February 1, 2019 - Austin to La Grange, Texas

Day 32 Cross Country Bike Trip

It was misting when we were getting ready to leave the RV park this morning, but it was fairly warm so the guys didn’t have to bundle up too much.We drove two blocks to avoid the construction on the frontage road and the guys unloaded the bikes at the HEB grocery parking lot. The pavement was wet, but off they went about 9 am.We followed their winding route out of town and were soon on much less traveled roads. About 30 miles into the ride, just before Bastrop, we stopped for lunch. Phil still isn’t feeling 100%, so the guys split up for the afternoon. Phil opted for some of the busier state highways which were a shorter route.

Tobey’s route took us through the Bastrop State Park which charges a $5 per person admission fee. This is one of the historic markers as you enter the park from the west. Between September and October 2011 there were three separate fires as a result of strong winds from nearby Tropical Storm Lee. Power lines were damaged and the resulting sparks started the blaze. Two people were killed by the fire and it burned 34,356 acres and destroyed between 1645-1691 homes and 40 commercial structures. There was severe damage to Bastrop State Park and the ancient Lost Pines Forest. Our route took us through the southern side of the park where we witnessed much of the damage.

This was just entering the park.This was further down the road.Tobey commented after the ride through the park that parts of it were really pretty. He spotted Texas bluebirds and we started to see new growth. The green of the pines was startling against the burned trees.There were plenty of hills up and this route took us all the way to the overlook. He also said that a good share of the trip through the park was grueling. So overall, the ride was “pretty grueling!” We followed Park Road 1C all the way through the park which was longer than Road 1A that he had originally planned. It wasn’t until we were in the park that one of the workers told us 1A was closed because the dam washed out 2 years ago and still hasn’t been repaired!

The road leaves Bastrop State Park and runs into Buescher State Park. We noticed a change in the trees and less fire damage.Once out of the park, we went through the small town of Winchester. I began to notice the quilt patterns painted on buildings. I stopped to get a picture of one.Tobey made it through Winchester and gave me the “I’m okay” sign as he rode on by. We are both scuba divers and this is one of the first signals you learn to communicate when you can’t talk to each other. Touching or tapping the top of you head with your elbow extended sideways means you are okay! So on he rode with only about 11 more miles to go until we would stop for the night!!Tobey arrived at the Texas Quilt Museum parking lot shortly after 5pm. Marcia checked and we have permission to stay overnight in their lot and we will visit the museum in the morning. This was his longest day so far – 78.8 miles. Needless to say, he was tired! This is the link to today’s ride. https://ridewithgps.com/trips/31356210