Southern Tier Part 2

Southern Tier Part 2 - Day #10

April 22, 2022

Austin, TX - Fredericksburg, TX 100 Miles

Start 7:52 AM Finish 9:32 PM

Ride Time 9:34

Ascent 6,743 Feet

Descent 5,708 Feet

Tour Total Miles 886

Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/87918447

I slept well last night in room number 237 at La Quinta Hotel. Austin has a massive network of freeways many lanes wide, but it also has a pretty good bike lane network. It was gray and misty when I left the hotel this morning.

I rode down Congress Street towards downtown. It had a honkeytonk feeling and locals were lined up in front of the coffee houses. I passed The Meteor, which advertised espresso, champagne, and a chain lube. The architecture was from the sixties or later. I noticed a bike share program as well as scooters and other electric bikes. The scooters were strewn everywhere. People were out kayaking in the Colorado River as I crossed it. I came to third Street and took a left. I’ve never seen more taco trucks in my life. Austin has a population of 790,390. Despite the extensive bike lane network and the Lance Armstrong cred, I didn’t notice very many cyclists in Austin. I saw a few on the far west end of town, but not as many as I would expect for fair weather like this. Austin struck me as a freeway town.

The route took me on a nice trail out of downtown and I found myself on the Lance Armstrong bikeway. I rode along the river through parks and alongside athletic fields. I crossed back over the river on a bike and pedestrian path. On the other side there were scores of people out picking up litter. I was underneath and surrounded by freeways and finally took a right on Rollingwood where there was more green space.

I rode through an older affluent neighborhood in a hilly area southwest of downtown. I was in Jim Withers territory and even passed the ostensive headquarters. I took a right on Wilderness Street towards Bee Cave. I was on bike route 64.

I missed a turn and continued on Bee Cave Road. I had to turn around to get back to Barton Creek Road. I crossed Barton Creek on a handsome new bridge and stopped at the Barton Creek Market where I ordered a Starbucks Frappuccino and an orange juice. I rode through the outskirts of Austin which included a little bit of sprawl. There were lots of big hills and I finally found myself back out in the country. I found myself on Fitzhugh Road heading west. I crossed over the Hays County line. I’ve been passing lots of old cars from the 50’s and 60’s, and some even older than that.

The wind today was out of the southeast. I was mostly heading west and was able to use it as it blew against my left hip. The Texan flags were billowing in the breeze. I passed a roadkill deer and then noticed Texas Hill Country Olive Co. There were tours and sampling opportunities.

I was parched and passed Twisted X Brewing Company. It was tempting to stop for a cold brew. Out in front I ran into Fiona and Paul from Victoria, BC. They were doing a westbound mostly southern Tier tour route. They had stayed in Austin last night and had spent a couple days in Houston. Paul was on a business call and Fiona and I traded business cards. They would be staying at a $70 Jellystone campground tonight. Fiona was complaining about her bicycle and said that if she made it to the Pacific she would throw it into the ocean. She claimed to not be in very good shape, but they seemed to be doing pretty well.

I passed a field full of goats. The land was changing. It was drier, the grass was yellow, and the trees were shorter. I passed an interesting structure created out of storage containers. There was an airstream parked in the driveway and out on the road was a Texas flag and a Ukrainian flag. Some Texans know what time it is.

I ran into east-bound cyclist Mike from Harrisburg Pennsylvania. He had begun his tour in San Diego and was heading northwest towards Pennsylvania. He would be picking up the Natchez Trace trail through Mississippi. He had met Scottish cyclist Sandy and had almost stayed with Warm Showers host Julia in Johnson City. Ostensibly Julia is a Turd hater and I would’ve gotten along well with her. Mike was a former railway conductor who ran a freight line from Pittsburgh across Pennsylvania. He had stayed at the El Cosmico hotel in Marfa and mentioned that I could camp in a city park in Fredericksburg for $10. He said that the back roads between here and Del Rio were gorgeous. While talking to Mike, I lathered myself with sunscreen and put on my arm protectors.

I crossed into Blanco County and then entered Pedernales Falls State Park. I passed the turn off for Highway 3232 now found myself on Highway 2766 heading west. It was 1:51 PM and I was starving. I could see the water tower in Johnson City two miles ahead. It was 84°F. I crossed Deer Creek and entered Johnson City, population 1860. Johnson City is the home of Lyndon B. Johnson. I went to El Agave where I ordered the chicken enchiladas along with chips and salsa and several Cokes.

After lunch I headed north on US Highway 281. I crossed the Pedernales River, and took a left on Highway 1323. I was now on the Texas Hill country Trail. I rode through Sandy, no population listed, and took a left on state highway 1328. I crossed Hickory Creek and noticed cycling route markers plastered on the pavement.

I came to the intersection and continued on Highway 2721 towards Fredericksburg. I passed a filed full of Texas longhorn cattle and then crossed the Gillespie County line. The road today was teaming with armadillos. I’m used to seeing them as road kill.

I passed the turn off for highway 1623 and was about fourteen miles from Fredericksburg. I joined Highway 6031 on my final approach. I noticed a large range to the west. I was at 1,600’, my highest elevation of the tour. I crossed Palo Alto Creek and then passed a fruit orchar. I crossed Barons Creek and then entered Fredericksburg, population 10,530.

I passed the National Museum of the Pacific War. There were a lot of tourists and open carry drinks were permitted on Main Street. I went to Fredericksburg Brewing Co where I ordered several pints of Enchanted Rock Red Ale along with beef street tacos. Fredericksburg Brewing Co is ostensibly the oldest brew pub in Texas.

I rode over to Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park near the airport in the dark. It was fine navigating, and I stopped for a six pack of Dos Equis along the way. The RV sites were full and I noticed a tent set up next to a car. I decided to set up next to them. The wind was Punta Arenas insane and it required all of my skills to erect my tent. I tried sitting at a windy uncomfortable picnic table, but then retired to my tent to finish this report.