Fredericksburg, TX

Stephanie Parker
There was free breakfast at the motel. I met Stephanie there, who was staying for the day. She was formerly a paralegal, but quit to pursue taking care of her mother.

I left the motel at about 8:30 am. I went 4 miles (downhill) to Walmart to look for an SD card reader. It took a while to find one, but it was in the photo section for $10.

I made the decision to follow Highway 16 all the way to Fredericksburg, rather than the Adventure Cycling Map.

light rain
On the way to Walmart, it was actually raining slightly. I much prefer light rain to heat.
wide shoulder
There was traffic on Highway 16, but who cares, when the shoulder is 15 feet wide and smooth?
I was off the ACA route, so had no indication of whether there would be any services along the way. A pleasant surprise was D&D Fence Rentals about halfway to Fredericksburg. Not a full convenience store, but they had a few snacks.
farm equipment lot
This looked like a lot for used farm equipment, or possibly a pick and pull.
fm 2093
Coming in on the left is Farm Road 2093, which is the route ACA would have taken me over. I had no regrets about taking Hwy 16 directly.

Easy riding day, due to overcast skies, tailwind, and short distance. I reached Fredericksburg at noon.

Fredericksburg downtown
Fredericksburg has German roots, so a lot of the stores say Willkommen. It’s a tourist destination, and serves a transient population of 1.5 million per year, with 10,000 permanent residents.

As I walked my bike down the main street, I noticed a restaurant called Pasta Bella on a side street. A man came out and offered me bread. I was going in for lunch anyway, so declined. Shaun said I could wheel my bike right into the restaurant. He was the owner, and said that they had bikes inside often. I knew it was a good place as soon as I walked in, because it was packed with a lot of locals my age.

Shaun at Pasta Bella
Shaun at Pasta Bella. He said that another cyclist had spontaneously come in 2 weeks ago, doing the reverse direction. From the description, it was Brian.
wednesday special
Every day, they have a special for $8.99. On Wednesday, it was Lasagna, Salad, Bread, and Tea.

The skies cleared after lunch, and it got hot. I was glad that I hadn’t tried to go the additional 45 miles to Johnson City.

bakery closed
Dang it!  (closed)
I visited the Nimitz Museum and War in the Pacific Center. My 2.5 hours there was not nearly enough to see everything. This is a memory garden.
mark on door
Did someone try to kick in my door?
Frederick Motel
The Frederick Motel was listed on the ACA map. At $59 plus tax, reasonable.
internet speed
But here is what I really like about this place.

Tomorrow’s goal, Johnson City. I think I’ll skip the ACA map again, and just take Hwy 290.

Miles today: 35.6

(Visited 150 times, 1 visit(s) today)
    1. Hi, sweetheart. I should hit Austin on Friday if all goes according to plan. I’ll see if I can stay at a hostel, there. Haven’t found a kolache place, yet, but I’m sure something will be open, soon.

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