Day 3
   
   4/30/01
   Mile 315
   Llano, TX
   
   Last night was clear with a starry sky, but after midnight the clouds
   rolled in and a dew with them.  My clothes didn't dry so I used the
   hand dryer at the state park.
   
   The makeshift repair on the rack held together until I made it to a
   bike shop in Austin.  A new one was only $24; the old one was tossed
   unceremoniously in the junk.  This one looks slightly stronger.  The
   full weight of bike and gear is roughly 70 some pounds since I opted to
   carry appropriate cold-weather for the Yukon, although that's entirely
   inappropriate here.
   
   Picking my way through the Austin traffic, I was bitterly disappointed
   when I came across a sign on a building that said MAD SCIENCE.  I
   thought to myself "Finally! Here's where a guy like me can go to shop
   for the bizarre devices I need to, say, create a race of atomic
   monsters or whatever."  Sadly it turned out to be just some computer
   consultant shop.  So the science part didn't wash - but I was certainly
   mad, at least.
   
   It was afternoon when I left Austin and it got pretty warm.  Coming
   out of town on route 71 was noisy, busy, and less than ideal.  The only
   saving grace was the wide shoulders.  The hills got bigger, and I
   started the long, slow climb up to the west Texas plateau, which will
   take the next couple of days.  My altimeter registered around 1000
   feet; this was the first day I've had reason to look at it.
   
   The soil began to change to a more rocky, sandier composition, with
   mesquite and huisatch dominating.  The air was no dryer, however.
   I've had to drink so much water my stomach feels like it's been washed
   out with a garden hose.
   
   Upon arriving in Llano about 7:30pm, I decided to take in a little
   local color at a pizza shop.  Unfortunately, there wasn't any.  Color,
   that is.  Perhaps I didn't fit in with my biker clothing, or the
   waitress was having a bad day, but my order was flatly taken and the
   pasta was deposited without comment, so I ate in silence.  As this was
   my fourth meal of the day, I was at least able to eat silently -
   usually I am so ravenous that sparks fly off my knife and fork.
   
   So now I sit on the banks of the Llano River, camping under another
   clear sky with a half moon.  Long day tomorrow - a lot of open
   territory with many miles between water.

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