Rest Day #5 April 8

After 7 days of riding, today was a welcomed day of rest. And I did rest, a bit, but I also did a lot of walking.

One of my favorite Artisan Jewelers, James Avery, has his corporate headquarters in Fredericksburg. I rode passed it yesterday, so today, I went to his store on Main Street. I own several of his pieces and relished in the moment of seeing more of his collection. And, yes, I purchased something! 🙂

Later, I walked to the UPS store with Cathy. She mails something, somewhere, every rest day. Today, she mailed home some of the extra clothes she packed that she didn’t need along with some gifts for friends. The UPS clerk deserves “employee of the month” for his patience. I’ll just leave that there. 😵‍💫

We stopped at the bike shop in Fredericksburg. Several of the riders took their bikes in for various reasons. The shop is owned by a man and his wife. The wife was the only one working today. Malfunctioning shifters, new brakes, loose parts from rough roads, new tires, shoe repairs, new chain among other things on the list of bike maintenance requests. She assured the group she would work until everything was done. Her husband was due to come in after 5:00 to assist. She also delivered the bikes to the hotel when all the work was finished. Customer service at its finest!

Long ago, the Fredericksburg area was settled by Germans fleeing persecution. LBJ was born nearby, and, supposedly, Blue Bonnet flowers grow wild all over the place thanks in part to Lady Bird and her love of the flower. So far, I‘ve only seen a few.

Fredericksburg‘s German heritage is prevalent in the choices of restaurants! Bratwurst, Schnitzel, Braised Cabbage and Sauerkraut galore! I had dinner at the Auslander Biergarten Restaurant with Cathy, Carmen and Harriet.

Side note: Carmen is from Fargo. She is a National Champion at Curling! Team USA! 🥌 She LOVES talking about Curling, how the ice is made, the special shoes, how the stones are made in Scotland, her face lights up when you ask her about Curling. Can you guess what we talked about at dinner? 🤣🥌 Go ahead and ask me something about Curling!!😉

On to Austin tomorrow!

James Avery Corporate Headquarters

James Avery store on Main Street

Cathy having a German beer 🍺. She’s a hoot!

Curling stones are solid pieces of granite that have been shaped and smoothed into a round shape with a concave top and bottom. It can weigh no more than 44 pounds and no less than 38 pounds.