long as I have without developing a well-earned appreciation for hotel culture. I’ve laid my head at the Ritz, countless La Quintas, multiple boutique (meaning small, I guess?) downtown hotels in Dallas, and one time a roach motel in Houston was so bad I left and bought my own sheets before I could fall asleep.
The big hole in my hotel resume is in the area of the long-maligned roadside motels.
That began to change with a quick, recent stay at the Stonewall Motor Lodge outside of Fredericksburg. After a mini-road trip to Colorado Bend, followed by a few hours of trail scampering, I was ready to look out at the stars and recharge.
Stonewall was remodeled a few years ago, and you can feel the love and care her owners put into the place. The vibe is retro, and the rooms are well-maintained. On the Stonewall’s observation deck, I met a fellow traveler named Morgan who was traveling west (I was returning east to Austin). We split an eleven dollar bottle of wine I’d picked up at the Fredericksburg H-E-B, to pair with some sushi of the same vintage. (The Stonewall’s cabins come with a microwave, and their standalone rooms get only a mini fridge; buyer beware.) Morgan and I didn’t say a word to one another about Donald Trump, Joe Rogan, Elon Musk, or fluoride in the water. Instead, we used an app on our phones to find Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus in the night sky as the sun set over the Hill Country. I lamented that it’d been too long since my last trip to the dark skies of Fort Davis and Alpine. Next time, hopefully soon, I’ll close my laptop, gas up the car, and head west. Driving further, again towards peace. Maybe I’ll see you on the road.
Cost: $150 + taxes & fees for the Stonewall; $25 for wine and sushi at the Fredericksburg H-E-B
