Day 3- My Birthday

Day 3

Origin: Barber Palace, Temple, Tx

Destination: Austin town, Austin, Tx

Weather: Excellent temperature, south east winds (18km- 8km)

Distance ridden: 83 miles (135km)

Key Notes:

 

Its my birthday

 

Few too many night before, bit of a diago splitter of a headache. Set out to fix my tire and tubes. Postmortem of original tube, appeared to get a pointed object, reason why bike had no balance in turning that corner leading to accident.

Damon provides me with breakfast tacos, feel like a king as I eat them on the porch out on 3rd st that is shrouded in fog. Located a bike shop and ride there to buy more tubes.

Arrive at Sun Country Bike Shop, Temple. Couldn't have asked for better birthday present. Fixed the tire troubles, turns out the tire is oversized so John equips me with appropriate tubes. New confidence with the bike.

Head down out of town once again off the google route, just head down in general south direction. Eventually link up with google route, essentially adding an extra 10km on trip. Still foggy gives an eerie look to abandoned houses and barns. So many general stores sporting a sign sponsored by coca-cola, the only thing still giving the clue it ever existed inn the first place.

I am seriously dehydrated with the back of my throat dry as a bone. I stop in to get a drink, every ten or so km. Progress is slow once again with the wind, but its my birthday so I choose to lap it up.

Towns such as Bartlett and Granger, boast of their high school football team's success back in the 90s. Both these downs feature the western feel downtown, although I enjoyed Granger a lot more. It was mid arvo (afternoon) by the time I pulled into Bartlett. Only store really open was one antique place and a bar and bbq joint. It was a long walk in this cash-only establisment full of beer paraphernalia. The bar tendant didnt look away from the TV, until I finally ask for food. There was only hour of 2 hours to get lunch, get the feeling same as a lot of places. All my conversation starters were met with a one word response, thought they would be happy with one patron. Head further down road.

Granger a place with a distinct character provides me opportunity for food. It comes from grocery, bbq, beer, butcher and whatever else the town required. Not a joke with the meat, at the very end of the store was a plethora of meat selections.

“Being American is to eat a lot of beef steak, and boy, we've got a lot more beef steak than any other country, and that's why you ought to be glad you're an American." Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

 

One lady with her husband both in their 70s drove 40 miles just to stock up on a tonne of meet in their freezers from this place. I got them to fix me a bbq bun, my birthday lunch. I grandly ate it out on the curb of Granger. Rejuvinated I pressed on. 

 

Pretty area, as google maps took me out and about off the beaten track. Once again I was not going to get into Austin before sundown and the threat of thunderstorms loomed. I passed by Texas streams, hills and even their version of the stone hedge, before I hit heavy traffic again of major freeways. Not to worry supposidly I was to go on farmer to market road.

Get a drink at Sonic while heavy rain pours down. Faced with the possibility of night riding on these roads at peak traffic I decided I must take it on. Turns out this road had no breast whatsoever and the semi-terrential downpoor, has me a little concerned for my welfare. Texans honked their horns as if I was trespassing on their property. As if I wasnt aware of the situation that I was a potential hazard? dont know what they expected me to do?

The traffic got denser and denser and the light more faded before I was finally directed away from these highways by gmaps. I thought I was safe now on back streets of Pflugerville, a small city outside Austin. Not so much, with about 60 different directions in the next 20kms in the dark. The situation wasnt helped by one command that said turn 23 metres off this parkway then immediately pull a u-turn on the parkway just exited? Go fish.

I decided it couldnt have meant actually perform a u-turn and ride back past where I had just came from, so I continued on. Turned out to be wrong and I ended out lost. McDonalds wifi was hopeless as ever and my birthday time was fleeting. Still as the Guatemalans say 'que beuna onda' (go with the flow). I thought to try a subway I came across for replenishment of my wits. After an eternity in the store of being a faded person, I nutted out a route. 

With my 'green lantern' north face jacket I just hoped I was illuminated enough for Austin traffic to keep its hands off me. Google sent me down some parts which looked as if they were home to bikie gangs and union thugs. Still it was an official biking route of Austin, a place which is extremely bike friendly. I oveshot Bens having stumbled across his street, eventually made it.

A shower could not come quick enough being so tired and still feeling that pain in a distinct point in my head. I texted Ben and was greeted by him from his rooftop (overlooking UT's giant stadium and downtown). On his 'living roof' we spend rest of night chilling with Johhny and Hannah up there, a birthday amberbock in hand and some Vietnamese cuisine. 

It was a good birthday...