Driving the MS 150 route

On Friday, Wayne and I took advantage of our Good Friday off and drove along the MS 150 route to Austin. It took us about three hours, as expected, with a lot of little stops in between. There are definitely hills, but nothing like the ride we did in Bastrop that went so badly for me. It was nice to get to see what we would be up against. My biggest thought is that the route is absolutely gorgeous. There are several sections with fields of bluebonnets and other wildflowers. The cows and horses really come out to support the riders, even if it does just mean walking closer to the fence to see what's going on. I am really looking forward to doing the ride.

We also go through several little small towns. Just for good measure, we stopped and evaluated the restroom situation at many of them (drinking continuous Diet Cokes helped with ensure that we would do this). Everyone was so friendly! When we got to Austin, we saw the Capitol building where the ride finishes, and went on to a restaurant on Sixth Street called the Iron Cactus. Except for the chips, people in Austin seem to eat healthier than us fatties in Houston. The meals were mostly offered with grilled veggies as sides, not beans and rice.

On the way home, I drove. I missed the exit by about half an hour and wasted a huge chunk of time. After I got us turned around, Wayne wanted to drive again by the time we got back to Bastrop. I griped a little bit about it, but was happy to settle into my passenger role and listen to our audio book. By the time we got home, it was dark.

Overall, not a bad way to spend a day off, and we're going to do it again on bikes next weekend. It's a good thing he and I like each other so well; I can think of a lot of people I'd want to strangle by the end of a trip like that.