United States
Shoal Beach

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    • Day 35

      Austin-Live Music Capital of the World

      October 31, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

      Nach einer dreistündigen Nacht bin ich überraschenderweise mit voller Power aufgewacht und ins Fitnessstudio gegangen🕺🏽🤪

      Anschließen ging es mit dem Flix Bus nach Austin, der Hauptstadt Texas. Als ich angekommen bin, hatte ich nur eines im Kopf und das war Kaffee☕️
      Danach bin ich den Old Town Lake Trail entlang des Colorado Rivers abgelaufen bis hin zum Lady Bird Lake. Etwas, was ich hier in Austin ganz schön finde, sind die Walking und Mountainbike Trails inmitten der Stadt. 🐢🌳🦦

      Als es 15.00 Uhr war habe ich mich langsam auf den Weg zum Hostel gemacht und eingecheckt. Das Hostel ist aus einem Feuerwehrhaus aus dem Jahr 1885 umgebaut worden und hat einen urigen, rustikalen Stil.
      Der Junge an der Rezeption war begeistert, endlich ein bayerisches Mädchen zu sehen und hat sofort seine deutschen Worte ausgepackt. Meiner Meinung nach hat er sich etwas zu sehr gefreut mich zu sehen, er wollte dann nämlich gleich was trinken gehen. Ich habe dankend abgelehnt…😁 leider hat er es nicht so ganz verstanden dass ich nicht mit ihm aus gehen will, sodass er dann später an meiner Tür klopfte und mich nochmal fragte…🫣habe ihm dann deutlich gesagt “i mog ned” und bin dann auch gleich ins Bett gegangen.

      So spannend war die Zeit in Austin nicht. Den nächsten Tag bin ich wieder den Colorado River entlang gelaufen und habe die Stevie Ray Vaughan Statue besucht. 🗿
      Danach gab es noch einen schmackofatzigen Salat im Sweetgreen und dann war es auch schon Zeit in den Bus “nach Hause” zu steigen. 🚌
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    • Day 23

      🦇 🌉 Austin bat bridge

      September 21, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 31 °C

      🎶 Like a bat outta hell... 🎶
      No sign of Ozzy Osborne either.

      Austin's number one tourist attraction is this bridge where thousands of bat's fly out after sunset.

      I saw it before back in 2019 and really wanted Laura to experience it. So I dragged her down and we've been standing for an hour and a half so far and no bat's 😬

      But they will come. Right?
      They didn't come...
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    • Day 6

      Fredag d. 23.6.

      June 23, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

      I dag skulle cykelturen realiseres. Cyklerne var gode og benene var friske. Turen tog os 30 km rundt om flod-området i den brølende varme. Til slut ventede gevinsten - Barton Spring Pool. Badning i kilden samtidig med at vi havde udsigt til Austin skyline. Det var sgu i orden.
      Vi kom meget ophedede hjem, og hvilede to timer i aircon inden vi tog downtown.
      Lance Armstrongs café og cykelbutik blev besøgt, selvom han måske ikke er verdens mest sympatiske person, måtte jeg alligevel tage et par billeder af hans 7 gule trøjer.
      Varmen var sindsyg, så vi forsøgte (mod eksperternes anbefalingerne) at køle os ned med fadøl og livemusik downtown.
      Vi fandt party-gaden med barer og musik - den sidste aften i Austin!
      På den ene side - virkelig virkelig dumt.
      På den anden side - den gade var sgu lidt for vild og voldsom, til et par uskyldige country lovin fools som os.
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    • Day 5

      Torsdag d. 22.6.

      June 22, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C

      Cykelturen var planlagt fra morgenstunden. Lang og varm skulle den være. Det skal jo ikke være for let.
      Det øjeblik vi gik ud af døren, øsede det ned og vi måtte lave en ny plan. Det blev en køretur i vores GMC Terrain, som jeg er ved at blive gode venner med.
      I fem timer kørte vi rundt i området omkring Austin, og oplevede små byer og fede steder ved Colorado River hvor de rige åbenbart bor. Rigtig fin tur med decideret bjergkørsel, og det overraskede os lidt.
      Til aften spiste vi mexicansk igen. Det kan de godt finde ud af, og udvalget af mexi-restauranter er stort.
      Sidste punkt på dagordenen var flagmusene under broen til downtown. De berømte vampyrer, flakser hver aften ud fra broen i hobetal, og det skulle efter sigende være fascinerende. Det var det dog ikke denne aften. Vi sad og ventede en time, og til sidst gav vi op. Sveden havde løbet af os, og vi var helt afkræftede.
      Vejret viste vist sig faktisk fra den nådige side i dag. Kun 34/43.
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    • Day 4

      Onsdag d. 21.6.

      June 21, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C

      Nætterne bliver gradvist bedre, uden det ligefrem er imponerende. Kl. 04.00 blev vi vækket af en galning, som råbte og skreg aggressivt på gangen udenfor vores værelse. Vi lå begge og ventede på et gunshot, som heldigvis aldrig kom. Puha…
      Hele formiddagen gik med tur til state capital bygningen, et stort lukket stadion (9. største i verden!), campus på University of Texas og til sidst på History of Texas museum.
      Universitet har 50.000 studerende og deres sportshold (Texas Longhorns) spiller i orange/brunt og hvidt. Disse farver bar de studerende i stor stil. I udkanten af campus fandt vi en butik som solgte alverdens fan merchandise. Der var et gigantisk udvalg. Lang større end jeg har set til NFL-hold og europæiske fodboldklubber. Vildt!
      Til aften gik vi i til centrum i ørkenvarme 39/50 grader. Chefen blev meget rød i hovedet og helt stille.
      Da vi skulle finde et spiseted, blev det som sædvanligt lidt svært. Vi var ved at opgive, da en kæk ung rickshaw fyr kom kørende, og spurgte om vi havde brug for hjælp. Vi afviste ham naturligvis, men han fik alligevel ovetalt os. Så kørte vi i Austins trafikerede gader med “99 luftballon” og “Take on me”brølende ud af højtalerne. Cykelstier? - nej nej. Cykelhjelm? nej nej. Dumdristig beslutning? Åh ja. Vi nåede heldigvis sikkert frem, og var en oplevelse rigere.
      Mexi-restuaranten var egentlig ganske fin, men undervejs eksploderede vejret i storm og regn. Møblerne og personalet blæste rundt, og træerne truede med at knække. Vi bevarede overblikket og drak en ekstra frozen margherita. Det betød at tiden gik, og vi gik hjem i tørvejr. Heldigt.

      Dagen starter som regel skyet. Ikke dårligt.
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    • Day 12

      Day 12

      October 10, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

      Before booking this trip, everyone said that Austin was the highlight of Texas. Well I'm sad to say that it didn't really meet our expectations today. Perhaps we were just unlucky, but nothing really thrilled us much in the City of the Violet Crown.

      Ted was feeling a bit dusty this morning after last night, so after having a so-so breakfast, I went back to the barber shop from yesterday. Unbeknownst to myself, I needed to book online first, but I only needed to wait just over half an hour before getting a buzz cut (perfect for this Texas weather).

      Our next stop was to the South Congress area which is known for hip boutiques, trendy lodging options and Austin-original eateries. It had an art deco feel to it, but in reality it didn't impress us that much. Our next stop was Barton Springs, a recreational outdoor swimming pool that is filled entirely with water from nearby natural springs. Well sadly for us, we seemed to arrive on the one day of the week when it was closed. :-(

      I then tried our next destination, Lady Bird Lake, which offers a pedestrian bridge with views of the city. Unfortunately, the two destinations our GPS sent us to didn't resemble any sort of pedestrian bridge - one was a power plant, and the other was some back road. Disheartened, we headed back to the area of our accommodation to have lunch.

      Even that proved to be a chore! We found a decent looking falafel restaurant and tried to park nearby (all the parking in Austin is expensive and metered). The meter machine did not want to take our money so we parked in a suburban street nearby. Despite double checking there were no "No Parking" signs, I still couldn't relax during lunch, wondering if our rental car was going to be towed away!

      After coming back to our room for a nap, Ted considered going for a swim in the hotel pool until he saw the state of it! We then walked back down to the bear bar for a beer, as well as another nearby venue called Cheer Up Charlies before Ted decided he would like to go to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. We found one a few suburbs away at a local shopping centre, and we remembered why we liked it so much. The area also had a beautiful view of the Austin skyline.

      After dinner we came back and packed up for our early departure tomorrow. It was a shame that Austin didn't live up to our expectations, but we still had some pleasant experiences.
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    • Day 136

      Thanksgiving!!

      November 27, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

      We had a wonderful thanksgiving trip to Austin! We loved relaxing with friends and family. I made bread with my mom, Ross cut down trees with my dad, and we all wore matching turkey trot t-shirts while we walked 2 miles around the ranch!Read more

    • Day 8

      Greetings from Austin

      January 13, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

      Eine Woche ist es nun her seit meiner Ankunft in Austin… heute hatten wir endlich über 20 Grad - das Wetter ist in den letzten Tagen echt wechselhaft gewesen. Aber dennoch: ich genieße es vollstens, hier zu sein ☺️Read more

    • Day 26

      Week 4 Complete

      May 6, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

      Well, I’ve made it to Austin TX, yeeeeehawww.

      Week 4 is officially complete. What a hell of a ride it’s been so far. This week was the most challenging both mentally and physically. I hit a few frustration points through the driving, the 1 night hotel stays, and the weather. After a few convos with friends and fam, I was back.

      Couple of exciting things:

      1. We’ve already closed multiple deals while on the road making this trip worth it already.

      2. Great meetings ahead. Excited for some of them particularly.

      3. Hit 5,000 miles on the sprinter van since departure.

      4. Our 25th meeting was this week so that was a fun milestone.

      Being solo on the road definitely has not been easy- especially managing the bookings, arranging with our resellers, driving to the locations, and mustering up the energy to be lively while demoing the products. There were a few times I was drained, but pumped myself up on the way by shouting a couple of affirmations at myself. It worked haha.

      Also this week, after I did an extremely hard boot camp in Dallas (which I threw up in), I decided that I need to kick my cardio into gear while on the road. I ran over 9 miles this week and lifted weights 3 times amidst all this madness. Proud of myself for that.

      Today, Friday has just been a phenomenal day. So many great calls and updates from our partners.

      Glad to be able to relax and spend the weekend in Austin and catch up with some friends that live here.

      Peace and love.

      B
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    • Vanette's 3 Year Anniversary

      April 1, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

      I bought my van, named of course Vanette, in March of 2019 on the way to a dance in Oklahoma. It was an empty shell but has turned out to be just what I needed. I wanted to celebrate Vanette's and my anniversary and reminisce a bit.

      It's both hard to believe it's ONLY been 3 years AND that it's ALREADY been 3 years. On the one hand I've been many places, seen many sights and put almost 60,000 miles on the odometer. On the other hand I have not been able to do a lot of things that I intended: no dancing, no nomad get-togethers, and way more time stationary times then intended. Of course I blame that on the pandemic.

      Here is some random Data:
      7 Major Road Trips (when I am really full time I will stop considering them 'road trips' as it will be just one long trip.)

      11 National Parks visited, some more than once
      9 National Monuments
      1 National Recreation Area, plus numerous BLM & Forest Service Campgrounds
      At least 6 State Parks and Numerous historic sites of various categories.

      Some of the road trips have detailed entries with photos on this site, Some are missing many details. It's taken awhile to get into the habit of recording stuff as I go. Perhaps someday I will add some back dated entries.

      Vanette's 1st Road Trip:
      June-July 2019: From Austin to meet up with Anne and Scott Jenneman in NC for Summer Contra Delight Holiday, then Railroaders Weekend in TN then back to Austin. Dancing and Camping with the guy who helped build out my van. What a great first trip!!!

      Trip # 2: Summer 2019:
      Austin to Seattle via Caprock Canyons, Frankton, CO., Dinosaur Valley NM.; Mount Saint Helens NM; Lake Wenatchee. And a side trip to Mt Rainer and Glacier NP with Bev riding along.

      Trip #3 Summer 2019:
      Return to Austin via Bozeman to Yellowstone NP to Grand Tetons, quick stop at Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. then on to Rocky Mountain NP and then Franktown, CO to pick up Jay and then back to Austin for the winter.

      Trip # 4: Summer 2020: Austin to Seattle
      Jan joined me for the first leg of the trip (in separate vehicles). We stopped at Caprock Canyons, Royal Bridge Park in Co. then stopped for several days at Cindy's in Franktown. On the day we left Cindy's we were headed to Rocky Mtn NP but Jan managed to rear-end me before we found a campground. She totaled her car and did major damage to Vanette. We ended up back in Franktown where she rented a car to go back to Austin and I managed to get Vanette road ready to head to Seattle. Then after all the repairs were done, Vanette was VANdalized and further repairs were needed in Seattle. Plus the pandemic was soaring and I stayed in Seattle until March 2021

      Trip #5 - March 2021: Return trip to Austin with stops in Kings Canyon, Death Valley NP, Phoenix etc

      Trip # 6 - June 2021 - Austin to Seattle again with stops at:
      TX - Davis Mtn State Park, Fort Davis National Historic Site
      NM - White Sands National Monument and Aquire Springs BLM
      CO - Mesa Verde; Canyon of the Ancients, Chimney Rock NM, Great Sand Dunes NP, Franktown with Cindy
      UT – Dinosaur National Monument, Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area
      ID – Minidoka National Historic Site, Craters of the Moon National Monument, Yankee Fork Gold Dredge, Lake Cascade
      WA – Seattle and side trips to Lewis and Clark State Park, Mt. St Helens, Mt. Rainer NP,
      OR – Portland, Stonehenge, etc

      Trip # 7 – Return trip to Austin, August/September 2021
      MT – Glacier with Arlie, Butte, Billings,
      the Dakotas – Pompeys Pillar NM, Devils Tower, Black Hills, Tatanka, Crazy Horse Monument
      CO – Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Durango to Silverton Steam Train, Manitou Cliff Dwellings,
      NM – Taos, SantaFe, Cloudcroft,
      TX – Guadalupe Mountains NP and back to Austin

      SO HAPPY ANNIVERSARY VANETTE AND MAY WE HAVE MANY MORE TRAVELS TOGETHER!!!
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    Shoal Beach

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