However, the one drawback to a service like Netflix is the lack of immediacy. There are nights when I feel like watching a movie. A dumb movie. Something with round-house kicks and fart jokes. And then I realize the only DVD’s from Netflix currently in the house are Bergman and Fellini flicks. What to do? For awhile I’ve tried running out to the grocery store where they have DVD rental vending machines that let you rent any of the (mostly new release) movies in the machine for $1 per night. Not a bad deal, but ultimately there were two problems with it. First, the stupid machines are broken more often than not, typically when trying to return the movie. Which means you have to call the rental company and complain about it being broken so they don’t continue to charge you for the movie while you wait for the machine to start working again. Second, running out to the grocery store to rent a movie kinda defeats the whole purpose of subscribing to a DVD delivery service in the first place.

So, imagine my delight when I noticed that Roku, makers of my beloved Soundbridge, had introduced a “Netflix Player.” Intrigued, I spent some time Googling the appliance and was surprised to see overwhelmingly postive reviews for it. Even better, the player cost only $99 which made ordering one an easy decision. I spent the next few days anxiously hopping from foot to foot waiting for FedEx to drop off my Netflix Player. And yesterday they finally did. The player arrives in a box about the size of a typical hardcover book. In the box is a “Quick Start Guide,” the player, composite cables, a small remote, and a small power supply. The player itself is surprisingly small — about the size of a paperback book. Nevertheless, Roku manages to cram in HDMI, component, composite, and digital outputs, along with wired or wireless internet connectivity. Setup could not have been simpler. I removed all the items from the shipping box and scampered downstairs to install it into my home theater. I plugged in the power supply, and connected the player up to my TV using the included composite cables. Next I turned on the TV and switched to the video input into which I had plugged the Netflix player. Immediately I saw a screen prompting me to go through a setup wizard. First I had to choose whether to use a wired or wireless connection. After choosing to go wireless, I selected my wireless network. The player immediately connected to the network and tested the internet connection. Finally, it displayed a code on the screen with instructions to visit my Netflix page on a PC and enter the code. I did so, and upon returning to the room I saw that my movie queue was already displayed on the screen. Giddy, I selected “Breaker! Breaker!” (Roundhouse kicks, yes. Fart jokes, none.) The screen went blank and I watched as the movie buffered, which took about 30 seconds. After that, I watched the movie as if it were a DVD sitting in my local player. So was setup easy? I’d say that going from opening the package to watching a movie in under 5 minutes qualifies as pretty easy.

Is it perfect? No, not quite. Currently there is no HD video available, though that is supposed to come by the end of the year. Apparently the lack of HD is a Netflix thing, not a limitation of the hardware. You can’t browse through all of Netflix’s movies through the player — it only shows movies in your queue, which means you do have to move things you want to watch into your queue using a computer before sitting down with the player. Also, the player seems unable to work with multiple queues. Still, those are minor quibbles and if Roku continues to upgrade the software for the Netflix player like they’ve done for the Soundbridge I’d imagine those quibbles will be dealt with sooner rather than later. All-in-all I’m so impressed with it I plan on ordering a second for another room in the house.

The next morning we headed into Hot Springs National Park where we went up in a large observation tower to enjoy the panoramic views of the Hot Springs area before heading to an alligator farm, home to a merman, along with numerous alligators and other exotic wildlife. Our first lunch of the day was at McClard’s, where we enjoyed fantastic chipped beef sandwiches amid all the memorabilia of the famous and not-so-famous who have visited. Full, but ready for more eats we hit the road for Little Rock where we split a Hubcap Burger at Cotham’s in the City. I was amazed that the burger was not only gigantic, but incredibly tasty! Our next stop along the Arkansas River was the Big Dam Bridge before a long drive up to Nashville for some ‘cue at Joe’s Bar-B-Q & Fish. Then it was a straight shot back up home, where we arrived tired but happy at around 1:30 AM.

And then it was time. Lockhart, Texas, the BBQ capital of Texas loomed just a few miles away. Our first stop in Lockhart was at Smitty’s Market, our favorite place from last year’s BBQ tour. At Smitty’s we got a bunch of brisket and hot rings and chowed down. Again Smitty’s demonstrated why they were the best last year, and easily topped everywhere else we’d stopped earlier in the day. Filled to the brim with ‘cue, we headed about a mile south to Chisholm Trail Bar-B.Q., the one place in Lockhart we hadn’t made it to last year. Upon entering, I was surprised to see that the Chisholm Trail actually had a salad bar and BBQ buffet. But as this was technically our 5th lunch I decided to pass. As I stood in line waiting to place my meat order, I turned around to find Matt loading up at the buffet! Some are just gluttons for punishment, I guess. To my further surprise (and horror) I then noticed that he’d ordered himself a giant hunk of chicken-fried steak! I can’t imagine what he was thinking, but all took our orders back to a table where we discovered that the brisket at Chisholm Trail was fantastic, right up there with Smitty’s or anywhere else in Lockhart. Definitely worth the stop. (Matt never quite made it through that chicken-fried steak.)

Unable to consume any more, we returned to our respective hotels to digest for awhile, before meeting back up on SoCo for a show at The Continental Club. The show was opened by Sarah Borges who put on a fun, high-energy show that completely won over the crowd. The headliner for the night was James McMurtry, who Sarah Borges introduced as, “fucking weird.” Is he? I’ll let you judge for yourself.

Heading south again, we eventually found ourselves in Luckenbach, Texas where we strolled around taking in the ambiance while sipping a beer and conjuring up images of Willie, Waylon, Jerry Jeff, and all the other “outlaws” that once haunted the place. Quickly losing sunlight, we moved on to Pedernales Falls, which we reached just before dusk. The sunset was beautiful, but a lack of water made Pedernales Falls more like Pedernales Rocks and Puddles. We left in the fading sunlight and made our way, finally, to Austin where we’ll be until Monday morning. Grabbed a quick dinner at Capt Benny’s near our hotel before retiring, exhausted, for the evening.

On the way to Amarillo, we stumbled across the largest cross in the western hemisphere. Just west of Amarillo we visited the Cadillac Ranch, which is basically a bunch of old, graffiti-covered Cadillacs stuck nose-down into the dirt in the middle of a cornfield. By now we were starving, so what better place to satisfy a craving for meat than The Big Texan Steak Ranch? The Big Texan Steak Ranch is famous for it’s “free” 72 oz. steak. It’s free, alright, if you can eat it all, along with a baked potato, 3 fried shrimp, a side salad, and a roll….all within 60 minutes. Otherwise it’s $72, though you do get a souvenir t-shirt for the effort. I decided to pass on the tempting offer and instead had a considerably smaller (and gristly) steak with mashed potatoes and mac ‘n’ cheese. None of that was particularly good, but that wasn’t why we were there anyway. As luck would have it, just as we were placing our orders, two guys decided to take the challenge. The wait staff set them up at a table on a small stage in the middle of the large dining room, with a digital clock situated behind them. After signing waivers, the steaks were delivered along with the sides, and the clock was started. Those poor guys didn’t stand a chance. By the end of the hour it seemed as if they had hardly made a dent in their oversized steaks. On the way out, I noticed a sign listing recent visitors who were successful in tossing all that food down their gullets in an hour, including one man who ate it all in a shocking 25 minutes! After leaving The Big Texan Steak Ranch, we had a looong drive south and east to Breckenridge where we’re currently staying the night.

After passing by Oklahoma City, we stopped a little farther west in El Reno. El Reno is home to Sid’s Diner, which is reputed to make a fine onion burger. At Sid’s, the burgers start as round balls of ground beef. Those balls are smashed flat on a large griddle. Then a handful of onion slices are tossed on top of the burger, before being smashed into the burger with a spatula. That mess of beef and onions are allowed to cook on the griddle, causing the beef and bits of caramelized onions to commingle, fusing into one tasty, crispy glob which is then placed on a toasted bun with your choice of condiments. We sat at the counter next to a group from New Zealand who were driving the entire length of Route 66, and had stopped in at Sid’s based on a glowing recommendation. The staff were friendly and even gave us a coney on the house, as it was their other specialty that we “just had to try.” The coney was ok, but nothing special. (This was hardly fair — they couldn’t know what a big deal coneys are in Cincinnati…)

Departing El Reno, we continued along Route 66 until we reached Hydro, Oklahoma, home to Hammons’ Station, also known as Lucille’s. Lucille’s was a filling station on Route 66 operated by Lucille Hammons, “The Mother of The Mother Road.” The station is abandoned, but has been relatively well maintained. Later, after seeing what seemed like hundreds of billboards advertising it, (Look out Wall Drug, you’ve got competition!) I was compelled to stop in and visit the Cherokee Trading Post & Restaurant, which turned out, naturally, to be a tourist trap without a gimmick. Still, what’s a road trip without tourist traps? We soldiered on, pausing in Clinton, Oklahoma to snap a quick picture of a giant indian named Howe, and in Elk City for picture with a giant Route 66 sign. We’re staying the night tonight in the City Drug B&B in Wheeler, Texas, though we’ll dip briefly back into Oklahoma tomorrow.