A Bad Day Got Worse

Last night was fabulous! Took the busses into Austin for dinner. Since the bike repair was going to require another trip into the bike shop on Sunday morning we knew it meant that we wouldn't be up at six to take off riding. So we cleaned up and dressed up in our same one outfit for s last night on the town. We met our young friend Nate who was spending his last night in Austin with his friend. Ron and I walked on ahead of the others to find a finer place to eat than the night before. We selected a seafood restaurant. Had candles, white linen napkins and tablecloth and fine wines and beer. It was a little pricy but turn Ed out to be well worth it for the excellent meals we all had. Ron and Dean treated Nate to the meal since he was a little awe struck when he saw the menu. After dinner Nate took us to a coffee shop where we all had coffee and dessert.
This morning Bob and I hit the busses again to get another part for the bike that bob discovered had been damaged by riding with the broken axel. Either we were lucky or finally learning how to maneuver public transit, but we flew to town in record time. However, the bike shop didn't open for another two hours. We had breakfast at a nearby McDonalds and then sat on the sidewalk outside the bike shop. Bob brought the wheel with us and the guys took care of the problem. We tried to expedite the trip home but no taxis were available so back on the buses again!
By 2:00 we were on the road. Felt good to be riding again. We took 190 and the wind and traffic made the overpasses and lane changes a fight for your life battle. Then we were deluged with several emergency vehicles and eventually forced off the highway. There was a grass fire that spread to a cotton field and began to engulf homes. The smoke was pouring over the roads. We stopped at a gas station and wet kerchiefs to pull over our faces if we faced more of the smoke. Traffic just got worse by the minute with all the cars forced to reroute like us. We only lasted 18 miles and decided we had to start looking for a place to pitch a tent. It was already 5:00.
And so we are back to our rustic style. Candlelight and wine last night, camping behind a convience store tonight.
And yes, the winds will continue tomorrow! That's what makes riding challenging. We bought Texas lottery tickets tonight in our convience store. Maybe we'll be the $ 28,000,000 winners on Wednesday.