Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Hike and Bike trail

Austin's Lady Bird Lake has to be my favorite place in this city. It used to be called Town Lake until last year, but after Lady Bird Johnson's (former first lady) death last year, it was renamed after her, since she was involved in beautification projects around the lake.




This is where our group trains for the marathon. Last weekend I finished my run on Saturday, but Raghav ran on Sunday. So I took my bike and went along with him and got some pictures of Fall colors as I rode around the lake.





The lake is only a 10 minute drive from home, and it has a loop trail around it which runs for a maximum of 10 miles. Several bridges connect the two sides of the lake, and so loops of 3.5, 4.5 and 7 miles are also possible. We do combinations of these, as we increase our mileage in training for the full and half marathons.




The light was low and it was almost sunset. So I got some copper-hued pictures of the sights around the lake. Austin is beautiful in the Spring and Fall. There is a rowing center along the lake too, and many people take classes there. You can rent canoes there as well. This is the view from Lamar Bridge.




With the little bridges along the trail and the ducks and birds, running here is very pleasant and distracting.



After crossing over the lake on the next (First Street) bridge, we come to a water stop. One of the running stores in town sponsors water for runners and so there's always water on our runs. It's so convenient. There is also a dog park here, with lots of wild-eyed, happy dogs running loose.






There's a remembrance plaque for the homeless there, and on this day there were flowers next to it.



Across the lake, the setting sun had lit up the buildings of downtown Austin.




I'll have to leave you here ... blogger won't let me upload any more photos on this post. So I'll continue next time, and we can finish the loop in the next post!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

17 comments:

Jude said...

Gosh, I'm exhausted, thank goodness we're having a break. Do you run marathons? Both my daughter and son have run the London one several times and my son ran the New York one last year. My daughter works in Saudi now but still continues (in that heat!) and ran the Dubai marathon last year. She belongs to a running club and runs around the compound now!!
I prefer to cycle............

pink dogwood said...

Happy Thanksgiving Bindu - I am just waiting for the family to show up and begin a day of cooking together.

I love the second picture - looks like a painting. You have an amazing eye for beauty.

Have a great time :)

Blu said...

That was enjoyable, seeing where you run, looks like a really beautiful place too. Much better to have some lovely scenery to make your run go faster.

pRiyA said...

wow!

Unknown said...

Nice pics Bindu. You have a good eye. I wish we had a lake to visit closer to where we live. What's the camera model you use? I have a small digital but I'm thinking of buying a digital SLR....Maybe a Canon EOS D40.

Don Madden said...

No reason for me to post my pictures anymore - your shots are almost identical to what I've taken! Especially the shot from the bridge down on the trail where the trees are bright red. Still amazes me that we live in the same town (and in the same part of town) but it took our South African friend (Robyn) to put us together.

Vamsee Modugula said...

Austin is an awesome city and your pictures do complete justice. I used to say that I can never live in Texas, but I changed my mind when I visited Austin.
Lovely fall pictures.

bindu said...

Jude - your daughter sounds like she's a great runner! I love running and have been into it since high school. But I ran my first full marathon only this past Feb. My knees have overuse injuries and hurt after longer distances, so I'm planning on doing two half marathons this season. Your daughter must love it to run in the heat!! I couldn't do that.

Bhavana - thanks! hope you had a nice meal with the family!

Blu - yes, I love the trails around the lake.

bb - thanks. I have a Nikon D80 and I do like it. I am still learning photography skills, so I'm sure it can do much more than I do with it. Good luck with your search.

Don - it's true! :) Do still post your pictures.

ArtPropelled said...

I enjoyed the colourful meander through Austin, thanks Bindu. You certainly do have an eye for the picturesque.

Unknown said...

The red color in those leaves is just amazing. Thank you for sharing your fall leaves! I have only been to Austin once, and what I remember most is the delicious barbecue we ate there! (leave it to me to remember the food!)

Chris Daly said...

This looks like a wonderful oasis in a large city. What a great place to spend your weekend. Happy Thanksgiving to you!

~vagabond~ said...

Loved looking at the photos...and this is exactly why I want to move to the southwest..good weather all year long. The inability to go outside for a nice long run is what depresses me the most about winters in the midwest. There's a snow storm outside as we speak. Shucks.

3rdEyeMuse said...

thank you so much for taking us on the photo tour with you - sounds & looks like such an amazing place. :)

bindu said...

Robyn, 3rdEyeMuse - thanks!

Karine - Austin does have a good selection of restaurants. I am vegetarian, so have my list of places, but eating out here is very popular!

Chris - hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving too!

Vagabond - thanks! I guess we all look for things we don't have! I loved the snow from when I lived in Ohio and PA. Not the cold, sleety days, but the quiet, snowy days ... :)

meb said...

It's strange to see such beautiful pictures, as I never imagined Texas as being an attractive State. Sounds silly I guess, but you have changed my mind and now it's a place I would like to visit, not just pass through on my way somewhere else. thanks.

Barbara Martin said...

What a wonderful way to present the area where you life. Great photos.

ArtSparker said...

Beautiful photos, I especially like the shot of the water through the trailing leaves. I know Austin is supposed to be the "cool" city in Texas, but I had no idea it was so beautiful.