Austin Texas

Since I am way behind on the blog, I figured I'd start with our Texas trip, which was actually a few weeks ago.

The Pillings and Kim and I spent a week in Austin riding. We rode several hours a day on various loops we snooped off the internet.

The house we stayed in was nice. It belongs to relatives of Toni who are leaving to serve on a mission for the LDS church, so they were not home. It is for sale if you are interested.

The first day we just rode out into the country, not sure if there is a name for that loop. It was nice rolling highways.

The gas station we stopped at had an interesting bend on "No shoes, no service". We went in with no shoes and were thanked by the owner for it.

The second day we rode out to a state park with a waterfall, but one had to hike to the falls and we didn't. The girls turned around there, and Bp and I rode some awesome country roads with absolutely no traffic and a nice pace. I have no pics of this, but Bp flexed for the camera instead:;

The Dam Loop seems to be one of the more popular loops in Austin. We rode it three times. The first time was with the girls, everyone on road bikes. We stopped at this gas station for snacks. I enjoyed Hostess cupcakes while some homeless guy threw his bag of stuff at Kim for no obvious reason.

The pace was slow, but a nice day with the girls.

The second time was Bp and I, again on the road bikes, but this time with the 'Volente Kicker' thrown in. The Kicker was a loop along a lake shore, but one can't actually see the lake from the road.

The third time was on tandems and we did the 'Kicker' twice. The skys were not friendly for about 10 minutes and we got a mid-ride wash during our only on-bike rain for the week!

Had we wanted, we could have easily found a church. Now I know how President Bush found religion.

Due to the rental bikes available, the Pillings were on 26" wheels and a frame that was too small. Kim and I were on 700c, and the frame fit us well. I really like the Co-motion tandem.

By the time we hit the kicker everyone was in the zone and the time just flew by.

Kim found the joys of Slurpee at the second gas station break.

This bridge coming into Austin marked the 'almost there' point.

We hit two bike shops and a couple tri shops. "Mellow Johnnie's" is owned by Lance Armstrong, and has a few memorable items sitting around.

The Bicycle Sport Shop is where we rented the tandems and the Pillings rented their road bikes. They have a nice selection of rental bikes, and the the guy that wrenched the rentals was great (I think his name was Scott).

Other than riding, we didn't do a lot. Ate, rested, and got ready for the next day.

For me it was a perfect holiday. It was great to spend time with the Pillings, great riding in warm weather, and a week together with Kim.