We left Austin after a return trip to Mello Johnny's and an extended trip to the Whole Foods Flagship store. Huge and awesome. It had so much amazing food and we were quite sad that we couldn't fill an entire shopping cart with food (well we could, but putting it on the bike would be tough).
We then tried to find a relatively safe exit from Austin. It would have been much easier if we simply followed the Adventure cycling map, but I lost that several days ago. The in-town roads were fair, but eventually we ended up on highway 290 and it was threatening to rain.
Ugh.
This highway had very little shoulder and lots of traffic as we left town. It was another very high stress riding environment. Luckily for us (not luckily for the drivers involved) there was an accident up ahead of us at the most difficult part of the road. Traffic was at a stop and we were able to continue riding along the small shoulder and continue by the accident. The traffic flow after the accident was much reduced and within a few miles, the shoulder widened up to 8 feet, much better.
We also got a shock when we found the "Gateway to the Hill Country"
We thought we had been there for a while... I guess we are in for a treat later on.
Another few miles down this highway, we were able to make a left turn onto a Farm to Market Road. These have far less traffic and are much more enjoyable to ride. We are able to pay attention to the scenery (like the Texas wildflowers) instead of worrying about getting buzzed by cars.
Welcome to the hill country.
We reached the town of Blanco, and our friend Todd told us that the Blanco brewery (Real Ale) does tours on Friday afternoons. Jackpot! The tour was pretty cool, and the beer was very refreshing.
In the evening, we met up with Todd and his son, Atticus for a night of camping. Yet again, another good day on the road.
Day 45 - 53.82 Miles
Trip to Date - 2429.60 miles
Coast to Coast - 1427.15 miles
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