2001 Roadtrip | 4
- Sara Bruya
- Nov 25, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 29, 2025
07 July 2001 | Continued
Next day we went "toobing" (as the locals spell it) on the Guadalupe river--the water is a beautiful green color and the perfect temperature. When we got off the river we headed to Austin for a Pat Green concert at the world famous Stubb's BBQ (you can buy the sauce in the grocery store).
Missoula > Yellowstone/Tetons > Wyoming > Colorado > Santa Fe > Austin > Luckenbach > San Antonio > New Orleans > Memphis > Nashville > Detroit > Cleveland..... > Colorado
Pat Green was a bit wilted, but the opening act, Cooder Graw (Country slang spelling of Coup de Gras)--playing down-home, washboard slappin' rockabilly stuff--was amazing. They played their hearts out.
As an aside, I wanted to let you all know that the idea of this trip was so much "bigger", "scarier" than actually doing it. I've never felt more alive, more happy. If you've ever wanted to travel--see new things--do it! I wouldn't go back for anything...
So, back in Austin, we cruised 6th street for awhile, the musical heartbeat of the town known as the Live Music Capitol of America, and then drove back to Luckenbach at 2:00 in the morning to set up our tent so we'd be there on the morning of the 4th.
We awoke to a cow outside the tent and a redneck playing the Star Spangled Banner on electric guitar in the middle of the woods at 9:00 am. A rooster had crowed around 5am, but I ignored him. We had camped at the Armadillo Farm..."an in-tents experience" according to their roadside sign...about 1/8 mile down the road from Luckenbach.
Danny from Tennessee has his two Airstreams set up there and he took us over to meet Sam, the owner, who charged us each $5 to camp and told us if we'd go get the milk, he'd give us some cereal.
Sam, about 85 years old, is a champion Armadillo racer--and would be the MC for the races that day. He took us to the "pen" and pulled out a jumpin' Armadillo for us to see...it was lunging and clawing! We'd run over a couple the night before --already dead on the road--crunch crunch :( But when it came time for the Armadillo races, the animals were docile enough to pick up.
They're not actually crunchy, like I thought they'd be, but are more leathery and pliable, like wriggling vinyl.
You have to pick them up by the sides, between the front and back legs--and I could feel the little guy's heart racing. So I kissed the little fella for good luck (leprosy be damned) and he won the race for me! And I've got the trophy t-shirt to prove it!
Luckenbach is the site of Willy Nelson's annual 4th of July picnic, however, this year he cancelled due to some hassles from "the man"... We were hoping he might show up, but no luck.
Late in the afternoon, we high-tailed it back to San Antonio for fireworks and Conjunto music at the Air Force Base. We jammed to the Kumbia Kings, the Tex-Mex answer to N'Sync--a boy band with family values, a good pyrotechnics show, and some decent songs.
"Young hearts be free tonight
Time is on your side
Don't let 'em put you down
Don't let 'em push you round
Don't let 'em ever change your point of view."
-Rod Stewart
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