I truly loved Austin, TX. Out of all the cities I've been to in the US this really might be my favorite. It's kind of hard to explain why though. There's really just something about this city. It's not too city-like, it's clean, and is just freaking cool! I feel like if I had been touring with someone else, or met someone off of couchsurfing that I would have stayed there for a week or more. I stopped by an REI store while in town and swapped out my worn tires for some fresh ones that will hopefully prove to be a bit more puncture resistant. In addition, I returned my cushy bike saddle for a hard leather Brooks one. It seemed counter-intuitive at first that a rock hard saddle would provide more comfort, but after some thought it made sense. Riding in bike shorts with a plush saddle ultimately just equates to a lot of moving around under my butt. You don't need double padding like I was employing, and doing so just submits you to so much discomfort on long distance rides. Brooks saddles are renowned in the bicycle world as being a top notch seat once you break it in. It will take me a few hundred miles to satisfy the break in period, but today was the least painful 60+ mile ride of my trip so far. All in all things are looking great for the second half of this journey. I can't wait to see what some of these states closer to home hold for me. Texas was awesome, albeit a bear during some stretches. I will now be riding routes with towns much more closely spaced together. The benefit of this is knowing I can get fresh, cold water every 20-30 miles. This'll allow me to push on for longer distances each day without the worry of being stranded in a "village" of 17 people.
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