Texas to Colorado

The destruction left by hurricane Ike, left Jess and I a little 'stuck' in Houston. Our scheduled flight to Denver was canceled and we were re-scheduled several days later to Denver via Salt Lake City (?!?). This didn't work for us as we had plans in Colorado (including a wedding)....long story short, we called Patrick once again to come rescue us from a Hurricane. Side note: Patrick rescued us once before just prior to hurricane Rita.

Anyway, Patrick picked us up in his airplane at West Houston Airport and we flew to Austin. This worked out well, as we got to see a little of Austin (Southside pizza....mmmm) and Jess was able to take a direct Southwest flight to Denver immediately.

While Jess was on her way, Patrick and I flew his airplane to Boulder with a overnight stop in Amarillo. We had a great time checking out new airports and non-airports all the same. All in all a great time.

Bruised but not beaten by Ike

So about 6 months ago we plan a trip back to the states in September. Sure the idea seems harmless enough, little did we know that we picked the weekend to visit Houston when a hurricane was going to hit. We arrived into Houston (from Auckland via San Francisco) 48 hours before the hurricane made landfall, what timing indeed. On the first night we checked into the airport hotel (due to our late arrival) and they actually said, "You do know there is a hurricane coming, right?". Regardless, we decided to stay, partly to because we really wanted some decent Mexican food, but mostly to see friends. It should also be noted that we did eat our first Mexican meal, from Pappasito's in the airport food court.

The following day we drove into our old 'hood, The Heights to see our old hangouts. We had a delicious lunch (not Mexican) at Dry Creek and then met up with my Brother for a delicious smoothie from Maui Wowi.

Based on the traffic in and around the city, it was clear that businesses were starting to shutdown in order for people to prepare for the hurricane (i.e. get the heck out of dodge). We made our way to our friend's (Kevin & Tracy) house (soon to be known as the 'safe house') early. After catching up, we organized a first (and last) outing with friends during our Houston adventure. That night we headed to Lupe Tortillas, for good food, strong margaritas, and great friends. Thanks to everyone who made it out...little did we know that this may be the last night of electricity for awhile.

The next day, with nothing to do but wait for the hurricane, Kevin and Tracy took us to Houston's new downtown park, Discovery Green. None of the shops were open, of course, but we were able to get the feel of the place. As we were leaving the winds started to pick up making us think that the hurricane was imminent. For the rest of the night, we waited...watching the constant news coverage...and enjoying the 'calm before the storm'.



All night we heard the wind, rain, and destruction of Hurricane Ike. For the most part the power remained on. The next morning we surveyed the damage in the neighborhood...lots of branches down, fences fallen over, and some major trees uprooted. Luckily, Kevin and Tracy's place survived with little damage.



We must say one more BIG thanks to Kevin and Tracy for putting up with us - jet-lagged and cranky - without air-conditioning for such a long time. We only hope that our offering of TimTams and games of Squatter made up for it.

Shebang-a-bang

On the way to the states, we decided to spend a few days in New Zealand (namely Auckland). We didn't plan too much, but did try to get out and see a little bit of Auckland. One day we took a ferry to Waiheke island (a wine region) and another day we drove to the western beach of Piha. Both places were uniquely distinct and really impressive to see, however I wish the weather would have been better.

One point of interest - Auckland seemed very American to us. They have Denny's, Wendy's, Burger King (not Hungry Jacks). We didn't try any of them out, but helped make our transition back to the states.



FYI - the title of this post comes from this Australian commercial. Enjoy!