Poor Texas is gonna get a bad rap on this trip. We didn’t really get to visit it the way we would have liked, and we missed BOTH it’s national parks due to delays from repairs. A bummer for sure.
While our rig was being serviced (for NINE days), we tried to make the best of the Dallas Ft. Worth area, even though every day we hoped would be our last so we could get back on the road. Even writing this post feels like I’m back in PLP… parking lot purgatory. I’ll do my best…
First discovery about Dallas/Ft Worth area? In N Out! They have In N Out! Now if you don’t live in Southern CA, you might not understand, but we were all very excited.
Despite our Southern California burgers, the boys were quickly able to get into the spirit of Texas!
So what did we do during our parking lot purgatory?? We hit The Stockyards in Ft Worth of course, to see the Longhorns march through the street.
Very Texas, No?
We rode the train
Harlan rode a bull
As did Forest…
And they got to work themselves through the stockyard maze! It took them a good 15 minutes to figure it out.
The boys got slingshots and Alan taught them how to use them. (I think he had more fun than they did)
To mix it up during Parking lot Purgatory, we decided to go to Epic Waters indoor water park. This place was pretty amazing…
See that loop thing in the background? It’s called the Lasso Loop. Alan was brave enough to be DROPPED straight through the floor from many stories above and shot through this tube….
Awesome splash zone for Forest.
Twisty slides…
We had a blast
And of course they make you leave through the Arcade.
In Dallas, we visited The Ross Perot Science Center.
with great views of the city
Alan took advantage of the “Bird” rental scooters that are scattered throughout the city to joy ride back to the car then pick us up. 
One night, we decided to stay at a hotel so we could visit with a good friend of Alan’s and have dinner with his family. The kids played, we had a lovely dinner, and Alan had a long overdue catch up.
They were even willing to accommodate us on a school night after soccer practice etc… so we were very grateful. Poor kiddo… WAY past his bedtime!
Another trip to Ft. Worth brought us to the water garden- a public park with interesting water features…
This was the “quiet pool”.
Quite the contrast from the first fountain which was quite loud.
This place was fascinating but I couldn’t put a finger on why it felt creepy. Maybe it was because the park was virtually empty. Maybe being panhandled in front of my kids by 2 men who just got out of the county jail nearby was it. Or the bike cops pointing out the memorial plaques for the children and adults that tragically drowned in the fountain we were just climbing around…
We were ready to leave. Thank you Ft. Worth.
Back in Dallas, we had better luck at the Arboretum. We were shocked at how busy it was on a weekday morning. After entering, we understood why. Pumpkin fall palooza, and an incredible interactive science-y children’s garden. The grounds were stunning.
An ocean of pumpkins and a pirate ship!
a pumpkin house…
…and some sciency-stuff which I didn’t take many pictures of, because we were too busy having fun.
We relaxed and lost track of time and then had to rush back through the rest of the garden to pick up our “house” from the service department, an hour away. Boo.
Once we finally got the ok to leave Parking Lot Purgatory, it was a mad dash to Austin. Two of my Mom’s Club friends from LA had moved to Austin, so the goal was to get there in time so Harlan could Trick or Treat with his old pals, and I could visit with my mama friends.
Again, so much fun being had in the moment, not much time to document. BUT, I did get the boys to stand still for a fraction of a second to capture their Halloween glory.
Despite the look on Forest’s face, they had a GREAT Halloween, in an awesome neighborhood with good friends. Mission accomplished! Thanks Hannah Meehan for taking us in! It was fast and furious.
Next stop? New Orleans and a visit from Big Brother Diego.
Thanks for hanging in while we were stuck in Texas.
Cheers!