Just as I like to get to Thunder Bay once or twice a year, we try to visit Texas that same amount. We want to see family and friends. It's getting colder, and deer hunting is in full swing on Thanksgiving in Wisconsin. It's a bit of a no-brainer to go to Texas. We can enjoy the warmer weather and avoid the hecticness around deer hunting.
We packed the car on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and hit the road. Our first stop was Kwik Trip for a quick breakfast in the car.
I sat in the back and kept Little Dude entertained.
I had my counties along the way spreadsheet saved from last year. I'd keep this handy just in case we'd be able to visit a courthouse along the way.
For lunch, we stopped at Arby's. I decided to jump on the Thanksgiving trend and get their turkey sandwich.
After lunch, Little Dude was napping. We made our way through the rest of Illinois and into Missouri.
Google Maps told us to take US-67. I asked ChatGPT to give me a list of courthouses along the way and how out of the way they were.
As we drove, I sat in the back with Little Dude. It seems Disney+ was glitchy trying to watch downloaded shows.
I was able to get it to work, and that kept Little Dude entertained.
The Butler County, Missouri, courthouse was just a short distance from our gas stop. I visited that, and we got gas.
For some reason, Victoria's Google Maps gave her dumb directions that would take an hour longer. We had to use my phone for directions. We were literally in the same place, using the same app, yet got different directions. There weren't even any alternative routes suggested. Another technology fail!
After a little more driving, we were soon in Arkansas.
Along with the dumb directions, we got behind dumb drivers. This person was doing around 35mph in a 55. We were among a big line of cars that couldn't pass due to the curvy roads.
For supper, we stopped at Taco Bell.
After eating, we hit the road. We drove past a courthouse, but it was dark. We just wanted to keep going, so we did not stop.
We finally made it to Little Rock in time to get to our room and get some sleep.
After a good night's sleep, it was time for breakfast. The hotel had a decent variety.
We checked out and then stopped for gas. I can see the Kum & Go rebranding is slowly but surely taking place.
Arkansas' interstates seem a bit underbuilt. It always seems like there's a snail race between semis going on. It makes it hard to pass.
Arkansas also has no alcohol on Sundays. This is a stark contrast from the way Wisconsin does it.
After a little more driving, we were soon in Texarkana. We stopped at the Miller County, Arkansas courthouse.
We then drove State Line Ave, where one side of the road was Arkansas and the other was Texas.
We opted for the Texas side and went to Slim Chickens for lunch.
I got their wings and tenders combo. It was pretty amazing!
The nice thing about now being in Texas was the faster speed limits. We definitely were able to make better time!
Google Maps again wanted to suggest routes with worse times. Taking this route logically makes no sense at all.
Along the way, we stopped at a gas station. We may have been in Texas, but they had the stuff that makes Wisconsin famous.
After our short stop, we hit the road again. There may have been Wisconsin cheese, but you could definitely tell we were in Texas with the oil wells.
Once we got to Bryan, we went straight to Victoria's grandparents' house. For supper, we had Los Cucos Mexican Cafe. I got a stuffed avocado.
After our visit, we checked into our home away from home.
Little Dude had to bring some toys to bed.
The following day, breakfast was very disappointing. There were a lot of people, and food was sparse. The eggs were also out, but I got lucky when they brought more out.
Breakfast may have been disappointing, but I was pleased with the fact that we were avoiding snow.
For lunch, we stopped at Newk's for something a bit healthier.
We then visited Victoria's grandparents some more and later had McAlister's Deli for supper.
I thought Newk's and McAlister's were similar, but I didn't realize the same person started them.
The following day, we skipped the hotel breakfast. Besides being sparse the day before, it is also a bit bland. Snooze AM Eatery was the opposite of that with their breakfast tacos.
After breakfast, we let Little Dude run off some energy at the park.
Once Little Dude started slowing down a bit, we headed to H-E-B to get some of our favorite things.
We then drove past the Texas A&M campus. They were getting ready for the football game.
By the time we finished that, it was time for lunch. I got some more breakfast tacos at Fuego.
After eating, it was now nap time. We headed back to the hotel. After nap time, we headed to Victoria's grandparents. We visited and had BBQ from C&J for supper.
The following morning, it was cloudier on our way to breakfast.
Another Broken Egg was recommended to us. I got the Mardi Gras Omelette. It did not disappoint. There was shrimp in every single bite!
They also had cool coffee cups.
We then drove around and went back to the park to play. After that, we headed to Newk's for lunch again.
It was nap time again. After that, it was back to Victoria's grandparents' house to visit and eat pizza. We then went back to the hotel for a good night's rest.
The hotel breakfast was supposed to be even more limited on Thanksgiving morning. We opted for Whataburger instead.
After breakfast, we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving parade.
I later had a snack from my favorite smokehouse in Texas.
We then went to Victoria's aunt and uncle's for Thanksgiving. Her Aunt Kathy made some amazing food, as always!
We also watched some football.
We stayed until Little Dude became cranky. We said our goodbyes and headed back to the hotel. We would be leaving for Austin the next day. When we woke up, we ate the hotel breakfast to save time.
We hung around for a while and packed up. After checking out, it was time to get gas and stop at Layne's for lunch.
The roads were mainly open until we got close to Austin.
We eventually made it to a family friend's house, where we had smoked wings, chicken tenders, and a bonfire.
We were staying there for the weekend. When we woke up, we got tacos from a nearby taco truck.
We also had a birthday party to attend at a park. We all went there, and all the kids had a great time.
I realized I didn't have a collared shirt for church during the party. Thankfully, I was able to place a Target order, and we were able to pick it up.
We then returned to the friend's house to eat Mod Pizza and watch the Texas A&M vs. Texas game.
The following day, we headed to Kerbey Lane for breakfast. I got a chicken verde omelet.
After breakfast, we went to Oak Hill United Methodist Church. This is the church that Victoria grew up in.
After church, it was time to head back to Wisconsin. We passed the Austin skyline and headed to Dos Batos for lunch.
It was now time to fight traffic and high-tail it north. As you can see, there was a lot of traffic, which made it worth going to the rest stop for a few minutes.
The main thing was to keep moving. We eventually stopped at Chicken Express for supper and drove into the night.
We then stopped in Denton for the night.
Our next day would be long. We planned to drive from Denton, Texas, to Des Moines, Iowa. We started the morning with McDonald's for breakfast. We'd eat it in the car to make better time.
It looked like we'd be behind a snowstorm. I hoped everything would be cleaned up by the time we got to Missouri and Iowa.
Eventually, we stopped at a Dairy Queen in Oklahoma.
We quickly ate and hit the road. We were soon in Kansas.
It didn't take long, and there was snow on the ground. Luckily, the roads were still clear.
We kept driving and made it to the KFC\Taco Bell in Osceola, Iowa. This seems to be a regular stop on the way up on these trips. It's the ultimate American "fusion" restaurant.
After eating, we were soon in Des Moines.
The night before, we didn't know if we could fit the pack-and-play in the room, so Little Dude slept in the bed with Victoria. That night, I was able to set it up between the beds.
The following day, we wanted to make good time and get home before nap time. We stopped for gas and breakfast and ate in the car.
It was definitely cold. When we hit Wisconsin, the ground was completely white.
We put in an order for JonnyO's for about the time we'd be in Belleville. We picked it up and ate lunch before putting Little Dude down for his nap.
The next day, I picked up Maya, and we were soon back into the swing of things.
As you can see, the trip mainly consisted of eating and visiting. It was great to see everyone and eat Texas's great food. This will be the last major road trip we will take in a while. While Little Dude is currently the only one we have, we are expecting Little Dude #2 in May.
Having two Little Dudes will definitely make future road trips more interesting. I'm sure we'll have a good time when we're able to travel again. For now, it's time to hole up and enjoy the indoors during the cold Wisconsin winter.