Hello from AUSTIN!
Bessie and I made it.. It took almost 30 hours but we rolled in yesterday and picked up ice cream and got her all cleaned up. It worked out perfect because last night was the opening night party for the interactive portion of SXSW and I think the interactive folks like ice cream even more than the music ones.
The drive out was surprisingly smooth. The weather was great and there was no wind or hail storms, like last year. The only downside was that on Friday night, after 15 hours on the road, We pulled into a truckstop in Junction, Texas to get some rest and it was coooooold. Not your normal nippy cold, but more like frozen cold. I bundled up in most of my clothes and hopped in my sleeping bag to get some zzzz’s and couldn’t believe how cold it was in Texas in March. It got down into the 20’s that night and when I woke up in the morning there was ice in my water bottles.
Huge thanks to Blue Bunny and Yumi Ice Cream for for hooking us up with ice cream to give away for the next week. Our goal is to sling 10,000 free treats while in town and if last night was any indication, that shouldn’t be a problem. We’ll have Bessie, our all-new Bessita, and two push carts out here so keep yer eyes peeled. Oh…. We’ll have Off the Wookies too. Will do a post on that soon too.
I don’t have a bunch of details from the party last night. I just know it was at the Mexican American Cultural Center which is a handful of blocks South-East of the Convention Center and there were a LOT of people there… droves. Since I was solo, I loaded up the cooler bag then stood at the entrance and dished out some goodness while dancing around. As the night went on I made my way to the truck where I opened up shop and kept the cream flowing. It was good to see some familiar faces and to meet new friends as well. Once everybody had cleared I offered a ride to last half-a-dozen or folks around (see main pic) and called it a night. Thanks to Darin, Shawn, and Katie for hooking it all up. Here’s to an amazing week ahead…PARTY!
Side Note If you’re driving out on the 10 freeway heading East, don’t speed. I’ve never seen so many cops on the prowl in all my years of traveling.
