Day 24
Day 24: October 22, 2021 (Austin TX to LaGrange TX)
At 6:30 AM, Bruce drove me to pick up the RV. I paid the $2,200 for the replacement of the catalytic converter and an oil change. Bruce drove the RV back to the hotel and I drove his car.
We loaded up the RV and we were ready to go by 8 AM. We drove out of Austin proper; I don’t like riding my bike on busy city streets during rush hour. Most of the roads don’t have a shoulder or a bike lane. Bruce drove the RV with Kimberly and Beth rode with me in Bruce’s car. Bruce volunteered to drive the RV out of Austin; we were more than happy for the help.
We found a nice launch point. While I finished getting ready: getting my bike shoes on, my riding glasses, putting on sunscreen, and filling my water bottle; Bruce and Beth pumped up the tires on my gravel road bike.
Unfortunately, they broke off a part of the stem. The tire seemed to be holding air and I decided we could fix it later. While this was going on Sergio caught up to us. So, Sergio and I started riding. Bruce drove his car home and Kimberly and Beth were now officially crew #4. Kimberly drove
The ride took us through Bastrop State Park. When we arrived at the park, we talked to the park ranger at the park entrance. She informed us that the road we needed to ride was closed until 2 PM, several hours away.
We looked at the map and had two options. (1) Back-track and get on a highway for the next 20 miles or so; not good for me. (2) Ride in the park until we get to the closed road and then take a hiking path for a mile and half to bypass the closed road. We chose option 2.
We rode to the hiking path, then started walking our bikes. It was a beautiful hike. Nice trees, a few streams, and very quiet. The path was a combination of rock, dirt, and sand. It was getting warm, and it was humid. So, we worked up a good sweet by the time we finished the hike.
I wore my bike shoes on the hike. I had thought about grabbing my Athalonz shoes for the hike, but then what was I going to do with them? We were meeting Kimberly and Beth about 12 miles away and the other entrance to the park. So, I decided to hike in the bike shoes.
When we finished the hike, I tried to clip into my pedals; I couldn’t. I tried to clean them; it didn’t help. After about 10 minutes and trying all that I could think of; I called Beth and asked them to come to us. I was going to change my pedals out to platform pedals. I was done with the clipless bike shoes.
It took about 20 minutes before Kimberly and Beth arrived. Sergio and I sat under a tree. I changed out the pedals; Sergio and I started riding again. Kimberly and Beth went back to our meeting spot.
The ride through the park was very nice. Almost no traffic, very scenic (trees, ponds, birds, etc. especially after weeks of riding through deserts), and nicely paved roads. The ride was about an hour, and it was one of the best hours of the whole trip.
After the park, we were on a two-lane road with no shoulder and a 60-mph speed limit. It was a little intense at first due to mild traffic (e.g., a car every 30 seconds). As the traffic thinned to almost no traffic (e.g., a car every 10 minutes), it was a pretty nice ride.
The day continued to warm up to the point of being hot. It was also humid. So, I was sweeting a good bit and getting tired. We stopped just outside La Grange. We weren’t staying in La Grange; no hotel or motel rooms were available due to an antique fair this weekend. We were staying in Schulenburg, about 10 miles away. We got to the hotel, and I checked in with my family.
Amy was supposed to be release from the hospital today. She wasn’t. Her bilirubin numbers were high; indicating that her liver may not be functioning properly. She is getting scoped on Saturday (10/23) to see why and remove a blockage or stone if there is one. Nothing health wise goes easy for Amy.