Bicycle Austin forum

tamarinera

Newbie

Registered: 2020-10-23

Posts: 1

San Antonio to Austin in 3 or 4 days

Hallo! Very grateful for this forum, as I'll be visiting San Antonio /Austin in mid November and have decided to ride one way from SA to Austin with a trailer and tent.

Could folks suggest parks, campgrounds, and routes which I should make my daily goals? Or routes / places to definitely avoid?

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,466

Website

Re: San Antonio to Austin in 3 or 4 days

Here's a route/map I made a gazillion years ago.  I don't have any current info.

Jack

Member

Registered: 2013-03-27

Posts: 344

Re: San Antonio to Austin in 3 or 4 days

I can report that that route works very well today for between Austin & San Marcos at least. 
There is a park at "five mile dam" off Old Stagecoach Road just after you'd get on that road off of Post going north-ish--gross the river over a low crossing, turn left to get off Post to Old Stagecoach, go under RR bridge, and find park on the left.  Can you pitch a tent there?  I can't say, but it does have a port-a-potty or two usually and there are restrooms and water fountains sometimes open.

Last edited by Jack (2020-10-26 17:28:45)

dougmc

Administrator

Registered: 2008-06-01

Posts: 631

Re: San Antonio to Austin in 3 or 4 days

Here's a route/map I made a gazillion years ago.  I don't have any current info.

"Note: Fred Meredith points out that Congress is probably a better choice than S. 1st Street"

*sigh*

That definitely does date things.

I miss Fred ... he was one of the good ones.

(And he was exactly right.  S 1st is still best avoided!)

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,466

Website

Re: San Antonio to Austin in 3 or 4 days

I was thinking the same thing when I checked out that page again.

I just linked to his obituary from that route page.

Fred was well-liked by everyone.  I never heard anyone say anything bad about him.  The same won't be said of me when I pass.

He and Reed Murray were the two elder statesman of Critical Mass back in the day, and interviewed famously in the Bike Like U Mean It documentary.  (Now available on YouTube.)  I'm realizing that I'm now older than Reed was when he did that interview.  Reed passed away in 2008, so both he and Fred are gone now.

Jack

Member

Registered: 2013-03-27

Posts: 344

Re: San Antonio to Austin in 3 or 4 days

Here's a route/map I made a gazillion years ago.  I don't have any current info.

"Note: Fred Meredith points out that Congress is probably a better choice than S. 1st Street"

*sigh*

That definitely does date things.

I miss Fred ... he was one of the good ones.

(And he was exactly right.  S 1st is still best avoided!)

I miss Fred too, very much.  Miss his newspaper much also.  He made a huge contribution to the local cycling community.

I like S. 1st over S. Congress, though--so long as we're talking south of Ben White.  FWIW (and the years have changed their relative merits).  Bike lane stripes south of Slaughter on S. 1st all the way to RM 1626.

Jack

Member

Registered: 2013-03-27

Posts: 344

Re: San Antonio to Austin in 3 or 4 days

I like S. 1st over S. Congress, though--so long as we're talking south of Ben White.  FWIW (and the years have changed their relative merits).  Bike lane stripes south of Slaughter on S. 1st all the way to RM 1626.

No argument with what you have posted there, though: 
"A good place to switch from Congress to S. 1st St. is around Slaughter Lane. You can take Ralph Ablenado which connects the two streets; as you're going south on S. Conress it's the last street on the right before you get to Slaughter. It's at the top of a hill with a convenience store on the corner."

W. Dittmar is also a good route between S. Congress and S. 1st--north of Ralph Ablenado & Slaughter Ln.  Slaughter has bike lane stripes, I believe, btwn S. Congress and S. 1st, but it's a large, highly-trafficked, divided road.*

     *Confirmed--it does have stripes; now a bike lane with a buffer of 2 stripes

Last edited by Jack (2020-11-30 15:41:10)

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,466

Website

Re: San Antonio to Austin in 3 or 4 days

Thanks, Jack, I added that to the route page.

Jack

Member

Registered: 2013-03-27

Posts: 344

Re: San Antonio to Austin in 3 or 4 days

Thanks, Jack, I added that to the route page.

Nice--if I remember rightly, the route [Austin-San Marcos] is the same as the one set up for that segment for "Bikecentennial" in the mid-1970s, turn for turn.

Last edited by Jack (2020-11-09 13:28:26)

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,466

Website

Re: San Antonio to Austin in 3 or 4 days

Well, that's a coincidence, at least for the Austin to San Marcos stretch.  I figured the route for myself when I biked to San Marcos, and others wrote the text for the San Marcos to San Antonio part.

Jack

Member

Registered: 2013-03-27

Posts: 344

Re: San Antonio to Austin in 3 or 4 days

Similarly, I worked out the route on my own for weekend recreation rides when I moved south in 2002, finding the old Bikecentennial map later.  Not a lot of options.  Until recent 1626 construction, I modified it for my own rides by taking from Buda 967 to Cole Springs Rd. (or Old Black Colony Rd.) to 1626 (then right on 2770 toward Mountain City) instead of 2770 to cross 1626, but it's a bit longer and 1626 is busier and the routes have more turns, so for a recommended route I wouldn't bother even though that skips over the 2770 part that is more likely to have passing gravel trucks.  967 all the way to 1626 works well too, even longer.

Last edited by Jack (2020-11-30 15:43:01)