And Austin

March 2, 2018

Gorgeous sunny weather for our last day of riding! The topo map showed some pretty ominous hills once again, but something about a new day and sunshine can bring great optimism. Our last day of Texas Hill Country looked beautiful.

We left the hotel earlier than usual since we had a lot of mileage to cover and we were eager to see Donna and Gary. The day started out with even bigger elevation climbs than previously (i mean it!) but we were fresh. We passed through Pedernales Falls State Park, a very pretty narrow winding road.

Pictures cannot even express how steep these hills are, but so pretty!

The back roads took us almost directly east and after about 30 miles we started to see signs of city sprawl. I was ready for it! We found a little brewery we could stop at for lunch, the first midday sitdown spot we had found all week.

After lunch the roads became heavy with friday afternoon traffic, and they were very, very narrow. We rode miles in Austin suburbs heading towards the downtown area, coming in through the north, a more affluent area than the southern outskirts we had ridden through the week before. No sidewalks, no bike lanes, no cyclists or runners or walkers, just heavy gated communities and large SUVs with tinted windows. About 6 pm we found ourselves on the charming bikepath that circles Lady Bird Lake and found a gorgeous sunset with the lovely buzz of city life.