Tag Archives: Texas

12.3.20 Time to head home

It sucks to think that the adventure was coming to a close… but all good things must end at some point.

Friday 11/20 – 400 miles to Houston, Texas

We took our time to pack up and say our good-bye\’s. Not only did we not want to pack everything back up… we just didn\’t want to stop hanging out either. Rob and I were heading the same direction and started planning out lunch stops. The guy couldn\’t get enough of us.

It took us a bit of time to get out of the state of Louisiana as we had multiple stops to make including a quick business meeting, a stop to pick up 50 lbs. of dry ice and a stop to pick up boudin balls and chicken crackling. Cuz once you have dem boudin balls and chicken crackling… boy you ain\’t the same. YA HEARD!

We pushed on through to the greater Houston area and stopped for the night. We wanted to get home within three (3) days because we were starting to get home sick, Thanksgiving was coming up and we were exhausted. So my Dad and Joe finally had Whataburger… our lives did NOT change forever however we were not dissatisfied either. One thing is for sure… Buc-cee\’s is coming up on Saturday!

Saturday 11/21 – 600 + miles to Van Horn, Texas

This haul was a doozy. If we wanted to get home at a decent hour on Monday… we needed to put down some serious miles on one of our full day trips. So we bit the bullet early and used Saturday as our day to drive many, many, many miles pulling a 24 ft. cargo trailer. But first we hit Cracker Barrel as my Dad AND Joe had never been. As suspected… we all fell into the trap that is their country store. But hey… we are contributing to the economy right? Once again… my Dad (Pop\’s) proclaimed \”THIS IS BOMB\” while mowing down some biscuits and gravy. More on \”This is Bomb\” coming soon.

Next stop… Buc-cee\’s. We had to live this Texas experience one more time. We had to walk past rows of ice machines, game feeders and gander at the Great Wall of Candy. In other words… we had to pay our respects to the greatest convenience store known to man. So we used the bathrooms, shopped and contemplated buying things we didn\’t need. $80 dollars later as if I had no will power at all, I walked to the truck with an odd sense of un-warranted pride.

I look forward to doing that again on my next road trip through Texas!

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We drove and drove and drove some more until we just couldn\’t do it anymore. Essentially 12 hours later or 620 some miles later we stopped at Van Horn for the night. Nothing was open but a McDonald\’s so we got McBurgers and McNuggets with a side of McShits later on. We barely finished our food before we started to crash. We got a good night sleep knowing that we had a decent haul to Phoenix the next day. Home was in sight.

11.17.20 Getting to Louisiana and finally seeing PAC

The haul from California to Louisiana was definitely half of the fun of this adventure… considering we ate our way through the country and visited good friends along the way.

As we crossed through from Houston into Louisiana, we could see the destruction left behind behind from multiple hurricanes and it was hard to see. It was hard to see because we know people are suffering… blue tarps everywhere, trees down, roofs ripped off and rubble piled high.

As we marched towards New Orleans we started getting pretty excited about the notion that this party was about to take off. It is mind boggling that we could assemble this incredible crew during such a challenging time. We have all kinds of fishing talent, photographers and videographers making for incredible content, great Field Trips episodes and so much more.

Our first major stop in Louisiana was PAC aka Point Aux Chene aka PAC Kayak Rental. Within the kayak fishing community PAC is well known for one of the best kayak launches in America. Not just a launch, but a community, a vibe, a place to have a cup of coffee AND a place to call home when travelling through.

We were fortunate enough to spend two (2) nights at PAC before moving to our main destination. This short window was just enough time to rest, learn about an incredible fishery, fish until 3 AM, meet the locals, spend time with Mr. Eddie and Ms. Lisa and enjoy a large community fish fry. What an incredible place… I will remember this place as the first place where I saw the marsh and caught my first redfish and speckled trout. (off the fishing dock). I connected with it immediately, simply said… this place is gorgeous. I will be back (FOR SURE).

More updates coming soon… I apologize for the lack of updates recently. There has been quite a bit to do, long fishing days and ummmm bowfishing from an airboat at night.

11.12.20 El Paso to Houston, Texas is BIG

We have been at it for almost four (4) full days and we are STILL not out of Texas… why? Because Texas is f\’n big. You hear the that Texas is big and that everything is bigger in Texas… well IT IS.

Wednesday 11/11 – 600 miles driven

We knew that we had to put down some miles on Wednesday in order to keep the trip on schedule and to make an impromptu stop. So we decided to start the day early to ensure that we didn\’t have to drive into the wee hours of the night… and we are glad that we did.

So we hit the road at 7:00 AM and started the push… we only made a few stops along the way mainly to fill up the gas tanks. We kept it simple.., snacks, protein shakes and whatever other shit we bought along the way.

Our strategy paid off as we rolled into San Antonio right about 6:00 PM. We had a dinner date with two (2) very special people to my family. We had the incredible privilege to visit my second mother, my after school watcher and one of two of her daughters who was my childhood friend. this opportunity would NOT have been possible if we didn\’t get out there and live. This 2.5 hour dinner was something that I will remember for the rest of my life. This is why we travel… such an incredible opportunity.

Sure COVID is ramping back up and is something that we have to take seriously and we are by no means taking that lightly… but with the right precautions and respect for one and another, we can make this work. The good people of Texas are largely participating in social distancing, wearing masks and following guidelines which is incredible to see.

Thursday 11/12 – 300 miles driven

Today we have a short drive to Houston where we are going to meet Rex DeGuzman @ Blood Bros. BBQ at high noon for some epic Texas BBQ. We have been thinking of Texas BBQ for months and today is the day!

Holy shit!!! We were hooting and hollering about every piece of smoked goodness that touched our lips. This place is FIRE. They have the classics with some twists on cultural dishes and I couldn\’t have been more impressed. The team that works there was nothing but courteous, fun and informative making the visit that much better.

Smoked brisket fried rice paired with some perfectly smoked brisket and ribs plus SO MUCH MORE. Let\’s just say that dinner was not required, but incredible cubano espressos WERE required to remain conscious for the remainder of the day. What a freaking treat! My smoke game ain\’t got nothing on these guys.

I skipped over one key milestone today… we got to see Rex\’s shirt and sweatshirt prints in the flesh. That means we got to see OUR new Fish Village apparel for the very first time and we could not be more happy. The prints look amazing, the new bait school design looks even better in person and the simple logo design shirts make us proud. Soon, you will have a chance to pick up your own Fish Village gear… we just have to get back home first.

So then we headed for Buggs Fishing where we would meet with owner Heath Hippel to learn about his operation, how to fish his gear AND to pick up a personal package of his amazing lures. This guys makes the coolest looking lures (in our opinion). Cool? What does that mean? Well, he basically ties flies like a traditional fly fisherman would, but they are designed for conventional fishing. His baits imitates mimic shrimp, crabs, mullet and more. He took the time to speak with us about how his products work and we will be able to share that with you soon.

From there we took the rest of the day off and did some work, uploaded photos, wrote a blog, started editing, spoke to Rob Field, Ivy Harris, Rex and Brooks about the final details. Tomorrow we ride to Louisiana with Rex and his pal Buddy… PAC, here we come. I will have a hard time sleeping tonight… IT IS ALMOST TIME TO FISH.

11.10.20 CA, AZ, NM and now TEXAS

We have been charging eastbound on I-10 for nearly two (2) days now and we are still not quite half way to our final Louisiana destination… but that is OK because we are having a blast.

Pops aka Mr. Steve Ponce is leading the charge by pulling the 24 ft. trailer with Joe and I shooting anything and everything that looks interesting. Our Canon\’s are getting a workout.

Monday 11/9 – 380 miles driven

We started a bit late due to some unexpected complications, fortunately it was a minor delay and we didn\’t have much of a schedule planned for the first day. So instead of making it to Tucson on night one, we only made it to Phoenix… this is largely due to the massively awesome dinner we had at Bobby Q\’s in Phoenix.

We just couldn\’t help ourselves… and we are so glad we stopped there. All we talked about in the car is where are we going to eat next… if you know my Dad, Joe or myself… then you know that we signed up for this road trip as a means to eat our way across America.

Tuesday 11/10 – 450 miles driven

We started our day around 7 AM searching for quality coffee for my Dad… Best Western had instant coffee and my Dad wasn\’t having that. So Joe found a Starbucks around the corner and the problem was solved… onward.

We traveled thru the rest of southern Arizona and crossed over into New Mexico by noon. We knew at this point that we could make it to at least El Paso before the day was over… we are officially back on schedule.

I spent a tremendous amount of time in Arizona in my twenties… but never anything east of Tucson. This road trip is providing the three of us the opportunity to experience the southwest and parts of the southeast together for the first time. We are thoroughly enjoying it.

Joe is our resident internet finder of things and he has yet to lead us astray. We were initially discouraged because a lot of restaurants are closed in this area on Monday\’s and Tuesday\’s, however this lead to Joe\’s discovery.

We had a very casual dining experience at Chala\’s Wood Fire Grill in the neighboring city of Mesilla just outside of Las Cruces, New Mexico. This dinner was not only fantastic, but light on the wallet.

  • Amazing smoked sausage w/ New Mexico green chili
  • Quality beef (rib eye and NY steak)
  • Compound butter
  • Fresh goat cheese
  • Farm fresh organic produce
  • Crisp, fresh iced tea
  • + cinnamon sweet tea for my Dad

Everything we had at Chala\’s was incredible… from the simple fresh salad with quality greens and a zesty citrus chili sauce to the giant rib eyes that had my Dad singing.

The three (3) California fat dudes went to town and came out on top with a small bill, full belly\’s and a happy driver!

After dinner we drove another hour to finally cross into the Lonestar state with our sights on El Paso. 40+ miles later… I was able to grab a hot shower, share some Basil Hayden bourbon with Joe and write a blog post. Not a hard day, but a long one.

Tomorrow we hit the road hard to try to cover some ground… From El Paso we will easily hit 500 + miles before we call it a day. From there we have to charge to Houston because we have a date with Bugg\’s Fishing and our boy Rex of ActionHat. Rex has some fresh off the presses, red hot, brand new Fish Village apparel that we GOTTA get our hands on.

Lastly, Tropical Depression/Storm ETA… PLEASE GO AWAY! You are f\’n with my vibe!

10.04.20 5 weeks until we hit the road

This idea started months ago and to think that we are only five (5) weeks out is sort of bonkers. To say that we are operating with \”maximum effort\” is an understatement. The team is killing it, it is a sight to behold.

The details about the road trip are firming up… we are most definitely stopping by the Houston area for a bit to visit a couple of our new partners. Heath from Buggs Fishing is going to show us around his shop and how to use his lures. Wouldn\’t you know it… our boy Rex lives a few miles down the road from Heath – PERFECT!

Keep an eye out this week for a big giveaway announcement related to our Louisiana trip… you guys will dig it!