Heyyy, all! Thank you for the warm welcome back to Ohio!
I have been eager for a long time to write this post. One of my favorite weekends this summer was spent with my mom in Keller (Pete was missed!- he was back in OH working on a job during this time). When I arrived on June 4th, my mom had the most beautiful and colorful lunch set up for us! The spread consisted of an incredible avocado vegan chik’n salad, mixed fruit, a homemade vegan zucchini cake and hibiscus tea- yummm! I told her I needed that recipe for the zucchini cake, seriously some of the best cake I’ve ever tried.
My mom was dog-sitting a friend’s dog named Duke that weekend-he is a sweetie, and it was so much fun having him around!
The morning of June 5th we went to Orange Theory together and then followed it with a delish breakfast of avocado toast and fruit.
We even stumbled upon the Rest-A-While Shelter, which I think is just a great name for a pavilion in the middle of a long hike. Half the structure was no longer there, but hey, the invitation to rest-a-while remained.
If you’d like to read more about the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps, I have linked some information here.
After, we went to a Mexican restaurant, Mariachi’s, that had a… drumroll.. all vegan menu! We took full advantage.
We had to try multiple items- first up- chips and salsa, of course.
Next, we tried the pineapple burrito- this was my favorite of all we tried.
Next were the jackfruit tacos- which were certainly delicious, but the burrito had my heart.
Also on the side we tried the elote- this is also a must-order.
On our way home, we decided we were in much need for an afternoon pick-me-up. We kept our eyes out for a coffee shop and right off the highway was Black Rifle Coffee. We decided to give it a shot!
It was good coffee & gave us that burst of energy we needed!
Duke was so funny-he kept begging incessantly for my coffee cup. Who knew dogs loved coffee so much.
Once I finished my coffee, I gave him the empty cup to see what he’d do with it, and he just took the sleeve and ran off, lol. Guess it wasn’t the coffee he was after, after all!
When we returned home, we cleaned up then started a new show together- The Circle. We were hooked after a couple episodes. In the evening, we walked around downtown Roanoke, love this place!
It ended up raining so we went back home a little early and watched The Circle while eating delicious leftovers for dinner.
Sunday, June 6th, we went to Summer Moon for some amazing vegan breakfast treats and coffees.
After Church, we went to HG Supply Co. This place was ah-may-zing. Next time we visit I said we have to bring the whole family here- I know they’d all love it.
We beat the brunch rush –these seats filled up very quickly after we arrived. I loved the industrial feel, and there were places to play corn hole and ESPN playing on most TVs. Super chill and relaxed with excellent food.
The hummus was really good, and I had to try the crab cake toast which did not disappoint.
Our favorite was the build-your-own bowl. We loaded up the veggies and had this insanely good dressing- I wish I knew what it was because I’d buy it by the bottle!
When we returned home we watched some more episodes of The Circle, and then it was time for me to head back to Austin.
On the way home I stopped by Buc-ee’s since I’d never been, and it’s pretty famous around TX. It’s basically a big convenience store with shopping, food and fun finds. It was busy busy; I probably picked the worst time to go, but it is a fun place if you have a few minutes to spare.
Then it was back to clinical the next day.
Question for you!
- Do you have any favorite hiking trails?
~Mackenzie