It’s all my sister’s fault, really.
Since starting college at Tulane two years ago, my younger sister—Jeannie, the third oldest and second youngest of us four siblings—had spent every Thanksgiving break with me in Austin. This year, she decided to stay in New Orleans—which left me with a choice to make.
Stay in ATX?
Travel back home to Maryland?
Or, take advantage of my newfound “funemployment” and embark on a bucket list trip from Austin through West Texas to discover Big Bend National Park and all the towns in between?
Door no. 3 for the win! Gordon was coming with me whether he liked it or not—there’s no way I’m driving eight and a half hours across the state of Texas by myself!! The plan was to hit the road the day before Thanksgiving and stay in Marfa at the famed glamping destination “El Cosmico” for two nights. Then, we’d head down south to Big Bend National Park, where we’d “rough it” in a real tent for one night before staying in a fully outfitted tipi for two nights.
Neither of us had actually gone camping in at least ten years.
The last time I went camping was in fourth or fifth grade with Girl Scouts—and we stayed in cabins, not tents that year.
What could go wrong?