Road Trip Reflections | NM & TX | Feb 2024 - Part 3, Lubbock

There was a lot to reflect on (and I take waaay too many pictures :)) for February so I split it up into a few posts. In case you missed it, here are the links for Part 1 - Santa Fe & Albuquerque & Part 2 - Santa Fe Continued!

DRIVING TO TEXAS
A CHANGE OF SCENERY & ARRIVING IN LUBBOCK

I left for Texas on February 21st with a short stop in Lubbock before heading to San Antonio.

The drive went smoothly and was easy--it was pretty flat from what I remember and no crazy windy roads. I also knew it was going to get warmer so ice/snow would not be an issue--yay! (That's my main concern when driving.)

As we got closer and closer to Texas, the temperature kept going up and up! I went from being in 40 degree weather that morning in Santa Fe to almost 90 degrees in Lubbock!! I hadn't worn a t-shirt in WEEKS or felt heat like that in so long!! 90 is too hot for me and Valentine but it was quite windy too so it wasn't that bad. 

My GPS (I use Waze) kept saying "entering Texas" for the longest time that I stopped believing it until I finally saw some signs! I've been trying to catch each of the welcome signs as we enter each state--Texas, check!

5+ hours later, we arrived at our AirBnB!

After a long drive I like talking Val out for a nice walk. After a quick bathroom stop at our AirBnB we headed to Wagner Park (26th Street and Flint Avenue) which was only a few minutes away. I wonder what Valentine was thinking, being in such a warm place now!
   
I took a picture of the trash cans because I had never seen any like that before! Have you? I think they are well designed--the tilt making it easy to reach--and the lids are heavy to keep animals from getting in and smells from getting out. I wonder if it's designed this way because it gets so hot there and trash goes bad a lot faster in the higher temps?
   
It was also so nice to see green grass and green trees! It was the the first time we've seen that in about a month! I also caught the moon--which reminds me that there was a time change going from Mountain to Central Time! It was 5:52PM when I took this picture.
   

ODDS & ENDS
FINALLY VISITING AFTER WORKING TOGETHER FOR 6 YEARS!

The reason I knew about the city of Lubbock and wanted to stop here was because of Makenzie and her shop, Odds & Ends (6015 82nd Street, Suite 2, Lubbock, TX 79424) ! She placed a greeting card order with me back in 2018 and we have been working together / staying in touch ever since! It means a lot to me that she supported my business and it's always nice to connect with and work with other fellow small business owners. Makenzie is also so nice to work with so I really wanted to stop by and say hello! 

I've seen photos of the shop online and it was even more cute in person! Makenzie owns Odds & Ends with her mom and it was so nice to meet her as well! I love their sense of style, the products they choose, and they way they display everything. I picked up some bars of handmade soap made by a local small business and hand towels to gift and Makenzie also threw in a bunch of stickers which made me so happy--I've been getting them to stick onto the cover of my travel journal! 

If you ever find yourself in Lubbock or passing through, stop by Odds & Ends! In the meantime you can follow them on Instagram. They are also developing their online shop so you may be able to shop online soon if you don't have plans to be in Texas.

PRAIRIE DOG TOWN
MY FIRST TIME SEEING PRAIRIE DOGS!

Prairie Dog Town (601 East Municipal Drive, Lubbock, TX 79401, located inside Mackenzie Park off of 4th St) has been one of my favorite places I've been to on my whole entire road trip so far! lol Any time I can see animals, I love it! These prairie dogs live out here on their own (it's not a zoo and it does meet animal welfare guidelines) and you easy full access to watch them be their cute little selves! Look at this little potato: 
 

The sign above gives the history of how this little town came to be. There are no real barriers (see pic below) so you can get quite close. I'm sure they are used to seeing humans so they aren't very scared but do keep their distance. They also communicate with each other through chirping sounds which I have never heard before! I thought it was birds at first! You can hear / see some video I got in this TikTok post. Like I said in the video, I could have stayed here for hours and watch them pop up from their tunnels, sunbathe, eat, or walk around. 
   
I do hope that when people visit, they remember these are wild animals and to respect their space and home. I've read a lot of reviews where people bring them food like veggies or carrots. If you do want to bring them a snack, make sure to research what kinds of foods are healthy for them! And be careful driving / drive slowly in this area because they do venture to other areas.
  
Val stayed in the car for his one for everyone's safety but I totally enjoyed my time here and highly recommend stopping by if you're close, even if it's for 5 minutes and especially if you love animals! They all looked healthy and are so cute and fun to watch!
  
Here's another guy standing up and the one behind decided to lay down and relax--they are so cute!
  

EXPLORING LUBBOCK
BUDDY HOLLY, CACTUS THEATER

Prairie Dog Town is located inside a HUGE park--on the way out I saw some of them in other areas and also a lovely statue of horses galloping.   

As we made our way back to the AirBnB, I also stopped by the Buddy Holly Center (1801 Crickets Avenue in the renovated historic Ft. Worth & Denver Depot.) Although dogs aren't allowed inside, I parked in the lot and walked up to the iconic glasses to snap a pic! Across the street there's also a park with a statue of Buddy where dogs are allowed. If you're a fan, I think you'd really enjoy coming here!

Buddy Holly Center is only a street away from the historic Cactus Theater (1812 Buddy Holly Ave, Lubbock, TX 79401), which originally opened in 1938. It closed down then was renovated and reopened again in 1995 as a live performance theater. You can check out live music and other events there. Even though I didn't go in or catch a show, it was cool to walk by--I love the signage!

And that wraps up my time in Lubbock and brings us to Feb 24th! From Lubbock the next destination is San Antonio! These reflections are supposed to be for each month but I'm going to save the remaining days and add them to March for one big San Antonio recap! There was so much I loved about San Antonio and I can't wait to share--please stay tuned :) (If you want to know when the next post comes out, sign up for my newsletter, Atiliay Notes, below!)

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