Woke up to the smell of coffee and breakfast. Pat and Diana had brought a bunch of delicious egg burritos and as soon as I walked out of the kitchen they had a cup by the coffee maker waiting for me – As Mr. Junyah[ from A Yankee Goes South (advrider.com) would say, my life does not suck!
Today was fine tuning and tour day. We had discussed some needed purchase the night before and after breakfast we went shopping for goodies. Mainly I needed chain lube, synthetic oil, flip flops, plus some random odds and ends. They gave me a tour of downtown Austin and after driving around for a while we stopped for lunch at a delicious restaurant. Once again Pat and Diana did not let me pay for the amazing feast that we had – Tacos, enchiladas, rice, beans, soda – Thanks guys, you are truly kind!
Stuffed, we hopped in the car and drove around town for a bit. We drove over this bridge that is famous because apparently after sundown thousands of bats come out from underneath in search of food, down the river. I didn’t get to see them but can imagine how awesome that is…. Next time Austin.
Austin, TX
Now it was time for dessert and they knew just the spot. It is called Gourdough’s – A place where the heavens connect with your gastronomic spirit to allow the gods of desserts to bless you with their flavor and unsurpassable perfect sweetness. We got a giant doughnut, topped with a huge scoop of ice cream, topped with a succulent fried banana. This thing is so freaking delicious that you will want to eat 3 more, even though 1 was enough to feed the 3 of us. We went to the original street cart, but the guy is so famous that he opened an actual store somewhere down the block in order to keep up with the demand. If you go to Austin, DO NOT LEAVE without having some Gourdough’s.
World famous Gourdough’s
Pat and Diana eagerly waiting for that doughnut
Finally!!!! – granted we had already killed 2/3 of it.
After an awesome day in town we headed back to the house to start planning my crossing into Mexico. I got a hold of [USER=150506]@SkizzMan[/USER] who was nice enough to drive down to Pat’s place to meet up, have a beer, and discuss possible Mexico routes. In all the excitement I forgot to take a picture with him, sorry 
. They patiently went over the map with me as I start to figure out what to do in Mexico, and kindly answered all of my questions about the roads, the bike, and the setup. Between these two guys they are an encyclopedia of RTW travel, not only regarding motorcycles, but Mexico, roads, technique, paperwork and more. I was very lucky to have met and sat in that living room absorbing all this info, and am forever grateful. We exchanged stickers, gave my bike a final once-over, and said our goodbyes.
YAAAAY Stickers – Pat’s XT250
Tomorrow I head to the border in McAllen, TX!
Lesson Learned: To reach enlightenment one must Eat at Gourdough’s often.
Also, be kind, open minded, smile often, allow life to bring you close to those who are wiser than you, their advice will make you a better person!
Stats:
Day 8 – 0 Miles
Food: $9 (Dessert and water bottle)
Bike Stuff: $25.30 (Oil, chain lube, alligator clamps, retractable ID holder – didn’t get flip flops)
Total: $34.30
themotopoet.com 