Skip to main content

Day 31- Austin 47 miles

 Texas must have had some kind of break up last night because her hissy fit was epic! We noticed thunderheads and sheet lightning in the distance and were sitting around a picnic table talking and minding our own business when all of a sudden the temperature dropped about 10° and the wind picked up to about 30 mph. It blew cups and cans off the table and leaves were flying everywhere. We grabbed our stuff and made for our tents just in time for her to hurl rain, thunder, and lightning at us. The rain was short-lived but the wind continued and included gusts up to 50 mph. My tent did an admirable job but there was a fine layer of sand over everything this morning.

And it was cold! 51° as we huddled around the coffee.

The wind finally let up by the time we were packed up and we were on the back roads to Austin by 830. Not much to see on the way – a little yard art and some truly over the top sized homes, narrow winding roads and of course, hills.


Carl, Jack and I rode as a group today and agreed that the PB&J we packed for lunch wouldn’t cut it. We found Sundance Barbecue, really just a roadside shack, and ordered barbecue sandwiches with brisket. Great decision! The owner’s been in business nine years and we could see why. Dee- Lish!



At that point we were only about 10 miles outside of Austin. Traffic picked up but we were able to ride a great bike path across the Colorado river and jumped right into downtown. Austin has fabulous bike lanes that are separated from traffic with poles, making you feel very safe. 






We waited for Carl to pick up his ballot at the post office and saw this REV vehicle with a handler on a scooter. It’s a robotic pizza delivery service! The vehicle looks like a tiny street sweeper. I had to look it up to figure out what was going on.


We’re on our own for dinner and have decided that food truck food is what we have to have. Plus it’s only two blocks away and we don’t have to ride there.I can’t decide if it will be tacos or tortillas or brisket again because it’s all good. 

It was better than good!

We’ll then be relaxing here at the Super 8. It’s already a much better experience than we had in Mesa Arizona. Tomorrow’s a rest day but I hope to explore the city and replace a tire that has a slit in it.


Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 26, 2022 at 4:44 AM

    Hooray for a rest day and a decent Super 8. Have a great day off! Debbie

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 42- Jackson LA

 It rained hard all night and this morning brought thunderstorms. Again we were lucky to have indoor accommodations. It continue to rain through breakfast. Drunk Bob, our weather app, predicted  possible clearing around 1 o’clock, which meant we’d have to fit 60 miles into six hours to get in before dark. Doable, but not preferable. At around 1015, after much standing around, adjusting layers and stretching, we set off. It stayed cloudy but dry. We were thankful for that small mercy as it was chilly. The ride took us across our first bridge of the day. This time it was to cross the Atchafalaya river. From there it was a route of back roads with light traffic. The sun kept peeking out, promising warmth and we were soon peeling layers. I saw some interesting things along the way. This group of cows had loose wattles  and humps like camels.  This church had a no trespassing sign on one of the doors. Just like Jesus said we should do. And this is the machine that cuts th...
3 comments
Read more

The Ducks Come Together

Since I pulled the trigger on this trip I have had the feeling that in trying to get my thoughts organized I am really in the process of herding cats. No, not cats. Squirrels. Wild, wooly, anxiety ridden squirrels. What sleeping bag? What tent? Will my bag be too heavy? Will all my stuff fit in said bag? What if my air mattress pops? What if I get cold (I hate to be cold). What if my tent leaks. What if - And then, all of a sudden, things start to come together. The squirrels are turning into ducks who are settling into rows. My bike is shipped. My backup bike has a new seat that is so comfy I might just bring it with me. I rode 80 miles yesterday and could have gone farther. I am upping my mileage and enjoying it all. I've decided on a tent and gotten the stuff to seal the seams and waterproof the fly. I've decided on a bag and today a sleeping pad came that might just suit me. I'll try it out this weekend in the backyard. The maps arrived and while I'm not sure how AN...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 9- Tonto Basin

 Where to start? The 6:30 AM takeoff, the Tonto national forest where there are cactus instead of trees? Maybe the ropey cactus that could be CHOLLAS. Or the incredible views of the superstition mountains that we rode through. They stunned me with how beautiful they were. I even enjoyed the 12 mile climb, even though I stopped every half mile to breathe. The grade was about 4% so it was doable, and the switch backs and wide shoulder negated the fast traffic. I had to just stop and take it all in at the top. The pictures just do not do it justice. And then we went down — 6 and 7% grades made for sore hands. I picked something up in my tire that didn’t seem like a big deal at the time. Stay tuned. We stopped in Jake’s corner at the general store for something to hold me for the last 10 miles. The sky was dark and threatening and we heard thunder closing in. The girls in the store said if we were going we should go, so Carl, Kelly, Adam and I booked to camp with a storm on our heels. ...
1 comment
Read more