I’m really stretching to fit this one in tonight. It’ll be a freewrite, and an exhausted one at that, so don’t hold your expectations too high. This was my last day in Austin. On my list of musts, I wanted to visit Plowburger and BuzzMill Coffee, see a few close friends and find trails to ride my EUC with @roadscape. The former I was able to accomplish on my first day in town, so this was my day to venture out with @roadscape and tear it up. I haven’t ridden then S20 since a really bad crash in Minneapolis last October, so this would be something of a return to my favorite hobby.
We left in the afternoon. We pumped up our tires […my EUC and his bike, respectively] then made our way to the entry point of trails in the woods. These were gnarly trails, though. When I first attempted trails in Minnesota, I visited Theodore Wirth park. Way too treacherous for an EUC, and these were just as bad. Tight, winding, loose gravel, ridiculous drops and steep inclines. I was started to get bummed out because I couldn’t cut it even on my best day. We pushed on, forcing me to walk the EUC for a lot of the trail, eventually coming to a railroad bridge.
Once on the other side, we were faced with three paths. The one we chose took us to a completely new network of trails, specifically for biking and walking. These were the trails I hoped we’d find. Groomed, meaning, flattened and packed. Windy, though the woods, but not with unreasonable intent of the hazards. @roadscape kept nearby and I used my 360º to document much of the ride. The weather was perfect, at 80º and the paths were nearly open giving us free range to explore each branch through the forest.
We stopped for tea at a creek and talked about life with a reassessment of the last two years; the challenges that’s meant for all of us. How we coped. Hive was a big topic of discussion and more broadly, the opportunities and pitfalls of this journey through blockchain and crypto. We paid gratitude to our friends; those responsible for bringing us together, like @lovejoy and @mada. We celebrated Minneapolis and what makes the city so special; an especially nice sentiment because I’ll be making my way back to the Twin Cities tomorrow morning.
At the end of the ride, we came home and allowed the fatigue of a long, hard day of activity to wash over us. @roadscape still attempted to master the EUC and was very close to conquering the technique. Afterwards, we met my friend Nicole for dinner at cute vegan restaurant. From there, we took the Tesla across town to a vegan ice cream place just before close. A final stop at a novelty toy store, and with that, back home. I’ve been winding down and mentally preparing for this 20+ hour drive back home. I’m going to sleep, and start on the road tomorrow.