Clark Field

The past two weeks in Austin have been a mix of patience and good times. After dropping my bike off for repairs I checked out the comedy scene. I managed to snag tickets to a couple of shows at the Vulcan Gas Company and Mothership Comedy Club and both were a lot of fun.

Austin, definitely has college-town vibes and it quickly grew on me. 6th Street is packed with bars and live music and stays lively every night of the week—it’s an experience in itself. While waiting on updates about the bike, I settled into a routine: mornings at the gym, afternoons just walking around the city, and evenings were spent chatting with people from the hostel. To save money, I made most of my meals in the hostel kitchen, but I still treated myself to some fantastic BBQ. I also joined the hostel crew for a few pub crawls on 6th Street, which were always a good time.

One unexpected highlight was going to a Longhorns football game. The energy was unreal. I don’t fully understand the rules of football, but being in the middle of that kind of crowd was a crazy experience.

Thanksgiving in Austin was another great experience. I hadn’t realized how big the holiday is here—apparently, it’s even bigger than Christmas for some people. A group of us from the hostel went to a small dive bar serving a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The place was absolutely packed but the food and atmosphere made it worth it.

The bike parts were supposed to take two weeks to arrive but luckily they showed up just after one. The mechanics replaced the water pump only to find it wasn’t the cause of the overheating. It turns out the radiator is corroding, which is causing the metal shards to build up in the coolant system. Unfortunately l’ll have to keep flushing it regularly to avoid problems, but replacing the radiator just isn't an option. At least I know what’s going on.

Today, I hit the road for Laredo Texas , about four hours South, right on the Mexican border. During the ride, an old issue came back—the bike started bogging down after around 230–250 KM on a full tank. It seems to be a fuel delivery problem, but as long as I keep the tank full, it shouldn’t be too bad. Still, it’s something I’ll need to deal with once I’m in Mexico.

Today I plan on crossing the Mexican border, heading for my first stop in Monterrey! I’m pumped for this next chapter to begin.Read more