Arg's Travel Log

[Argonne69]

Fourth and final venture into the city tonight. Back to Greek Town for dinner with old college friends. We've been friends for 40 years, and it's always fun to get together. Haven't seen them for two years. 

 

Athena's this time. Started with a few appetizers, including saganaki, and a bottle of rose. 

 

 

Finally got my stuffed chicken breast. Mighty tasty. 

 

 

The group insisted on desert, so I went along. Lol. First time trying the baclava cheesecake. Mmmm. 

 

 

I need to get back on a golf course soon. My belt is getting tight. 😊

 

[buckI]

So everyday is Blursday!   Used to track days by church on Sunday, club closed on Monday and mole means Saturday…so much for that!😂

[caniac6]

When does the tour resume?

[Argonne69]

4 minutes ago, caniac6 said:

When does the tour resume?

 

I'm going to head back south tomorrow morning. I'll pick up Bessie on Tuesday, and spend Wednesday morning restocking the fridge before heading to Austin. Hoping to be back on a golf course on Thursday. 

 

[CMCSGolf]

4 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I'm going to head back south tomorrow morning. I'll pick up Bessie on Tuesday, and spend Wednesday morning restocking the fridge before heading to Austin. Hoping to be back on a golf course on Thursday. 

 

You may need to keep heading South.  Sunday through the middle of next week will likely not be playable in Austin.  Highs ~40 next Mon-Wed

[Argonne69]

54 minutes ago, CMCSGolf said:

You may need to keep heading South.  Sunday through the middle of next week will likely not be playable in Austin.  Highs ~40 next Mon-Wed

 

Yeah, I see that. Was hoping to get in a round or two before continuing south to San Antonio. 

 

[CMCSGolf]

4 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Yeah, I see that. Was hoping to get in a round or two before continuing south to San Antonio. 

 

That should be no problem if you get down here by Thursday.  As of today, the weather is hitting here until Saturday night.

[Mullenboy]

I am both proud and impressed at your branching out culinarily (is that a word?).  There is a world beyond mole and BBQ.  I guess you just needed to get home.  🙂

 

Travel safe!  Looking forward to reading about more adventures.

 

 

[Argonne69]

Pulled off the interstate after 9 hours of driving today. I made it to Hazen, AR, roughly halfway between Memphis and Little Rock. I'll have ~4 hours driving to Mineola in the morning. Plan to start early and hopefully be out of the dealer by 11 am. 

 

After 9 hours in the Honda I wasn't looking to drive very far for dinner. El Amigo was a block from the hotel, and did the trick. Another unauthentic meal, but it was decent. Chicken, steak, and shrimp on a bed of rice with the good 'ol queso sauce. Salsa was OK. Margarita was very good. 

 

 

Looks like another early bedtime after a hot shower. It's going to be a busy day tomorrow. 

 

[tlknight]

Arg - I live in the Dallas area and it would never occur to me to look in Mineola if I was purchasing an RV.  How did you end up buying there from living in Chicago?

[Argonne69]

21 minutes ago, tlknight said:

Arg - I live in the Dallas area and it would never occur to me to look in Mineola if I was purchasing an RV.  How did you end up buying there from living in Chicago?

 

I did a Google search for the make and model, and the dealer came up near the top of the search results. Gave them a call and they actually had one in stock. Most of the dealers I called were simply taking orders for delivery 5 to 6 months out. 

 

[Argonne69]

Ugh. Long day again. I called the RV dealer yesterday and said that I'd be rolling in at 10:30 am, and that Bessie should be de-winterized and ready to go. Arrived to find Bessie had been washed, but they had failed to de-winterize it. They also didn't repair the end cap on the slide topper like I had asked, and the repair to the damaged door retarder used the wrong size retarder. They also didn't repair the broken windshield wiper fluid hose. Sigh. 

 

Spent an extra 3 hours at the dealer while they (somewhat) repaired the topper. I'll see if it holds. If not I'll be back for a new topper. 

 

Of course they didn't have the correct size of retarder for the door, so I'm stuck with one that's too long for the time being. Biggest issue is that the door swings open too far, and will bang again the awning supports when it's extended. 

 

Once we got the fresh water tank filled, and the hot water tank heating element installed, I was eventually on my way. I don't appear to have hot water, so I may have to stop by again in the morning. 

 

Booked four nights in Austin. It's going to be very cold there on Sunday, so I'm going to pack up and head to San Antonio. 

 

[Argonne69]

Well, this certainly helped take the edge off. Lol. Felt good to get back into the routine. Don't normally eat out on Tuesday, but my refrigerator is still cooling after sitting for 12 days, and is quite empty.

 

I visited CowBurners BBQ and Taproom during my last stop in Mineola, and it was worth another sampling. Smoked meats, tasty sides, and a small, but decent selection of regional brews. 

 

The brisket, pulled pork, and jalepeno hotlink were all good, but not aware winning. Wanted to try some ribs and burnt ends, but they're not available on Mondays. Coleslaw was good. The BBQ sauce is a weak link. Needs to be more tangy. Not sure the brewer of the barrel aged imperial stout, but it's very good. Has to be at least 14% ABV. Worth a visit if you're in town. 

 

 

[Phireside]

5 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Ugh. Long day again. I called the RV dealer yesterday and said that I'd be rolling in at 10:30 am, and that Bessie should be de-winterized and ready to go. Arrived to find Bessie had been washed, but they had failed to de-winterize it. They also didn't repair the end cap on the slide topper like I had asked, and the repair to the damaged door retarder used the wrong size retarder. They also didn't repair the broken windshield wiper fluid hose. Sigh. 

 

Spent an extra 3 hours at the dealer while they (somewhat) repaired the topper. I'll see if it holds. If not I'll be back for a new topper. 

 

Of course they didn't have the correct size of retarder for the door, so I'm stuck with one that's too long for the time being. Biggest issue is that the door swings open too far, and will bang again the awning supports when it's extended. 

 

Once we got the fresh water tank filled, and the hot water tank heating element installed, I was eventually on my way. I don't appear to have hot water, so I may have to stop by again in the morning. 

 

Booked four nights in Austin. It's going to be very cold there on Sunday, so I'm going to pack up and head to San Antonio. 

 

Geez, did they get anything right?

[@_the_crook]

On 1/10/2025 at 5:14 PM, ZephyrS4 said:

I see you got it un-cut…..a buddy ordered deep dish once and had it delivered that way. Made sense, so as to not have everything leak out.

Uncut and Well done - that's the combination.

[Argonne69]

9 hours ago, Phireside said:

Geez, did they get anything right?

 

Yeah, the minor stuff.

 

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

On 1/11/2025 at 11:23 AM, Argonne69 said:

 

Yeah, a cut deep dish pizza is going to be a mess when it finally gets home. 

 

 

I really hope there's a Chicagoan joke along the lines of: I like my pizza like I like my men: uncut.

 

 

[Argonne69]

Ugh. That was unpleasant. Five hours to Austin. I've now driven 18 hours in the last three days. Took 3 hours on TX-31 to reach I-35. Horrible road with bad pavement. Texas sure knows how to build miles of roads, but they gotta put asphalt over that crummy concrete. I swear I've ridden rollercoasters that had less up and down movement. I-35 wasn't a lot better for the first half hour south of Waco, but then it smoothed out until 20 miles north of Austin where the construction began. Narrow, uneven, winding construction lanes with concrete barriers inches to the right, and semis buzzing by the left at 10 to 15 mph over the 60 mph construction zone speed limit. I thought I got done with the worst of it when I got of the interstate, but the last 3 miles of local roads was also under construction. Sheesh. Lol. 

 

Same RV park I stayed at during my last two visits to Austin. Very nice resort, but the concrete pads are very uneven. 

 

 

No plans today after the long drive. I have to book golf for the next three days, and an RV park in San Antonio for Sunday. The weather should be nice through Saturday, but the polar vortex arrives late Saturday night bringing temps in the low 20s. I topped off the propane tank when I arrived at the RV park today, so I should be ready. 

 

Looking forward to a couple of BBQ joints, and another stop or two at the Belgian Beer Bar. 

 

[dougieb42]

Hi Arg - Welcome back to Texas.

Don't know if you've played it, but I remember Grey Rock Muni in south-west Austin as being worth a play.  Jay Morrish did a good job there with plenty of variety.  There may even be some of your favorite design features - fairway bunkers!

If I remember correctly, plenty of challenge.

Doug

[ZephyrS4]

19 hours ago, Phireside said:

Geez, did they get anything right?

That’s frustrating for sure…..

[Argonne69]

Well, I did manage to book golf at Roy Kizer and Riverside for the next two days. With the arctic blast heading this way, morning tee times are hard to come by. I called the Omni hoping that they've changed their policy regarding public play, but their tee times are still open to resort guests only. 

 

Bit of a dilemma for next week. I was planning on 5 nights in San Antonio, but the forecast looks miserable with subfreezing temps and ice/rain all week. The soonest I could realistically play would be Sunday the 26th. 

 

Houston doesn't look much better. Same weather. Might just have to sit an extra 6 nights in Austin riding out the winter weather. 

 

Edited January 15 by Argonne69

[ATXGolferGuy]

1 minute ago, Argonne69 said:

Well, I did manage to book golf at Roy Kizer and Riverside for the next two days. With the arctic blast heading this way, morning tee times are hard to come by. 

First off, I've read (I think) up to about page 250-260 in this thread and am insanely jealous of all the golf, mexican food, bbq and beer....though I'm more of a German Pilsner and Oktoberfest guy myself. I told my wife that we are doing this in retirement, or even before hand, while visiting all the national parks & monuments. Just awesome that you are doing this.

 

Second, welcome back to TX and Austin. You can skip Riverside, unless it has greatly upgraded its facilities....which I don't think it has, the conditioning is just terrible. Yes, it is the second iteration (location) of Austin Country Club before they moved to the current course on Lake Austin, but it's just never been in good condition.  

 

Kizer is in okay shape and Clay (sister course) isn't terrible. Probably don't want to drive this far, but Lighthouse lakes and Legends Golf Club are two decent tracks in the Hill Country. There is also Ladybird Golf Course in Fredericksburg but that is 90 miles west of town. Have you played Kissing Tree in San Marcos?  That is the one course in the area I have not played. 

 

If I didn't have to drop my kids off at school I'd play with you!  Hit it straight and keep up the awesome adventure!  Oh and if you haven't been to Iron Works BBQ downtown that have huge beef ribs!

[Argonne69]

8 minutes ago, ATXGolferGuy said:

First off, I've read (I think) up to about page 250-260 in this thread and am insanely jealous of all the golf, mexican food, bbq and beer....though I'm more of a German Pilsner and Oktoberfest guy myself. I told my wife that we are doing this in retirement, or even before hand, while visiting all the national parks & monuments. Just awesome that you are doing this.

 

Second, welcome back to TX and Austin. You can skip Riverside, unless it has greatly upgraded its facilities....which I don't think it has, the conditioning is just terrible. Yes, it is the second iteration (location) of Austin Country Club before they moved to the current course on Lake Austin, but it's just never been in good condition.  

 

Kizer is in okay shape and Clay (sister course) isn't terrible. Probably don't want to drive this far, but Lighthouse lakes and Legends Golf Club are two decent tracks in the Hill Country. There is also Ladybird Golf Course in Fredericksburg but that is 90 miles west of town. Have you played Kissing Tree in San Marcos?  That is the one course in the area I have not played. 

 

If I didn't have to drop my kids off at school I'd play with you!  Hit it straight and keep up the awesome adventure!  Oh and if you haven't been to Iron Works BBQ downtown that have huge beef ribs!

 

No, haven't played Missing Tree. Currently showing a hour and 23 minutes from the RV park. Oy. I see that traffic hasn't gotten any better in the past two years. Lighthouse and Legends are both close to 2 hours. 

 

[SnowbirdTom]

Kissing Tree is a totally forgettable course. My son lived outside San Marcos one year. I played it while visiting him. We also played Double J Ranch, a mucky wet experience. I drove down and played Randolph’s course. Arg would likely give it 2-3 cows. 😞

[Argonne69]

Lol. Welcome to Austin. This morning started with a 30 minute drive to the course 9 miles away. Had to take a 5 mile detour to avoid an accident on the road heading to US-183. Along the way I got to see a one mile backup at a traffic light heading in the opposite direction. Nuts. Showed up at the course to find that Google Maps had sent me to the state park adjacent to the course. Punched in Jimmy Clay, and it was a 15 minute drive to go the three miles. Oy. 

 

I arrived early hoping to get on before my tee time, but it's currently 32 degrees sitting here in the parking lot looking out at the frosted fairways. Hope it warms quickly. 

 

[Tyrus Webb]

The tap list is hit or miss for your styles, but I'm a big fan of Roadmap Brewing in SA.  They often have a dope smashburger truck in the courtyard as well.

[Argonne69]

After a 75 minute frost delay, it turned out to be a nice morning. Felt great to be back out swinging a club after two weeks. I got lucky with a pair of no-shows in the first group out, so the starter sent another single and me out. Pleasant 3.5 hour round. Roy Kizer today, one of the ATX munis. I was mildly impressed by the prairie style layout. Definitely a different look than the adjacent Jimmy Clay course. The opening hole is a snoozer, but it quickly gets better. Nice mounding and plenty of native areas. The ponds are dry due to lack of rain. Bunkering was quite good. Water in play on 10 holes. Five holes with left/right movement including four doglegs. 

 

Fairly generous fairways, but I'd call it moderately difficult off the tee with the bunkering and a couple of forced carries. Minor misses might get lucky in the rough, but plenty of crummy lies await in the mounding. Big misses were generally trouble. Approaches were moderately difficult. A few green light specials, but also many tucked pins behind deep bunkers. Greens were fairly large, and had a good amount of contouring, and tiering. Slope was gentle. Putting was middle of the road. Up and downs were generally tough from the crummy lies in the dormant Bermuda. 

 

Par 3s were pretty good. The short 15th's green was much too big for such a short hole, but the other 3 had plenty of trouble. The three par 5s were meh. The dogleg 16th was the best of the bunch. If you launched one over the trees on the inside corner it was easily reachable, with the teeshot being the big risk. Short 4s were meh. 

 

Conditions were pretty good considering it's the dead of winter. Dormant fairways were tight, but in nice shape. Rough was patchy. Bunkers were excellent. Looks like they were recently groomed. Greens looked fine, but were bumpy. The dew from the frost kept the speed down for most of the round, but were rolling no more than 9 late. 

 

Played a Blue/White combo at 6320 yds on the par 71 layout (69.7/117). Decent off the tee, but my poor ol wrist continues to be an issue. Irons are just not working. Putter was a savior, though. One birdie and seven bogies. Highlight of the day was my new secret weapon, a goofy 68 degree wedge. I saw a YouTube video, and figured it was worth $85. Lol. I used to bag a 64 degree wedge, but this thing is crazy. Worked like a charm out of the bunkers without having to open the face and your stance. Take a normal wedge shot and it goes high and lands soft. Had a couple of sandys today. 

 

Think this one merits 5 cows. Fairly easy course in calm conditions, but it probably has some teeth with the winds up. I'd like to see more danger on the par 5s, and the green shrunk on the short par 3. The $29 senior weekday walking rate was goofy good. Not a must play, but certainly playable of you're looking for an inexpensive round. 

 

[Argonne69]

Roy Kizer GC, Austin, TX 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/jt8xskytwlby8o2zmkqc6/AHM7p5PzwSuYbvPS_jC0u9U?rlkey=bhb3gsydj56pzole2vsv138uy&st=ksazlooa&dl=0

 

Edited January 16 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Yet another visit to my favorite taproom in Austin, the Mort Subite Belgian Beer Bar. Twenty-four taps with nothing but authentic Belgian brews. Definitely going to be here often this visit. Started with a Tripel Karmeliet, and finished with a Goulden Carolus Quad. Unfortunately I spent 15 minutes driving around trying to find street parking before winding up in a $14 an hour parking garage. Grrr. Hopefully I have better luck next time. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Lol. Well, on the positive side I did manage to find street parking for a late lunch. Downside was that it was a quarter mile from the BBQ joint. Good thing I like walking. Parking in this city is abs nuts. Plenty of 15 minute spots, but if you need more than that good luck. 

 

Iron Works Barbecue. Read the reviews, and I agree that it's way overpriced. $37 for a single beef rib, 1/3 lb of brisket, and half a link. It was nearly double what I paid for in Arlington for a higher quality plate of Q. The Brisket was decent, but by Austin standards it was meh. A bit too lean and the rub was lacking. The hotlink was juicy, but not a ton of flavor. Wanted to try a couple of pork ribs, but for whatever dumb reason it's the only meat you can't get by the pound. Smallest portion was a half slab. Bah. Went with a single bone of their signature beef ribs. Very meaty, but I guess I'm a traditional pork rib guy. Tasty, but too lean. The beans were meh. Needed a healthy dose of molasses. The sauce was very good. Nice balance of sweet and tangy. If you like beef ribs then it's probably worth a visit. However, with several dozen barbeque joints in town, I don't see how it stacks up.