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Published: July 17th 2013
If I made a prioritized list of all of the states I wanted to travel to in the U.S., Texas would be at the very bottom of that list. But, on the top of my list of people to see is Juli “Juju” Ragan.
Juli and I played Rugby together in Alaska the year before we both left, but long before that we were bosom friends. We had a long history of dressing in full body spandex outfits, singing karaoke, dancing our lives away, and supporting each other through some crazy situations. Here are some things you need to know about this girl: She is an American hero, serving in the Air Force almost four years; she has the best dog, Maude; her car has a mustache; the closest thing she eats to vegetables is drinking green beer on St. Patricks Day; she loves karaoke and her free spirit will dance and sings along to the worst Justin Timberlake songs. In Texas, she is a real cowgirl: she hunts wild boars and rides horses. Also, she has a tattoo on her boob.
At the end of April, I flew off to Dallas to meet up with her. Our plan
Juju, K$ and I
On the pitch, we got free Snapples. Yeah.was to do a roadtrip up to Little Rock, AR to spend Memorial Day Weekend with her family. After we would head back to Abilene, TX where she was stationed for the week and then go to Austin for the weekend.
One Night in Big D; Dallas, TX
I flew into Dallas where Kayla picked me up from the airport. She is a friend of Juli’s from Arkansas. We had lunch and then she let me hang out at her place for a while until Juli got into town. We met up with Juli and some of her Dallas rugby girls at the pitch. We watched the end of their practice, all while gulping down free Snapples. What was even better than the free Snapples was the fact that another one of our Alaska Rugby Arctic Foxes, K$Rich, came down from Killeen, TX to hang out. She is one of my Team New Zealand girls! (If you mised this phenomenon, see it here: (
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_RJPSc4nC8). That night we met up for dinner at Sundown at the Granada. Walking in the high ceilings and dim lighting gave the humble sense of being in a cathedral. The walls were
Karaoke In Dallas
K$ and I surprised Juju by bringing our Team NZ outfits. She was after all the inspiration for these Beer Olympics uniforms. dark brick and wood paneled, but the gay chatter of the guests and staff brought the place to life. The food was delicious. Grassfed beef from nearby farms made one of the most juicy burgers I have had in awhile. Top that with bacon and blue cheese and I was in heaven. They also had over 60 beers on tap. After dinner, our group went to Sue Ellen’s Lipstick Lounge. Lucky for us, karaoke was on the agenda. I sang some Johnny Cash and we all played pool. K$ and I both secretly brought our black spandex suits. A few songs before Juju’s turn, we snuck into the bathroom to put them on. When she sang, let’s just say she had the best backup dancers of the night. We stayed over at Rea and Molley’s place, two of the rugby girls. These girls were super fun and very welcoming. In the morning we went to a breakfast place called Oddfellows and got to sit outside with the pups nearby. After, Juju and I were on the road.
Memorial Day Road Trip; Little Rock, AR
Juju is a practical girl and what practical girl doesn’t have a convertible?
This car was like riding around in a transformer. At the push of a button the car’s hardtop veered up like a canopy just before it folded into the trunk. We piled our bags into the backseat of the car, leaving one seat clear for Maude. We rode the full eight hours with the top down passing through green countryside.
Kris and Sam’s Cookie Shop and meeting the Family. When we got into town we went to visit Juli’s mom, Vicki Adams. She was at her cookie shop called Kris and Sam’s. The shop was adorable. Here she gave us the best snickerdoodle cookies I have ever had. The back patio was enclosed with tables and chairs. It was much cooler here than in texas, so we sat and soaked up the sun while we ate our cookies. Vicki sent Juli home with a container of cake balls.
“I’ll just have a bite of yours,” I told Juju. “I am not a big cake person.”
But, once I started I couldn’t stop. These cake balls were a fat kid’s dream come true. The exterior was a thick chocolate coat and on the inside
At the Top
Mount Pinnacle the cake was moist and rich.
Juli and I stayed with her mom Vicki while we were in town. Vicki is beautiful. Her smile is contagious and her unconditional kindness and thoughtfulness makes her just as beautiful on the inside. She is supportive, accepting and loving in all of the most important ways. She is also a biker chick, which makes her even that more cool! Meeting Vicki gave some good insight into all of the qualities I love about Juli.
That night I met the rest of her family at a BBQ at her Dads.
Hiking Pinnacle Mountain While in Little Rock Juli and I went on a hike up West Summit Trail up Pinnacle Mountain which by Alaska standards is a baby hike. The first half of the hike is a nice windy, dirt trail around low brush and up rock steps. It leads into a hillside of steep loose rocks. At the top there are two lookout areas. There were no manmade fences to hold in the public allowing us to feel more connected and scale the large rock faces for a solitary perch. We hung out on the mountain and
Thirsty!
By the time we got to the bottom we had gone through our water supply. Luckily they had a water fountain for each of us. overlooked Lake Maumelle on one side and the Arkansas River Valley, the Ouachita Mountains and west Little Rock. By the time we got to the bottom we had gone through our water supply. Luckily they had a water fountain for each of us.
Watering Holes On Sunday we drove out to Greers Ferry in Heber Springs to swim. We first tried a park access area but they would not allow dogs on the site, not even in the car! We turned around and found a boat launch site. We walked along the shore and found a private rock beach just for us. The water was cool and the three of us swam and laid out on the beach.
A day later, we were driving back to Texas. It was miserable. By the time we hit the border it was over 95 degrees. Having the top down felt like we were being whirled around in heater with no vent to escape. When we pulled off and put the top up, we decided it was time to hunt down another water spot. Crossing over Lake Ray Hubbard, we knew we had to stop. We got off
Me and Juju
Before our Jump in Lake Ray Hubbard the interstate and drove around trying to find a public access area. The whole shoreline was closed off by private neighborhoods for several miles. Finally we came to another bridge. Though it looked fenced off from the road, we saw upon closer glance that there was a break between the wooden fence and the chain link fence. It was meant to be!
We took off down the trail, passing some fishermen. A small jetty ran parallel to the bridge. There was trash and catfish skeletons lining the trail. Still we found some flat concrete blocks to lay our clothes on. The water was murky, which we were grateful for. Neither of us really wanted to know what was lingering on the floor. We were cooled within minutes and then back on the road.
A Week at Juli's; Abilene, TX
Abilene, Texas is the worst.
It is hot. You step outside and your underarms immediately drip to your sandaled feet. A few times I rode Juju’s bike to a coffee shop about three miles away. The first time, I was drenched by the time I got there and it was overcast. The second time the sun
Decisions Decisions
What frozen daiquiri will we get at the drive through? was out. I went through my bottle of water a quarter of the way through the trip.
It is ugly. No. Seriously. The city is like a town that had been deserted for 20 years and then all of a sudden repopulated. The buildings are rundown and the only new construction that seems to have occurred in the past decade is a shopping center next to Walmart. Trash flies through the air and the wind carries it to create micro tornadoes of bags, leaves, and dirt that attack pedestrians, stray dogs and passing cars in the streets. Lawns are droughted drown and gardens consist of cacti with the occasional flower and dead bushes. Over a bridge, I saw a post measuring water levels. It came up 20ft. I looked over: Not even a trickle ran through that stream.
The silver lining: There are always some good places to be found in even the worst cities. One small treasure we found was the Eskimo Hut: A drive through daiquiris place! A few days before I left I found an oasis, which was was no mirage. On my bike ride I saw a sign for a cafe. Being only a
mile away for Juju’s, I decided that I would check it out instead of going across town in the dead heat. It was Mezamiz Coffee House. The brick front with the blacked out windows made me hesitant, I couldn’t find a door. Someone directed me into the back.
What was this? A courtyard with a rose garden, iron trellises and cafe style seating? I made my way inside. The air conditioning consumed me. The space had high ceilings and colorful walls. There were beaded curtains, walls of books, comfy couches and they even sold local arts and crafts. There was a back patio as well. The staff was super friendly and even allowed Maude to come out and join us on the back patio.
But after all is said and done, Abilene was awful.
The most exciting thing to do in Abilene, Texas?
Leave.
Weekend Escape; Austin, TX
And that is what we did for the weekend. Leave. We were off to Austin. Juli’s friend hooked us up with her apartment to stay in while she was out of town. It was small, but not st not too small for Juju and I
to do some acroyoga. Since I have started this new hobby, Juju has been skeptical. I had asked her almost everyday if she wanted to try it for the last week. She would look at me half heartedly trying to hide the look of disgust on her face and the subject was quickly changed. Finally I would have not more of it. Reluctantly she gave in. She did well and was able to fly prasarida twist on the second go around. I brought her into bat where she hung until I pushed her neck up for an intense neck stretch.
“How does that feel?” I asked knowing that it can be pretty painful for some people.
“It feels like I am alive for the first time.”
And then we did it the next day.
The Night Life The first night we walked around 6th street. For five blocks there are bars, lounges, dance clubs and street venders and the road is closed to motor vehicles. Skateboarders, hula hoopers, pedestrians, cops on horseback and girls dressed for the club intermingle briefly as they head on their ways. We met up with some of Juju’s
An Acro Bat!
“How does that feel?” I asked knowing that it can be pretty intense.
“It feels like I am alive for the first time.” friends and checked out a bar with swings hanging from the ceiling above the bar, the seat was about 3 ½ feet from the bar and about 10 feet off the ground. On the opposite side of the bar a girl got up and started swinging. I HAD to do it. I climbed the stepladder, stepped onto the bar and pulled myself onto the swing. It was joyous. The air flowed through my hair and everyone was far below as I brought swing high above their heads. When I finally came down I was pleased to find out that for getting on the swing I got a free shot from the bartender. Cheers to good decisions!
More Watering Holes It was our first full day in Austin and, again, it was hot. Juju and I decided to find some water. We drove away from the city and took a side road. We passed over a small bridge over a dam. Jackpot! We went in through a park entrance and walked around for a bit.
There was a sign that said no swimming, but off in the bushes away from those signs, there were others
in the water. We found our own bushes a little down shore. We got in and sloshed around in the soggy vegetation at our feet. It is amazing how cold water can be so relaxing. I did some back floating. Grabbing Maude's collar, she pulled me around in the water.
Boys were jumping off the bridge while kayakers and paddle boarders passed us by. The dam hovered over us in the background. I kept me ear out for a mechanical warning of its opening, but there was none.
Queerbomb Juli and I found out that Queerbomb was the same weekend. Each June there is LGBT pride event where there is a rally with guest speakers and then a procession down Pine Street.
According to their website, “Queerbomb is a family of LGBTQIA individuals gathering to support our unique and collective pride. Our purpose is to provide a space to celebrate each and every member of our community and encourage all to embrace the manifold ways we contribute to building a beautiful and diverse society.”
Juju and I both marched in this and met a host of interesting people. The marching band, Minor
Mishaps, rocked it out and was the highlight of the procession. After, we met a group that had a portable DJ booth with lights and all. Juju was inducted into their group as an apprentice DJ and we danced around the the booth like bees around a hive. We made our way through the crowded streets, gathering more followers as we went along. We tried to go grab drinks at bar with an afterparty, but it was too crowded. Juju fought a group of people at a bar line for 30 minutes with no luck. She gave up when someone apologetically cut in front of her on purpose. We were ready to abandon the crows for the peacefulness of the apartment.
The next morning we were packed and ready to leave. Juju went down to the parking lot to get something out of the car.
“I have some bad news,” She said when she came back.
“What is it?” I asked.
“The car is gone.” She said.
“Was it stolen?!” I asked and then immediately knew what happened. Though there was a sign that said cars would be towed, Juju’s friend insisted that they did
Top hat and tutu? I'll take it!
Some cool kids we saw at Queerbomb not enforce this. She called the number on the sign and they said they had it. She took a cab to pay the fine and get it out.
This coupled with the rudeness at the bar, made Austin leave a bad taste in our mouths.
A Dessert Drive; Albuquerque, NM
Leaving Juju was hard. We have become such close friends over the years and being with her again reminded me just how important her friendship is to me. We made plans to rendezvous in Tennessee in the Fall, which made the parting easier.
It was time to travel on. Rea, one of the rugby girls whose house we stayed at in Dallas was headed to Albuquerque, NM for school. She was nervous about the 10 hour drive on her own and was looking for someone to help out. Since I had no real agenda at this point, I agreed to go. She was leaving around the same time I was planning on heading out and I easily found an inexpensive flight from there to Southern California.
Rea Picked me up early on Tuesday morning and we hit the road. She had already driven three
Road through New Mexico
Disappearing into the horizon hours from Dallas to Abilene, so it was only a seven hour journey for me.
Having never explored this country in my adult life, the drive was beautiful. It was desert, but who knew how many kinds of dessert there were! I saw fields full of wind farms, there were farmlands that broke into endless fields of dust and cacti. Red mountains hung heavy in the distance as we drove down highways that ran straight as far as we could see until they disappeared into the horizon.
The trip went fast and I was at the Albuquerque airport before I knew it.
West Coast, here I come!
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Jenna Weisz
non-member comment
NZ!
Haha I'm glad you survived Texas! Hearing your stories makes me want to hurry up and get on the road again! Miss you and have fun in the West Coast!