The Lone Star State ( or the LONG Star State)

After we left Del Rio, things turned from brown to green near Brackettville. A neat stop was camping in Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park and cycling around the LBJ Ranch/Historical Park near Johnson City. Lady Bird's legacy of beautifying the roadways with wildlowers was especially evident in Texas- blue bonnets, poppies, and Indian paintbrush everywhere.

The terrain continued to be very hilly as we pedaled into Austin with a fellow cyclist, Michael Zachary (going L.A. to Key West). We spent half a day in this bike friendly city enjoying swimming in Barton Springs and in search of the best barbecue.  Lance Armstrong was nowhere to be found, although we rode on some of his bikeways. Hopefully professional cycling will eventually come clean.

From Austin to Navasota the rolling hills reminded me of Virginia with horse farms, orchards, vineyards, and lots of wild flowers. As we got closer to Louisiana, east Texas was much flatter and fast. Finally the wind subsided. Tornados had been ravaging parts if the country, but fortunately lighning storms in the distance were the only activity we witnessed.

Wonder what we eat? The best part of bicycle trekking is that you can get healthy food almost daily, especially produce. We stop by local markets whenever we can. Such as below,

 fresh oranges and pistachios from La Mesilla, NM.

We enjoy stopping for lunch at parks like this one in Johnson City. Notice the Oreos- we eat junk food too and have an affinity for Texas dairy Blue Bell ice cream and a daily beer to share.

Sam's Barbecue in Austin was the bomb, although we were hoping to sample Franklin's, La Barbecue, or McIlthwaite's.  To no avail- closed on Mondays.

Carol Montgomery spotted us on the side of the road in Burton, TX and invited us to her home for dinner and lodging. We shared our avocados, asparagus, and mushrooms too. A great night!

So after logging over 2000 miles we have left the fine state of Texas and entered Louisiana and Beauregard Parish. Logging, sawmills, and farming are the primary forms of income. Fields of rice, soy, and alfalfa surround us and various rivers beckon canoeists. The weather has been wonderful for days and we are making good miles, life is good.

Good-bye Texas and Hello Louisiana!