- [Robert] Ooh, nice condos down there. And a nice park next to the condos. Could it possibly be... No, it couldn't, right? An RV park in the middle of the city? And it is! There's Minitini. (soft ambient music) Well, what do you know,
it is Austin, Texas. We can even see the Capitol building from about 300 feet above our RV site. All right, let's explore the capital of the Lone Star State, shall we? (smooth keyboard music) ♪ I'm riding ♪ ♪ Riding, riding ♪ ♪ Riding in my RV ♪ ♪ My RV ♪ ♪ Wherever I want to be ♪ ♪ Because I'm free in my RV, yeah ♪ Let me show you a little more, since we already have
the drone up in the air. Very modern skyline, by the way. And the Colorado River
here, confusingly enough. Not the same Colorado that
runs through the Southwest. This one is actually the longest river within the Lone Star State. And here in Austin, very active
with kayaks and tour boats. Pleasantly surprised by the mostly residential
downtown skyline. We're staying at Pecan Grove RV Park, very much under the radar. They don't even have a website,
but impeccably located. Let's go downtown. This here is Congress Avenue, perhaps the most important
street here in downtown, and it ends at the Texas Capitol. After a few minutes driving, it becomes pretty evident that
this city is best explored by foot or public transit
or, god forbid, a scooter. So, we're gonna go back to the
RV park and return by foot. It should be a pretty walk. In any case, it is getting
late, but perfect timing, as one of the main things we
want to see happens at sunset. The Congress Avenue Bridge is home to the world's
largest urban bat colony. And at dusk, hundreds of thousands of bats fly across Lady Bird
Lake to feed themselves. Should be quite the spectacle. Let's go for a walk in the neighborhood. Our RV park. Here we have this Juliet restaurant. Seems nice. Right next to the RV park. And here, a market. Let me tell you, as far
as urban RV parks go, this may be the best location so far. Scooters! (light ambient music) We're going to walk across
Lady Bird Lake here, also called Town Lake, which is a riverlike reservoir
here on the Colorado River. This bridge we're walking on
is Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge, shared by pedestrians and
bicycles, and street musicians. (electric guitar riffing) Ooh, cool boombox! I haven't seen one of
those since (pausing) high school maybe? Such a beautiful afternoon. Perfect weather, if perhaps a little warm. And it's almost full moon. Let's continue towards the north side. So many people kayaking on the river. And those who are not kayaking are either biking or jogging
or taking a leisurely stroll. And they have all these signs
for Congress Avenue Bridge. Let's go that way then. Yep, the bats. They seem to be a thing. Such a nice riverfront
biking and hiking trail here. Well, there you have it. Yep, Google is here. (soft ambient music) Full moon and bats, what could
possibly be more appropriate? Bunch of people here and on the water and on the other bank, waiting
for the bats to come out. Also, on top of the bridge. Actually, perhaps we
should have taken a cruise. But I bet you this guy's gonna
have the best view there, bobbing up and down on the
oversized plastic swan. It is getting dark. And even though you can hear
that eerie sound they make, there's still no sign of the bats. (bats chirping) You can see the look of
disappointment in every face. Could it be possible they
are not coming out tonight? Do you think perhaps the
bats are getting confused because of the full moon,
thinking it is still daytime? Oh wait, I forgot: bats can't see. There goes one! And another one. Let me tell you, if this is it, it is kind of anticlimactic, isn't it? There, some of them are coming out. Still, it is not the sky-darkening
swarm kind of spectacle I was expecting. It is actually one of those instances where the camera captures
more than the naked eye. - [Man] Come over here! Come over here! - You can definitely see them, but somehow I was expecting more. All right, show's over. Let's go. (bright ambient music) Mmm, nice infinity pool. We were just down there. Oh, look at the bats. Hmm, definitely can see the
bats a lot better from up here. Mmm, must be rush hour in Austin, huh? We're gonna walk back to the campground. It seems to be a fairly safe city. And tomorrow, tomorrow
we'll continue exploring. Mmm, pretty lively neighborhood. That place is happening! Well, good morning from Austin, Texas, the capital of the Lone Star State. Well, it's almost noon. We're gonna have a burger and then we're gonna
explore a little bit more of the downtown area. By the way, RV park, a little run down, but not bad at all, actually. And it seems to be like-- It kind of reminds me of
the RV park in Finland 'cause it has an apartment
building right next to it. Check it out, this guy has
a vintage Coca-Cola machine and some Conoco sign. And a lot of people seem
to be somewhat permanent. Lots of Airstreams, by the way. Lots of Airstreams here. More than your average RV park, for sure. An international gas station. Here's the office. And this is where we're staying,
at the Pecan Grove RV Park. (light jazz music) Hmm, I hear jazz music
coming from Juliet here. Very nice, actually. Cool! Check it out, a Cuban
food truck called Q Bola. How appropriate. That Terry Black's Barbecue joint is supposed to be pretty good,
and it sure looks authentic. There's a motto to live
by: Do what you love. Ooh, it's a WeWork office space. And this is tempting, but
not where we're going either. Oh, Whataburger! Yep, we're gonna do Whataburger because when in Texas, right? We get our number and wait for our burger, which doesn't look like much,
but it is pretty delicious. Crossing the river. (soft rock music) Well, Austinites certainly
like to enjoy their river. These swans seem to be a thing. And so are the kayaks. Or taking a beer break on your paddleboard in the middle of the river. I know, it is technically Lady Bird Lake. All right, let's explore. This is a famous barbecue
restaurant here called Lamberts, which was on my list along with
Franklins and Terry Black's, but there's only so
much you can eat, right? Besides, yesterday we got
our barbecue fix already at the Salt Lick. Could this possibly be Willie Nelson? Well, yes it is! And here's the Willie
Nelson connection explained. Kind of wish we hadn't had that burger because there are so
many options for lunch. There's the Driskill, Austin's
oldest operating hotel, dating back to 1886. Let's check it out real quick. It is supposed to be beautiful inside. As always, I love the juxtaposition
of the old with the new. Very beautiful building,
Romanesque architecture. And they have an antique car here, a 1934 Ford delivery truck; for effect, I guess. Let's step inside. The hotel was conceived and built by one Colonel Jesse
Driskill, a cattleman. As the story goes, he
spent his whole fortune in order to construct the
finest hotel south of St. Louis, and this is the result. Here's a nice bar, but I
guess it's still early. That's cowskin. This is the most authentic bar,
apparently, here in Austin, and this is the opulent hotel lobby. Don't be fooled by Austin's
bustling trendy modern skyline. There are also lots of old
historic buildings here. Here's a cool-looking theater, actually part of the historic Paramount, dating back to 1915. (upbeat country western music) Let's go see the Capitol. But first, coffee and a bathroom break. There's a Starbucks right here. Well, before we continue, I wanna talk about the Ridge Wallet, and they are very kindly
sponsoring this episode. And this is their flagship,
their main product, their Ridge Wallet, and they launched it in
2017 as a Kickstarter. And here you go, I've really
transferred all I really need to my new Ridge Wallet, which is basically a
couple of credit cards, maybe my driver's license,
my insurance card. And they recommend that the
stuff that you use the most, you put it at the front and the back. So, you just go like this, boom. So, check 'em out, ridge.com/myrv. And if you use the code
'MYRV', you get a 10% discount. Well, came to Starbucks
for our caffeine fix, and now we're gonna continue exploring. Standing atop the Capitol dome
is the Goddess of Liberty. Many monuments adorn the grounds, like this one, the Tejano Monument, acknowledging Spanish
and Mexican contributions to Texas history and culture. This, by the way, the
sixth-tallest capitol building, taller than the one in Washington. Interesting. This first room here, the
treasurer's business office. Ooh, ancient and not-so-ancient
office equipment. And this is what it would have
looked like in 1909 or 1910. All right, let's go up to the next level. And what do we have here? It is the Senate chamber. In the middle, a portrait
of Stephen Austin behind the lieutenant
governor's original walnut desk. In the back of the room, we
have two large paintings. One of them depicts the
Battle of San Jacinto. We visited the monument
a couple of days ago when we were in Houston. The other painting, Dawn at the Alamo, the other pivotal event
in the Texas Revolution. Well, the governor didn't get
the memo that we were coming, so his office is closed. But we're gonna continue. I think the Senate; no,
the House is that way. The House of Representatives here, the largest room in the building. Let's go a little bit higher. Here we have the Supreme Court of Texas, which was in service from 1888 to 1959, when it got its own building. Here's the Court of Appeals, which also moved to the
new building in 1959. Here we get to peer down into the legislative reference library. Very cool viewpoint from above. It feels almost voyeuristic. Let's go down to the
Capitol Extension level, which is basically the basement Not a whole lot to see here except for pictures of politicians. Hmm, remember him? Yeah, heavy door. (sighing) The heat. As it is kind of traditional
with capitol grounds, lots of monuments all around. Here's to the heroes of the
Alamo, Terry's Texas Rangers. Down there, the African-American
History Memorial, the Confederate Monument,
volunteer firefighters. Yep, I think they've pretty
much got everyone covered, and there are even more
memorials on the north side. Having a great time here in the capital of the Lone Star State. By the way, incredibly hot today. I think the app said it feels like 106, and it probably does. It's really hot. Anyway, the Capitol, very cool,
literally and figuratively, because the air conditioner was kicking really well in there. So, really cool. And check it out, the little squirrel. Hello, little squirrel! You're not afraid, are you? Hey there, buddy! Let's continue. I think the weather calls for a good IPA. Here's another look at the
African-American History Memorial from the front. (upbeat music) All right, that would
be a cool movie to see on the big screen. Here's a sculpture dedicated to innkeeper and hero of Austin Angelina Eberly near the spot where she
actually fired a cannon. Hmm, Belgian beer cafe. Yeah, this looks very tempting. And we are, it seems, invisible. It's really a shame when a place doesn't offer any
service to the customers, but sometimes it is what it is. We were really looking forward to some Belgian ales like a Chimay, but it was like we were
invisible at that place. Eventually, we get our IPA fix at this place called Cooper's Old Time, which happens to be a pretty
famous barbecue joint too. Hmm, I wonder if they look
like that in real life. We also stopped by the
Corner Bar, having a 512 IPA, which happens to be the area code here. Very cool town, Austin,
and we would love to linger and go barhopping and
party like it is 2019, but we are getting tired
and the heat is oppressive. Yeah, the scooters are really annoying here in Austin, Texas. Tell you what, we're gonna take an Uber back to the campground and take a break. All right, let's go! (energetic electronic music) Ever since we saw this place this morning, I've had a craving. Mmm, I love a frozen custard. Mmm! We're going to this park
called Mount Bonnell. It is supposed to have hiking trails and great views of Austin. And here we are. These long stairs to Mount
Bonnell better be worth it. It's a beautiful in
nature stairs walk here. What am I saying? I think the exertion is
making me somewhat incoherent. Anyways, we've made it. There's the Colorado River
down there and those houses. Ooh, those riverfront houses. Really beautiful. Yes, there's the view
of the Austin skyline we had heard about. (soft ambient music) Hmm, there's an even better view. Okay, let's go back and
do the rest of the trail. Well, maybe not the whole
thing, but a good short segment. There's another nice
structure across the river. I think this is as far as we're gonna go. Let's enjoy the view for a little bit here and continue towards Lake Travis. Yes, that's where we're going next. Someone recommended we visited
this place on Lake Travis called The Oasis, so
that's what we're gonna do. It is supposed to be this large complex with dining, shopping,
bunch of things to do. Anyways, here we are. This is The Oasis. (soft ambient music) It feels somewhat funky and quirky. An airstream selling beer? Okay, I'm sold; my kind of place. This is the way to the
restaurant, I think. We might not be in the mood
for the restaurant right now, but the views are great. And the whole place, it's huge! Here we are at The Barrel Room. Let's check it out. (soft piano music) Not very busy, this part,
which is totally okay. I think it is the kind of place where you could spend
perhaps a whole afternoon, have dinner, some drinks
while you wait for the sunset. By the way, it is probably
going to be a beautiful sunset here on Lake Travis. Here we have Willie Nelson once again. There's that overhanging balcony where everyone comes to
get their picture taken. Ah, a little bit of Texas humor here, A Texan's Map of the United States. The Oasis, pretty cool. We're return one of these days when we are less tired and more hungry. We didn't actually eat
anything at The Oasis, and now on the way home
we're getting hungry, so we're just gonna go
somewhere in the neighborhood. Well, we're gonna go
to the saloon nextdoor. No, it's not a saloon. It's a brewery... - [Ili] And smokehouse. - [Robert] And smokehouse. And it's right there, there. And this is not it; that's
one of our neighbors. This is it. Oh, they have big brewing tanks. It's through here. It's a brewstillery. I guess the brewery is also a distillery. Yeah, it seems like a nice
neighborhood bar here. There are so many places to eat
and hang out here in Austin. Hmm, I think I'm gonna have
the Classic BBQ Sandwich. Mmm, Ili's sandwich looks
really good and so does mine. They have this outside
room here, very nice. But we chose to eat inside
because it's too hot out here. Here they have the tanks. I don't really know if
this is part of the brewery or the distillery, but in
any case, it looks legit. Well, that was a fun time. Now, we go back to the RV park. It's like right there. This place is huge. And literally, the RV park is right there. - Well, decided to go for a walk, explore this other part of... You know, the other side of the RV park. Shady Grove. Relaxed dining. This one is called the Baby
Acapulco, Mexican food cantina. It's one restaurant after the
other here on this street. And what else is here? Oh, they have a food truck. It's a gelato truck. It's called Cannone. And here are more food
trucks and some Airstreams. More stuff here, "Born and raised." This is really cool, they have all these food
trucks here as well. A couple of them are closed,
but it's pretty cool. We'll continue. (soft ambient music) Hmm. $379,000, starting at. I guess it's not a cheap city to live at. This is the back of the RV park. (soft jazz music) It is now time for
Robert's RV cooking show. We're gonna start with
some grass-fed ground beef. Gonna chop some onions
and mince some garlic. Let's add the onions and the garlic so they begin sauteing in the beef fat. A little more salt perhaps. Then we're gonna start cutting
some potatoes in cube shape. Some carrots for vitamin A, of course. Red peppers for flavor. Gotta have some of that
vino seco dry cooking wine and some frozen green peas. Mmm, another splash of
wine, and some tomato sauce. It's gonna be so good. We're gonna add some paprika
and oregano, some cumin. Ooh, and cilantro. And a little more salt. Let's cover it so the potatoes cook. And now, for the rice. Two cups of water, a
tablespoon of olive oil, and we're gonna wait 'til it boils. I've got some of this Goya Mexican rice. We're just gotta pour it
into the boiling water, and 25 minutes later it is gonna be ready. This is actually not part
of the original recipe, but just a little Sriracha
to give it an extra kick, and voila! Lunch is ready. Let's hope it's good. (upbeat dance music) I haven't told you yet, but
today is a bit of a sad day because Ili has to fly back to Miami, which means I'm going to be traveling solo for the next few days or weeks. On the next episode, we're gonna be driving
down to New Braunfels and then back to San Antonio for the RV Caravan With Us rally as the summer of 2019 adventure continues. (smooth keyboard music) ♪ I'm riding ♪ ♪ Riding in my RV ♪
