I recently started a new role at 3M, but in my previous position I went to a lot of tradeshows and was fortunate to get to know Mike and his wife Kristen (because she comes along for the fun!) pretty well over the last few years.

Kristen has been encouraging us to come visit them in Arlington for a while, so have camper, will travel! The point of our cross-country road trip was to visit them, so we spent the most time here. They are amazing hosts, and we had such a great time.

Arlington, here we come!

We were up and at ’em by 8 a.m. so we could get on the road to Arlington early since the drive ahead of us was long. We got on the road around 10:30 a.m. and had about 10 hours ahead of us until we got to Texas. As we drove through Kansas and Oklahoma there was one common theme: flooding. Heavy rains have flooded huge parts of the area. Large swaths of farm lands are completely under water.

Dallas/Arlington KOA

After many, many hours on the road we got to the Dallas/Arlington KOA around 8:30 p.m. As we got close to the address, I though the GPS had taken us the wrong way – we were in an industrial, business area and there was no way there would be room for a campground. Imagine my surprise as we got through the secured gates (nice touch) and saw this place is huge!

I admit, I’ve never been interested in a KOA before – I always thought they were an overpriced chain when I could be giving my business to small, family owned campgrounds. But after the dump of the last RV park, this KOA was a welcome oasis.

Another nice touch – we could just set our garbage out on either side of the site and someone would pick it up! It was also wonderful to see employees around the campground all day cleaning the sites after people left, wiping down the grills (provided at all the sites!) and picnic tables and picking trash out of the firepits.

Oh, and their websites are functional and the office staff used computers!

The KOA was a little pricier than a locally owned campground would be, but the extra touches and peace of mind definitely made up for the price difference. I signed up for the KOA membership (the discount basically paid for itself) and I imagine we’ll be using this as a good option for future camping trips.

Old Friends in New Places

Jamey and I used to live in Rochester, Minnesota for many years before we moved to Minneapolis. We spent a lot of time with our friends Chris and Brian (fun fact – I married them because I’m an internet-ordained minister) when we all lived in town. They moved from Rochester to Texas a few years ago but made a point to come visit us while we were in Texas. Chris and Brian came to visit us in Arlington at the KOA with their adorable little dog, Ollie. We all sat inside for a while and got caught up while the dogs tried to sniff each other out. To make the dogs a little more comfortable, we took them to play at the on-site dog park. Brian had to work so they couldn’t stay too long, but it was great visiting with old friends.

Memorial Day Barbecue

For Memorial Day (and my birthday, obviously!), Mike and Kristen hosted a cookout and invited us over for the fun. Holy smoked meats, batman! Brisket, bacon burnt ends, chicken wings, ribs, kielbasa. My mouth is watering just remembering the deliciousness!

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From the day Kristen and I met, we knew were meant to be friends because we have so much in common – we love dogs and beer! The foundations of a solid relationship. So, of course, the invite extended to our dogs too. If you want to be friends with me, talk about dogs, have dogs, invite my dogs along. Easy!

We got to their house for the cookout and ate our bodyweight in smoked meat, the dogs had a great time tearing through the house, and Toby claimed ownership of the couches and dog bed. After passing most of the day there, we went back to the campground, put on stretchy pants and promptly fell asleep in our reclining chairs. So. Much. Food.

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Deep Ellum, Texas

On Tuesday, we met up with another Rochester friend – a former coworker of mine and fan of Jamey’s band. We met Dave at Braindead Brewing in the artsy district of Dallas, Deep Ellum.

Deep Ellum and Braindead Brewing were pretty cool places to visit. The area itself is very artsy with tons of murals on many of the buildings. For whatever reason, as we walked through the area it was pretty dirty with liter everywhere. Braindead Brewing was a fun place – the patio was very dog friendly. Inside the place was movie themed, and the ladies room had a sticker of Dot Matrix, which made me very happy (HUGE Spaceballs fan!).

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The boys came along for the visit and enjoyed meeting all the people, getting all the treats and just watching the world go by. It was great to catch up with another old friend. And it made us think – why are our Rochester friends moving to Texas? The weather. Minnesota winters are brutal. It’s not a bad idea! I lost count of how many times Jamey declared “we live here now!” – usually after (or during) great meals.

HopFusion Ale Works

After meeting up with Dave, we headed back to Arlington to Mike and Kristen’s favorite brewery, HopFusion Ale Works. Set sat outside for a few minutes, but Texas is hot and we’re are weak Minnesotan’s. Thankfully the brewery was dog friendly inside.

Inside was very spacious and everyone working there was so friendly. The vibe was very Texas proud with plenty of space for everyone. I can see how this became their go-to brewery, spending a day here would be no problem!

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We each had a flight and a couple pints. Wow, the beer here was good. The Tejano Lager came highly recommended. It was a great, refreshing beer with a hint of lime and some fancy salt/seasoning on the rim. The Coco Anejo, coconut stout was amazing – I could have passed the day drinking all of that! After a couple flights, a couple pints, Mike was kind enough to drive us back to the campground, while Kristen followed. We got the dogs their dinner and settled in for a much-needed snooze in the air conditioning while we went out to dinner.

Joe T. Garcia’s

What do you want to eat? Well, it’s Texas … we ate a boat load of BBQ and smoked food yesterday … the answer is obvious: Tex-Mex. So we wound up at the most unique, wonderful restaurant: Joe T. Garcia’s. Once a family home, the place has been expanded and added on. They have an amazing patio with beautiful lights, a pool, and tons of plants.

There is usually a long line out the door to eat here. Thankfully we got in pretty quickly, it was just a Tuesday after all. So we take our seats on the pretty hacienda patio and ordered a pitcher of their famous margaritas.

For dinner you have two choices: enchilada combo plate or fajitas. That’s it and that’s all. But you don’t need anything else. The meals are HUMONGOUS. I feel like I ate a metric ton of food, but there was plenty still left. It was so good and so filling. If you’re in Arlington, visiting this place is a MUST.

Of course, after a few beers and a couple margaritas, a photoshoot was in order.

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Dallas Book Depository – Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

Wednesday was Jamey’s birthday and history is one of his favorite things, so obviously we were planning to visit Dealey Plaza and the learn more about the assassination of JFK.

The weather forecast looked like severe storms were possible, so just to be safe we left a key hidden outside the camper before we got in Kristen’s Jeep. Mike had to work so it was just the two of us, Kristen and their oldest daughter today.

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We got up to the museum and set out on the self-guided audio tour. It was very somber and also very interesting. The museum has glassed off the area where the sniper actually shot JFK from, but it was spooky to stand right next to the spot, to look down from the window to Dealey Plaza and to the Grassy Knoll.

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Another F-ing Tornado Warning

As I was lost in history, Jamey tapped my shoulder to show me the tornado warning alert on the weather channel app on his phone. The warning was for the area the campground is in, and we were easily a good 45 minutes away. The dogs were alone in the camper, during a tornado warning. Not a watch, a warning.

I was already feeling emotional from the historical displays, to throw in life-threatening danger to my dogs and my newly purchased camper … well, I got a little teary eyed and panicked.

Kristen tried assuring me the radar didn’t look like the storm was going to hit our area, but I was still pretty upset. She stayed in touch with Mike, and their other daughter who was working where the tornado warning was threatening to keep an eye on everything.

Thankfully, Mike left work, went to the campground and used our hidden key to rescue the dogs and take them back to the safety of their house. I can’t tell you how much that meant to me, he is truly a hero for rescuing my dogs. I know to some people they’re just dogs, but they’re my family and I can’t imagine if something happened to them that could have been prevented.

Knowing the dogs were safe, I was able to resume enjoying vacation and the history tour.

Thanks-Giving Square

Crisis averted, tour complete, we set out to visit the City Center. On the way, the skies opened up and it began to pour, so we took shelter with cocktails and appetizers as we waited for the storm to pass. It rained sideways and we watched the wind rip an umbrella out of some person’s hand and blow it down the road. I was once again thankful that Mike rescued the dogs, just in case the strong winds managed to tip the camper over.

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The storm passed and we made our way to more touristy fun. After posing for some obligatory photos and admiring the water feature, we went into a little chapel. I was not expecting the beautiful stained glass spiral. Truly a wonderful, unexpected moment.

Prost y’all

Up next on the birthday bonanza was Rahr & Sons Brewing Company. Brewery visits are limited to Saturdays and Wednesdays and they don’t have a traditional taproom. Instead, on those two days for 2 or 2 ½ hours, you pay admission and get 3 ½ beers. Since it was Jamey’s birthday, he got in for free and got a special birthday glass.

I really enjoyed this place! There was a guy playing guitar and singing, everyone was just milling around and man their beers were good. My favorite was Tequila Adios Pantelones – it was a great, light lager with a hint of line and aged in tequila barrels. I could have used all my credits for that beer, but they limit the specialties to one per person.

Trinity Groves and Reunion Tower

Thursday, our final full day in Texas, caught up with us quickly. Time really does fly when you’re having fun!

We took the afternoon to do fun, touristy things just the two of us. Based on Kristen’s recommendations, we went to Trinity Grove for lunch and a beer before we went over the bridge back into Dallas to visit Reunion Tower. Before boarding the elevator to go up to the observation deck, we paused for the silly photoshoots. Since we both wore blue shirts, standing in front of a blue screen turned us into floating heads!

After admiring the very cool views and taking in a little more JFK history, we went back down to the ground level to head back. We left rented Uber e-bikes to get back across the bridge to Trinity Groves and the truck. Those little bikes have some get up and go! It was a fun, easy way to get across the bridge and to add Texas to the list of states we’ve biked in (it counts!).

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Texas Rangers

Another thing Jamey requested to do in Texas was take in a baseball game. So, we joined Mike and Kristen and their daughter for a Rangers game. We walked the stadium, bought some souvenirs, saw this guy with his dog, and watched a game. I think they lost. Jamey had a great time watching baseball in a new (to him) stadium.

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We invited everyone back to the camper for a little big as a goodbye and thank you since we were hitting the road bright and early the next day.

Fellow Instagrammers

As I was walking the dogs Friday morning before we left, I walked past a motorhome with a sticker that said “Follow us @GratefulGlamper.” I do follow them! I was a little starstruck to recognize someone from Instagram, who is living my dream, out in the real world. We didn’t get a chance to actually say hi, but I did send them a message on Instagram. It’s like meeting a celebrity.

Texas was a great time, Mike and Kristen are amazing hosts, and now I have to think of how to convince Jamey we should join our Rochester friends and move to Texas!