Day 45 – Easy Street

Thursday, December 4th

Austin, TX

Normally we wake before 6 and eat shortly after arising to give our bodies time to digest while we pack our panniers for the day’s ride. But I slept in this morning and by about 7:30, my body was desperate for food, so it started dreaming about getting something to eat. I found myself in a vaguely familiar kitchen and began checking cabinets, searching for something that might strike my fancy. It quickly turned into a nightmare when all the cabinets I opened only had pasta products (which I’m allergic to). That did the trick. I bolted awake to escape the hopeless situation and immediately walked to the kitchen for a bowl of oatmeal. My brain really knows how to make me do what it wants.

After breakfast, Dad and I emptied our panniers and rode to Easy Street Recumbents. Since my uncle had the day off, he tagged along on his Goldwing. We got separated at a stop light when he stopped to talk to a truck, but he knew our destination and caught up with us at the bike shop. When we asked why he stopped, he told us we rode past my cousin! I hadn’t even noticed.

When we arrived at the bike shop there were a few people waiting to talk to us. We (Dad mostly) answered their questions about the trip and the route, about his Corsa and my ebike rig. When everyone had left, it was past time for lunch. Sam recommended a nearby Thai restaurant that turned out to be delicious. I tore through most of my green curry order, but toward the end, slowed down a bit. The food was amazing, but since it wasn’t part of our five food groups (fried chicken, Dole fruit, peanut butter crackers, Fig Newtons and Reese’s), my body was confused, not quite sure how to handle it. After lunch, we walked back to the bike shop and as Dad and Mike discussed some options for Mike’s pink trike, my uncle and I worked on sneaking Reese’s from where Dad stowed them in one of his panniers.

The grandmaster I trained with in Titusville happened to be doing a final seminar in Austin tonight and tomorrow night before leaving for the Philippines, so when it came time to let Mike get back to work, my uncle, Dad and I scoped out a route to get to the seminar.

When we finally got home, we reposed for a bit and suddenly it was time for dinner. They wanted to go out to eat, but I didn’t have enough time to go out, come back and ride to the seminar, so I planned to eat at home. Instead, my uncle offered to drive us to dinner and drop me off at the seminar after. Though disappointed that I wouldn’t get to show off the bike, I accepted the ride because I wanted to spend time with my aunt and uncle, and because restaurant food sounded better than the PBJ sandwiches I’d be eating if I stayed home.

We met my aunt at Threadgill’s on Lamar (home-style cooking with free second helpings on vegetables) and ate a delicious meal. Then my uncle dropped me off at the seminar and for the next three hours I trained knife fighting on a full belly. I told some of the guys about the trip, but I don’t think any of them believed me. When I said we biked in from Florida, I think most of them thought I meant on a motorcycle. I clarified for a few – “We bicycled here from Florida.” – but still didn’t get an impressive response. They know I live nearby and they probably though I was lying or didn’t even register what I was saying.  Oh well.