Spring Break 2025, Part 2
Driving from Tulsa to Austin takes about 7 hours if you stop only once to gas up and take a quick potty break. The only time I’ve done that is when I’m traveling alone. I did it a lot when my brother and mother in Austin were very sick and dying. My brother passed about 15 years ago from cancer. My mother passed about 5 years later, also from cancer.
During both situations I drove back and forth many times. I’d stay in Austin for a couple days at a time, come home for a week or so, then go back down. During one trip while visiting my brother, I asked my boss if I could stay a little longer because he wasn’t doing very good and the end seemed near. It was in May; at that time, it was my busiest month of the year with Rocklahoma and Harley Days of May both happening.
I begged my boss to stay longer. He said, “Man, I’m sorry, I’m just trying to make sure you have a job when you come back.” Radio can be so heartless. I came back.
This latest trip was much happier, although I missed my daughter terribly, and my sister missed seeing her niece, but such is a divorced family. It was my ex’s year to have our daughter for 10 days over spring break.
Traffic is bad on 169, 
After arriving at my sister’s, we caught up for a bit before my son and I both laid down for a cat nap after the long drive. Even though he slept most of the way anyway. Still, as a parent, we are always grateful to see our kids get some good, quality sleep no matter when it is, right?
Then it was time to start planning some things to do. Since my sister lives in Buda, south of Austin, most things require driving north into town. Twenty years ago I lived in Austin. I was there for nine crazy, fun years! But the worst part was two-fold: summer heat and traffic.
While planning a couple things for my son and I to do, I checked the traffic first. In Austin, like any major city, you just avoid driving anywhere during morning, lunch, and afternoon rush hours. But this was around 2:30 on a Wednesday, so after the lunch rush and before afternoon drive home, so it shouldn’t be too bad, right? Wrong.
It was so bad I literally laughed out loud.
I had to take a screenshot:
I’ll never complain about traffic on 169 again.
Let’s eat!
I can’t talk about a trip to Austin without talking about the food. We have some good Mexican restaurants in Tulsa. I mean, I live in East Tulsa! However, nothing can beat a place that you’ve been to many times with friends and family. Two such places are Flores Mexican Restaurant and Joe’s Bakery.
Flores is a newer place, but my sister has taken me there before during another visit. Joe’s Bakery, on the other hand, is a place my dad has taken me, my brother and sisters for as long as I can remember. Ask anyone who’s lived in Austin about Joe’s Bakery, and they will say the same thing: It’s a must.
Atticus also wanted to get his hair cut. $72 later… They say everything is bigger in Texas. More expensive, too. But his new cut is “fire” and he loves it, so, success.
And then there’s the main reason we came, familia….
Atticus loves seeing his cousins. This is Alex with his fiancé, Abby.
And his other cousin, Nick, and his fiancé, Jackie…
Thank you for indulging me talking about my family. But my parents raised me to value family, so I make the trip to Texas and my sister makes the trip to Tulsa as much as possible.
With a little help from my friends
Ever since I can remember, I have loved my friends. I’ve been blessed with many from all chapters of my life, as a kid, in college, in Austin, Dallas, and Tulsa.
Here are some of my years in Austin. My years at 101X radio in Austin are a bit fuzzy for several reasons, but here are a few of those reasons why they are fuzzy. LA Lloyd, Drew, and Trina. Trina and I aren’t wearing KISS makeup. LA and Drew now work at one of my previous Austin radio stations, KLBJ.
While I was in town, they had a station party at a concert at a place called “Come and Take It.” That night featured a band called “Mini-KISS.” Yes, little people wearing full KISS gear singing KISS songs. Rock n Roll All Night, and Party Every Day!
Me and Mini-Gene Simmons:
