Birds on Fire

Bike to work day

May 22, 2011

Friday May 20, 2011, was National Bike to Work day. Since I freelance, I don’t really “commute” but I do try to ride my bike every time I have to go into downtown Austin.

Also, all the local bike shops, coffee shops and other local biz were hooking cyclists up with a li’l free continental breakfast as part of the celebration of more bikes on the roads.

I totally scammed em all cause I wasn’t actually going to work. Unless you count work as riding around to all the breakfast stops. Since I felt guilty about this deception I ended up staying on the road a lot longer than I had planned for and put in just over 50 miles of bike riding. That’s a personal record. I hadn’t done more than 30 miles before yesterday.

Along the way I snapped pics of my old Sears brand early 1990s trapper-keeperesque-splatter-paint-framed 12 speed bike in front of interesting Austin landmarks.

In Republic Square park downtown. Iconic "Frosty" the Frost Tower in background

Shot from the north side of the Texas State Capitol Building

UT fountain + The Deadly Tower starring Kurt Russel

The original Kerbey Lane Cafe on Kerbey Lane just north of 38th street

Daniel Johnston mural on the corner of Guadalupe and 21st street

Moonlight tower at Guadalupe and 9th street. The towers were constructed in 1895 for citywide illumination. Several are still standing, and they are kept in working order.

Austin City Hall

Author O. Henry's house on 5th street downtown. Also the site of the Annual Pun-Off. I sold all my puns to buy my wife a present, so I won't be attending.