Austin Area TW Chapter (all gens welcome, even T4Rs; heck, just make it a Toyota and we're good)

Been an interesting week. I know some of you are nearby (Reagan/29 area). As of about 3pm today we finally got all services returned. Still under boil notice, but better than manually filling the flush bowl.

Strangely enough, the internet stayed up for the first half of the week. I use a battery backup for home network and a few components, so I was able to keep internet access up (as needed) during some of the outages. Once power got restored later in the week the internet service died. Finally came back today. Makes no sense.

We manage to keep our water lines intact and nothing blew form the power surges. It is obvious to us that we were fortunate and faired better than some others. Good to see you are all well.

I thought I could go to the grocery to get some eggs today, but when we say the lines we decided it was not worth it.

 

Mornin fam​

 

Good morning!

How long before the mtb trails are back in riding condition? Ready to get out and enjoy some sunshine.

 

I would have to guess it'll take a few days to dry out depending on sun conditions.

Riding in this tacky mud sucks hah

 

Exactly.

 

Where you live? I'm in Reagan's Overlook, a little north of 2243, across from Palmera Ridge.

 

About 3 miles up the road from you. Santa Rita, just north of 29.
I drive by your neighborhood frequently. Looked at some houses in Palmera when we were first moving down from Killeen/Ft Hood. That is a touchy area for traffic hazards. Not happy they dropped the speed to 50mph, but I understand why they did. I suspect a traffic light will be dropped in there (or Hero Way) very soon.

 

They will absolutely need one, and it will be at the entrance to RO/Palmera. If you look to the right when you are heading south, right before you get to those entrances, you'll see a sign stating that there are to be office buildings going up soon in Palmera. Holy .

I road bike north on Reagan a few times a week, and coming back into our neighborhood is always a leap of faith, trying to grind up that hill, keep an eye on my helmet mirror, and shoot the gap between traffic so I can go left. I've been in the area since '03, been riding that road the whole time, and remember when crossing the south branch of the San Gabriel, (the bridge right before that hill), required riding on a patch of blacktop that was laid across the river, so was either mostly high and dry in the summer, or covered with slippery moss. Fun times!

Here is a pic of my 40, parked at the entrance to RO on 3/25/12, when that entrance was nothing but a skinny path back into the woods. We moved in to the new shanty almost 4 years later, to the day.

 

That is a great pic.

Looking back at historical maps and much of these roads didn't exist 20 years ago. We have only been here about 5 years. The growth in that short time is incomprehensible and traffic is skyrocketing. I can't image the shock of some of the long time families in Liberty Hill and surrounding rural areas. Lots of changes. I get annoyed with the changes since I moved in and have to remind myself I am part of the problem. We are definitely feeling the squeeze and considering a relocation. Our neighborhood is feeling a bit cramped and it has a lot more growth to come.

You have a different mindset than I do if you are one of those shoulder bikers on Reagan. I am glad you try to be safe. I have seen many other riders not taking the situation as serious as they should. Not blaming all the bikes though. The texting drivers, speeding construction vehicles and swerving trailers are more than half the problem.

 

I wish someone would’ve told me this a week ago. My driveway and sidewalk are ice rinks. I never understood why driveways were cleared. Now I know.

 

Made it easy for me to get on and off. I didn't want to go out but traffic cams weren't working so I went out with the truck for a bit.

 

!st time experiencing snow and had to use my experience with hurricane type situations. After work on Saturday I went and bought supplies that didn't need that much heat to cook. Had plenty of water to last the week and maybe a few more days. Monday and Tuesday was nice and sunny so I shoveled only the decline of my driveway. Tuesday I found one guy who shovel his entire driveway plus part of the street. Made sense because Wednesday was when ice started forming and it made it harder for most to get up the driveway.

 

Sure would be nice if I could get my water back.

 

Ditto.

 

Ended up using a MaxTrax Pro to break up and “shovel” the ice in my driveway this morning. Front part of driveway, sidewalk, and front steps lose sun around noon, so I pushed it out and for the most part it has now melted. More importantly I can get into my truck without stepping on 2” of solid ice.
Note to self - buy a shovel.

 

Made it over to my sons. They have water (boil notice), but it felt great to take a hot shower. I filled up a bunch of five-gallon jugs for flushing duty.

Funny memories, when they built the big bridge over Brushy Creek. Parmer was a two-lane road, and I was asking my wife, "why the heck did they spend the money on that bridge?" Maybe 1995?

Does anyone remember when the low water bridge (near Sam Bass) got washed downstream? Concrete two-lane bride about 40' long and water moved it a 100' downstream.

My neighbor, Walter Yates, aka Yukon Yates, flew into Alaska to spend a year. He never said why, but I suspect PTSD from Marine Corps days (enlisted in November 1941) but needed time to think. Took an ax, chopped down trees, built a cabin. Most a humble guy, soft-spoken, but I suspect this last week would have been "ho-hum just a week without electricity, water, cold." He had a funny story about a Bear in the midst of his cabin building. The bear chased him on top of the rock and kept pacing below him for a few days. Finally, it got boring, and the Bear left him alone.

Well water or City Water? Broken pipe?

I scored PVC & fresh cement last night at Home Depot. Pressure relief out of stock until the end of the month.

My challenge is using my hands and "moving swiftly" when doing PVC.

 

I moved here from Beaverton, Oregon (just outside of Portland). Brought a flat-bladed shovel in my stuff, super handy for scraping ice. Heck of a good working out the two inches of ice.

The fun part was just taking out the trash.

 

City. No breaks we’re aware of. New(ish) house, all pex within the heating envelope.

City hasn’t been able to restore service this far southwest.

In line now at H‑E‑B. I knew I should have gotten here at 0630 like I wanted to (wife changed my alarm). Line is literally 300 yards long.

It’s like Tickle Me Elmo all over again.

 

Where are you located? How far SW?

 

Just turned on our main. No leaks detected. Gonna keep an eye on it while cleaning out the massive fire ant mound.