March 23, 2017. Johnson City Texas to Austin Texas 55 miles and 1643 miles from the Pacific. Horse and I are on the road headed east as the sun pops over the horizon. The sunrise is a beautiful yellow orange with streams of light in all directions. This is still Hillcountry so I climb and descend, and then climb and descend repeatedly until I get to downtown Austin. I ride past beautiful little streams in every valley. Some of them come complete with a water hazard over the road. I put horses in boat gear and we splash our way through. He gets a much-needed bath and I get wet shoes. The wind is very strong but mostly from the side. When I head south it’s like hitting a brick wall. When I turn north it’s like someone lights a rocket. By 3 PM the wind gusts have hit 40 mph. But I am at my Warm Showers Host for the night by then. Austin is a beautiful town. The smell of blooming lilacs fill the air and the birds are nest building. So this is what Spring feels like. I ride along the river with beautiful views of downtown. On the Lance Armstrong bike trail I get to thinking I could use some of those performance enhancement drugs about now. I hope your day was filled with a beautiful sunrise or sunset and smells of lilacs.
Take care, Freebird