March 7, 2018 - We left San Antonio on Monday, and have been busy ever since. Thankfully, Gail is back to full strength after her 'bug' episode. We rode 28 kms all over the river valley here in Austin yesterday, even venturing up one of the busy streets, Congress South, to have a look. They have several areas of food trucks scattered about the city, which attract a lot of patrons. Toronto should learn from this. You can find almost any kind of food you might think of in these various areas. We had a little Mexican repast yesterday during our ride.

Both nights here we have gone to clubs. The first was a repeat of when we were here 2 years ago, and by coincidence, the same band was playing, as it's a regular Monday night gig for them. The place was packed, so we had to stand, until a kind server noticed there was one empty table, and whispered in my ear that we should go and sit there. Great band, led by a singer/songwriter named Bob Schneider. The group is called Lonelyland. Really enjoyed their work; varied, soft then heavy, excellent musicians...guitar, bass, keyboard and other instruments, cello/violin, drums. Last night was not so good, at the OnetoONe Bar. A younger band, sound not as good, but  a young crowd seemed to like them. Can't win 'em all.

Our location is rustic, established in 1946, and not much done to it since. The only thing older about the park is the guy who runs it, who proudly said he was born 7 years before it opened. But location is everything. We can be in the river valley in a few minutes, as it's only 3 blocks away, can walk to clubs, can walk over the bridges to the downtown area, which we did upon arriving the first day, as we wanted to visit the excellent Visitor Center on east 4th street. Quite a hike, but worth it.

There are more people running, biking, walking, doing exercises, than in any city we've ever been to, as it's been built into the thinking of the citizens that it's a good thing to do. The trails are busy with people, so when riding one has to be careful not to run over joggers or walkers or women pushing their baby carriages along. Folks in the bike shop we visited yesterday told us that on the week-ends, large groups of people gather together on the river trails to run and jog...hundreds of them. Glad we're here during the week.

Before leaving San Antonio, we spent our last afternoon with friends Debbie and Ray wandering the River Walk. A beer in a German themed place, another drink at another place, dinner at an Irish Pub. All in all a very nice way to spend a pleasant afternoon and evening. We really enjoyed out time with Ray and Deb, and thank Ron and Marilyn Harris for getting us together.

On the way out, we stopped at the Japanese Garden in the north part of the city. Truly a delightful place to spend a little time, and it will no doubt be even better once spring planting comes to full flower. I'll post a pic to give you an idea.

Another pic will be of two guys I met on the trail in San Antonio. One of them has one artificial leg, the other both legs. They were moving right along, so after I'd passed them, I stopped and they soon caught up to me. They told me they had already done 14 miles that afternoon. Young ex-soldiers, vital, energetic, impressive guys. Quite inspiring to see their resolve!

Two more days here, and we will hit the road east and north. The weather will be the main concern, but we hope to be back by the 13th or 14th. We will keep you posted if wifi is available.

Below, the Japanese garden in San Antonio; the two ex-soldiers; Austen skyline; and our friends Debbie and Ray Zschuppe from Belleville.