Southern Tier: Texas from Fredericksburg to- Johnson City, Austin, Bastrop, Brenham

We did hit some rolling hills and these always feel worse with a loaded bike.  We have covered 1600 miles and we are halfway on the Southern Tier.

This deer was content being near us due to the fence.

The boyhood home of Lyndon B. Johnson.

This was a surprise.  I knew we were coming up to Johnson City, but I did not make a connection. I have visited several childhood homes of US Presidents and I wanted to take the time to see this one. 

Pedernales River.

The Pedernales River runs 106 miles in central Texas flowing west to east. It is a tributary of the Colorado River. This part of the river is calm.  North of here is the Pedernales Falls State Park.  It is too far out of our way.  We are anxious to get to Austin.

Roadrunner RV Park. You always want a spot with shade!

Austin is not as big as Phoenix, but as we got closer the roads get busier and have more debris in the shoulder.  There are places where the shoulder disappears.  Traveling along sidewalks can be sketchy because do not look for bikes there.  I always try to take the road and pull over on the cautious side.  These segments are much slower and I get more anxious.

The Colorado River outside Austin.

I wondered about this river.  I found out that this river is the 18th longest in the US and runs for 862 miles in Texas.. The map below shows its flow.  Colorado is Spanish for reddish river.. This is not the same river as another Colorado River.

We had only a few ups and downs like advertissed.

Colorado River is Bastrop.

The forest areas near here supplied the cities of Austin and San Antonio in the early days of development of these cities.

A local gave us this suggestion to miss some hills and traffic. Riding on a busy road without much shoulder is no fun.

Having multi-lanes allows the cars to pass us with a shoulder.

We saw plenty of cattle in the fields grazing.

The courthouse in Giddings.

This area economy includes mining, quarrying, and oil /gas extraction.  The train stop helped to grow the town of Giddings.  Now a town of 5000 and at 505'

Ledbetter: I am always going to stop at a place like this.

Use your phone to check on current services ahead.

This town has over 17,000 people.