Trans America Cycling Day 28 - Austin, TX to La Grange, TX

The link to today's route and statistics is found here.
We rode across Austin, population of city and suburbs of around a million, this morning, taking a route selected by Trans-America Cycling to avoid heavy traffic.  Because it was Sunday, traffic wasn't heavy.  

 We now have ridden east into high humidity that we will probably continue to experience in east Texas and following days in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.  Hydration is very important in the high humidity.
Yesterday and today Bart Sherwood, the Train A Dog - Save A Warrior (TADSAW) Program Director, met with us in Austin and La Grange.  Bart spoke to cyclists and the TAC staff at the 5:00 pm route meeting in Austin.  Later we made a video of Bart speaking about Medical Alert Service Dogs and TADSAW.  Bart thanked cyclists for their support of veterans and  TADSAW, and to show his gratitude gave each cyclist and TAC staff a TADSAW tee-shirt.  Cyclists thanked him for helping us better understand how a Medical Alert Service Dog comes to the aid of a veteran about to have an episode caused by PTSD, or related conditions.  It is clear that Bart is truly devoted to providing training for veteran/service dog teams in order to improve the quality of life of veterans and prevent suicides.


 Bart brought a service dog named the Colonel.  Colonel is missing one rear leg, but that handicap doesn't stop him from serving as a service dog.  
Bart Sherwood (center) and the Colonel meet with cyclists at a SAG stop

Today we ran into, not literally, a woman riding across America generally along our route.  She is towing behind her bicycle a trailer for her dog.  She was riding into Buescher State Park today to her camp site when we took the photograph.  We had previously met her in San Diego at the start of the tour,




 As we previously explained, on Day 13 (unlucky day?), Trans-America Cycling had their trailer totaled by a semi in Hatch, NM.  They purchased a new trailer shortly thereafter to haul cyclists suitcases, plastic bins for things like extra tires, tubes and other bicycle gear, tools, etc.  Photos show the new trailer and new storage cabinets to hold the riders' bins, tools and other gear.
Kip and Ray display the new trailer

Inside the new trailer

 Mexican Hat wildflowers are prevalent around Austin.  The central sombrero section will grow over 25.4 mm tall and turn brown (metric measurements as a courtesy to our European and Canadian riders).

Immature Mexican Hat wildflower
Mature Mexican Hat wildflowers


The sombrero below is for one who wants the primary color to be yellow rather than red, and it is called a Clasping-Leaf Coneflower.  There were especially plentiful east of Austin today.
Clasping-Leaf Condflower

Field of coneflowers

At the end of a long day in the saddle for which the cyclist may have consumed from 4000 to 5000 calories, a food reward is a picker upper.  Here are some of Alison's rewards.
Orange Julius
Donuts galore








Many other cyclists reward themselves with a milkshake or a malt at the end of the ride.

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