Day 45 - (09/23) Austin, TX

It rained all day, but our hosts took us touring to some cool places anyway.

First stop was Café Java for a great breakfast.

We learned last year that the Round Rock Donut Shop was recognized by MSN as one of the 10 best in the country. We didn’t test their rating last year. We pledged not to make the same mistake again ... it was the next stop. The donut holes were still warm and the chocolate bismark kept saying “more”.

We then got our first exposure to Cabela’s Sporting Goods. What an amazing place! They have a huge inventory of clothing and sporting accessories for hunting, fishing, camping and hiking. They display life-size mounts of big and small game in multiple dioramas throughout the store. They have multiple locations and are worth a look-see even if you don’t buy anything.

Next we took a step back in time with a stop in historic Gruene, TX. The town has gently resisted change since 1872. We stopped by The General Store, The Antique Co. and The Hall. There’s much more to see here.

Note: The Gruene Hall is the oldest dance hall in Texas. It’s the place where George Strait, Lyle Lovett and Hal Ketchum got started. Their list of past performers is a who’s who of country music. Nolan Ryan’s 50th birthday was hosted here and John Travolta’s dance scene in ‘Michael’ was filmed here.

We finished the day at Carrabba’s Italian Grill for dinner. The zucchini fritti (fried zucchini with a very light batter) appetizer was the highlight of the evening.