DALLAS - deep in the heart of TEXAS

It was tough to leave Austin. Actually the last night in that area, I was in Round Rock, a northern suburb. Julie had to go to work early Sunday morning, so I got an early start on the road to DALLAS. Hunger was talking to me as I rolled into town, so I went straight to The Spiral Cafe! Their slogan is "Organic, Vegan food in the Lone Star state!" My pal, Meg, was recently in Dallas and recommended the spot to me.

the Spiral welcomed me unconditionally

I arrived a few minutes before they opened and got to talking to a fella outside. A fellow, like myself, seeking a bite to eat and some free wifi. He assumed that I was there for the All You Can Eat pancakes served on Sunday mornings. That's not really what I had in mind, but part of what this trip is all about, is "going with the flow"... When in Rome, do as the Romans' do, right? So I got a seat, set up the computer and got a mighty plate of apple cinnamon VEGAN pancakes.

AYCE pancakes - every Sunday at Spiral Cafe

I visited some shops that afternoon and then was able to link up with my disc golf sensei, John Boyd. John and I lived in an off campus apartment when I was a junior in college. He was WAY into disc golf back then and taught me a thing or two about the game. After I graduated and moved to San Diego, I lost track of John. I found him on facebook last year and learned he's been living in Plano, just outside Dallas. The rain held off, but the wind was strong.

John Boyd putts into the wind.

After rapping out and golfing, John swung me by a huge skatepark in Lewisville, TX, just as it began to rain.

Lewisville, TX there is a fun spined mini ramp too!

I'd called Katie, the gal I'd met in Austin a few days prior, and we set up a dinner date for the Cosmic Cafe.

long on atmosphere, short on good vegan options

We had a nice dinner and then walked to a nearby market in search of a quality vegan chocolate bar for desert. It took some looking but we found one and sat outside and talked for 2 hours. The night came to a close and we had made plans for the following evening. Initially in Austin, I thought I saw her eating a meat burrito. Well, I was wrong, she works in renewable energy.....the job took her to Dallas....  She's been a long time vegetarian and even grew up in Lincoln, NE. Educated, funny, athletic.... I was psyched on Katie and looking forward to the next evening.

The next day I dropped in on several more shops and visited the PIER skatepark.

the street course at the Pier

the mini ramp at the Pier.

Later that evening I made my way to Katie's apartment where she was cooking dinner for me and two of her gal pals.

Katie is not afraid to experiment.

I was impressed with Katie's excitement in the kitchen. She had multiple dishes going all at once. Her pal made homemade hummus. I'm not too sure what you'd call the 2 main dishes we had....I'll go out on a limb and say it had an Indian angle. Lots of veggies! The dinner was delightful as was the company. Katie and her pals are super into their neighborhood and do promotions for their Deep Ellum neighborhood.

The view from her apt was top notch.

Katie was great but by the end of the evening it was apparent that she wasn't interested, but her hospitality was greatly appreciated....... Nothing ventured, nothing gained.....

The next morning I drove out via the TEXAS SCHOOL BOOK DEPOSITORY route. I visited the Daley Plaza years ago and since have learned lots of troubling issues that make me trust our government very little.

the book depository is the 3rd building up on the right.

Before I could leave I hit up the Spiral Cafe one final time. I went a little nuts... Meg had recommended the shakes, so I elected for a strawberry one and it was out of this world !! !

creamy and delicious

I always like a good noodle dish! thai peanut

then I saw the Philly Cheese steak sando....

I thought I'd take most of the sandwich on the road with me, but that didn't happen... In my defense, it was a pretty small sandwich.  My favorite item from my two visits was certainly the strawberry shake... When in Dallas, pay a visit to the SPIRAL.

Allen, TX

The guys at Skate Bus encouraged me to stop at the Allen Skatepark. It's huge and has a lot to offer, but nothing that really grabbed my attention....

a dream come true, comes crashing down on me...

Two months before I'd left on the trip, I threw my disc into a tree and cracked it down the middle.  A little duct tape later and it seemed to be functional.. I'm still playing with it. One of the reasons that I continued on with it, is that I had an idea that when I played with John, he'd have some old discs that I could take. My dream for the last year is to find a tye dyed disc on the course.... To no avail... So after I did play with John Boyd, he did give me a handful of discs including my HOLY GRAIL a purple, blue, and white tye dyed CYCLONE. He'd suggested a course in northern Texas on my way to Tulsa and I took the time to try out my new disc. Turns out this course had a fast moving river running through it. My first time really playing with true water hazards..... Long story short. On hole #2, I threw out over the river and sure enough hit the one little branch in the area and my tye dyed baby plunged to the middle of the river... No HOPE of getting it.... I ran back to the van to get a back up and continue and by hole #8, I'd lost that one in the water as well. GAME OVER time to get back on the road....

next stop TULSA