Day 241 March 27, 2017 Elgin To Austin,TX

Austin is a beautiful city, liberal by Texas standards, and officially 'bike friendly.' One thing not apparent from all the literature about all the wonderfulness of Austin: If you aren't descending a hill here, you are climbing one. Sometimes a steep one. Here is our ride today: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19805602

The day started out overcast on rural roads. Perfect! After almost dying on US-290 yesterday, I am fine with rural roads with all their ups and downs.



Looks like a ridge in the distance.




At about 14.5 miles, we turned onto Blue Bluff Road. It was newly paved until we left Travis County. Apparently Travis County did not want to be blamed for the subsequent deterioration of the road.


The road got very rough, with lots of roller coaster hills. The road was so rough, our timing chain fell off twice.


We thought we were doing well, but the vultures disagreed.


At mile 18.7 we joined the Walnut Creek Hike and Bike Trail. What a nice trail! Concrete surfaced, some grades, but nothing over 4.5%. We were sorry to have to leave the trail, and climb our way back to the real world.




Nice views while descending into town.


We eventually arrived at our motel, essentially downtown on a busy intersection.


This a mural we saw when we walked to a local pizza place for lunch. The wall is there to hold back the hill behind it.


We will spend some time exploring Austin before flying home 3/31. Tomorrow we will meet and have dinner with my cousin Gregory Arnold, whom I have not seen for over 40 years. This has been a voyage of discovery.

Day 240 March 26, 2017 Giddings to Elgin,TX

Today was a strange day. It began in an normal way by leaving, Giddings - Home of the Buffalo and the Texas Buffalo football stadium, around 9 AM. We headed out on TX-290 a four lane highway with no shoulder. The night before we had tried walking down it to a Mexican restaurant on that road but, not sure we'd not make it alive, we turned back. We were worried about riding on it but had no choice, so off we went. After a mile or so the road got a shoulder so all was good.



After 3.5 miles we turned off of 290 with its traffic onto a quiet country road. The countryside here reminds me a bit of Northern Michigan with its large pines. Sadly, I think we are about out of Live Oak territory. On the other hand, there isn't any Spanish Moss, and deciduous Oaks, the type I am more familiar with, are plentiful, so I'm being compensated.

A Texas combination road: part pavement, parts dirt and gravel.

Texas, like Michigan, seems to turn paved roads into dirt or gravel. It does not get as many potholes (though they have them) as Michigan, instead the road surface wears away leaving uneven spots and a bumpy surface. As the road begins to wear down they add dirt to even out the surface.  Once the road has deteriorated far enough, they add gravel.

The line of cars heading into the faire was amazing. We passed
 a long stream of cars for at least 1.5 miles and more were joining
as we turned back onto 295.

On Saturday, we had seen signs for Sherwood Forest Faire . Since we would be going right by it, we thought we'd check it out.
As we got closer to the faire, unfortunately, our nice country deteriorated and became gravel. Thinking it might turn back into pavement after the faire grounds we soldiered on, but not before we check out Sherwood Forest.

It turns out Sherwood Forest Faire is a Renascence event and a BIG deal. After a bit of discovery, we passed it up. The cost was steep, and it was huge: over forty stages a "feasting" area, beer, wine, shops, crafts, jousting, theater, the list went on. It was an all day affair - or you could camp on site - that included- if you wish- dressing up in Renascence attire. Our riding shorts could pass for tights, but I left my bodice at home so we had to continue on.

We hoped the road would improve but instead it turned into washboard gravel. Miserable. Slow and bumpy,and we still had 8.5 miles to go! I pulled up the map and we headed back to 290.

Unfortunately, 290 had lost its shoulder, so we were in the traffic. At one point a car did not see us, was blocked from moving into the left lane so went on the grass and passed us on the right. Yike! We turned off of 290 as soon as possible. We would much rather arrive late and rattled than not at all. Luck was with us however, and the road was not longer gravel.

Tomorrow we'll reach Austin. I'm hoping it will be a less eventful day.

Day 239 March 25, 2017 Brenham to Giddings, TX

My good friend, ADC, assures me that we are not in Texas hill country yet, and further fact checking proves him correct. Be that as it may, we climbed 970 feet today, most of it in the first 16 miles. They sure felt like hills.

Today's route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19782512

The day started out with heavy traffic, and a short stint on a limited access section of US-290. After about 2.5 miles of that foolishness, we got on to Old Mill Creek Road.

Crossing US-290 on Old Mill Creek Road.


We were on Old Mill Creek Rd. for eleven miles, rolling hills and beautiful country.




Then back to US-290.


Even when riding on the highway, the surrounding country was just gorgeous. Bonus: riding on the highway meant there were no steep hills.





Margaret even tried a riding selfie.


Our next two days will also be short ones. Hotel spacing causes this.

Tomorrow we ride 33 miles into Elgin. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19652434

Day 238 March 24, 2017 Hempstead, TX to Brenham

Texas hill country :)

While planning the trips to Austin, we were confronted with a couple choices. The spacing of hotels forced us to ride either 57 miles into Giddings or 25 miles into Brenham. Normally, 57 is the no-brainer choice but we're entering Texas hill country after more than a month in flat lands and the forecast was for a strong line of thunderstorms. We chose Brenham. Rechecking the forecast today there was a change for the worse:

FRIDAY

77°H

Not as warm with a strong thunderstorm; storms may bring downpours, large hail and damaging winds.




I don't mind getting rained on, but I draw the line at thunderstorms. I don't do lightning. Really. Not a fan. I've been in lightning storms before, it was not fun. At all. Add to that, hail and damaging winds? Un uh, no way. It wouldn't be prudent at this juncture.

Wanting to beat the storm we left bright and early at 8AM. (yes, I know that is not actually early for a work day, but were retired, so it is now)
We sailed along enjoying a tailwind and newly bloomed wildflowers making the scenery lovely.

Even the cows were happy. The group in the photo were bunched together eating something that made their tails happily swish.

I thought the shoreline of this river, the Brazos, was cool looking 

Washington, County claims to be the birthplace of Texas because on March 1, 1836, delegates met there to formally announce that Texas was separating from Mexico to become the New Republic of Texas. Attempts to annex it to the US began in 1834 and it finally joined in 1844.
Because Texas was a sovereign nation when it joined the USA, it is the only state that can fly its flag at the same height as the American flag, or so I was told. I seem to remember something along those lines about Hawaii, but I thought it best to leave it be. Texans really do take their state seriously.

I dubbed this the birthplace of roadside attractions. Two story high giraffe anyone?

This morning the local news aired story that claimed, using census data Houston's population rose by 159,000 people. Texas added 430,000  making their population rise to just shy of 28 million people! 1,178 people move to Texas every day. Which explains why Houston is a spaghetti bowl of highways and there is construction everywhere.

Tomorrow we head to Giddings to complete the 57 miles we began today.

Day 231-237 March 17-23, 2017 Houston rest days, and ride to Hempstead, TX

The Adventure Cycling Association map across Texas stays well north of Houston, going from Silsbee to Coldspring to Navasota on their way to Austin. We elected to take a more southern route so that I could re-connect with my Aunt and my cousins. Some of these folks I have not seen since 1975.

My aunt Eleanor; my mother's sister.




My cousin Robie.

Yep, March 17.

From left to right cousins Mary Ellen and Candy, and Robie's son (my second nephew??) Travis.


All in all, a great opportunity to get back together. We resolved not to let another 40 years go by before seeing each other again.


Saw the battleship Texas while in Houston. To my knowledge she is the only remaining WW I dreadnought battleship still in existence. She was launched in 1912, fought in both WW I and WW II, and was decommissioned in 1948.




From the bridge. That is the San Jacinto monument in the distance.


Five inch gun position.


Margaret, being herself.


We also toured the Houston Space Center.


Saw Mission Control.


Went to the rocket park. This is a Mercury-Redstone rocket like the one Alan Shepard rode. It is 83 feet long, and has an initial thrust of 78,000 pounds.


This is a Saturn V. It is 363 feet long, and has an initial thrust of 7,891,000 pounds.

Into that little hockey puck on the left were jammed three human beings. Better men than I.


On to today's ride.

Our route today to Hempstead, TX: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19642311
We started the day with a SSE wind at 10 mph. By the time we got to Hockley at mile 30, it had built to something over 15 mph and clocked to due south, giving us more of a cross wind. We still averaged almost 13 mph for the day, so all is good.

On the way out of Houston.

I am still amazed at how car-centric this city is. On the news this morning, we heard a report that the city is going to double its bike path/lane mileage. Would be a good start.

Some of the residential neighborhoods we traversed north of Houston provided very nice streets for riding.






But sometimes ya just have to ride on the sidewalk.

A section of the frontage road on US-290 was under construction. The detour diverted the road's traffic onto the limited access highway itself. NO. We elected to try the closed frontage road.


Only had to walk one short section.


Another spaghetti bowl, this one over 24 miles into the ride.


Later in the ride, we crossed a very oblique railroad track. I thought the sign a good idea. Michigan could copy this one. Made me think of the woman rider on DALMAC about eight years ago who fell on a oblique RR crossing, and suffered permanent brain damage despite wearing a helmet.




Getting closer to Hempstead now. Must be a craft fair in the area.


We also spotted a really tall crane. Maybe it was involved in building that tower?


OMG! There are three people up there!


Tomorrow we ride just 24 miles into Brenham, TX. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19756820
We are hoping to get a few miles done early before thunderstorms move in with 15-25 mph winds.