Day Twenty: "Lost in Austin" (21 January) 80 mi

This day was the best thus far for several reasons. First the weather: cloudy, light drizzle and fog. It's ideal for cycling: no worsening tan lines and there's a mist in the air that cools you. I headed down US 290, also known as US 190's cousin, passing through Giddings and Bastrop on my way to Austin, Texas. I'll skip ahead to the fun stuff. I arrived to my childhood friend/best friend's apartment in Austin just before he left for work at the local restaurant Ramen Tatsu-Ya. It was great seeing Drew as well as his sister Leah who I have known both of them for basically my entire life. About a week ago was when I found out they lived in Austin and I had no idea they did and I think that solidified my decision to visit ATX. What is funny is that one of my Instagram followers also lives in Austin. John, former Floridian now marathon runner/Texan, had reached out to me on Instagram and asked me to meet up and I told him I was heading to the Ramen restaurant and I offered for him to tag along. He is a really cool guy, we have a lot in common and he was so generous enough to to give me a tour of town which I'm so grateful he did.  On top of that he works at a local grocery store and prepared me a goodie bag of vitamins, supplements and protein bars for my trip. Who does that? Talk about a Texas welcome! I better be careful or else I might get sucked into the weird hole that is Austin, Texas. Spending the night at Drew's and will hopefully do a tour of Austin by myself tomorrow. Will be very rainy tomorrow so I'll try to stay inside and dry. Looking to spend two days here.