Gracias great southwest

Ah...time to leave. The road trip had come to a close. But before we headed to the airport my sweet friend Donna, up from Houston, was ever so kind to wake up very early and come get me for breakfast at 8:30am. We headed to Kirby's, an Austin brunch staple, and had a delicious breakfast. I had gingerbread pancakes, which I've never heard of before, and they were fabulous! They're a little rich so I couldn't finish one, but they are so so yummy. I love making pancakes and I couldn't believe I never thought to try gingerbread ones, but I will now. It was so great to see Donna, even though I could only hang out till 10am. But thanks Donna Lynn for making the early morning trek!!
And so sadly we had to bid adieu to our lovely b&b, the beautiful porch, Austin, white lightening (our rental car that kicked ass) and the whole road trip. You know, originally we were planning a few weeks in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Due to the political climate in Thailand we decided maybe this wasn't the best year to go there. Wracking our brains about where else to go we decided why not pump some much needed money into our own economy and explore somewhere none of us were familiar with. And it was worth it. I often forget how truly amazing, vast and beautiful our country is. It's trips like this that remind me. We're so incredibly fortunate to have all of this in our backyard. Whether it be a small town or a big city, each has it's own identity. If last year's trip was the Good Kharma one, then this years was the Good Characters one. No matter where we went we kept meeting such wonderful people with so many stories to tell. Without a doubt this is one of my favorite parts of traveling. Always, always! take the time to sit down at a cafe or a bar or a b&b and talk to the people who live and work there. Shakespeare said, "What is the city but the people?" and I couldn't find this to be more true. You'll get your best recommendations, the most entertainment and best sense of a place from its people. I loved that about this road trip. From Jerry and Linda in Las Cruces, to Verena in Marfa, to Brooke in San Antonio, to Noel and his wife in Austin; it was a never ending cast of characters.
Thank you to all the people we met along the road and, as always, thanks to my partners in crime, Jaime and Steph. I'm a lucky lady to have such wonderful girlfriends to enjoy exploring the world as much as I do.
Now for the next trip... India? Africa? Australia? :) tbd