Taking the Long Way and Finding What We Needed
Snarled skies and uncertain forecasts forced a slight detour. What was supposed to be a quick flight to New York for a bit of rest and reset turned into an unexpected pivot.
My fallback has always been, and will always be, a road trip. With 24 hours’ notice, we traded the city that doesn’t sleep for red-dirt country and headed south.
The open road carried us along Route 66, where Tulsa is king, and then deep into Texas, where everything really is bigger, including Billy Bob’s, the world’s largest honky-tonk. The miles rolled by easy. The farther we drove, the more the trip felt less like a backup plan and more like the one we were supposed to take.
We soaked in the two-step states, stopping at the Outsiders House Museum, wandering the Magnolia Silos in Waco, saying hello to Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on 66, and watching longhorn cattle parade through the Fort Worth Stockyards.
We learned about cowboy culture and found out hats can cost thousands of dollars. We met famous musicians — hello, Shakey Graves — and managed to get free tickets to watch Ian Munsick.
Mornings were for craft coffee shops; nights were reserved for good food and cocktails at speakeasies tucked behind laundromats. In between, we filled up on Americana — wide skies, neon signs, roadside stories and more than a few Buc-ee’s detours.
The change of plans ended up being the right one. Sometimes the long way around is the best way to get where you need to go.
Love this. What a trip! You're galleries really transported me there. Tell me that is your hat being shaped and those are your alligator boots.