Ride the Austin Veloway with this online video, May 25, 2006

I glued and bolted a camera mount to my bicycle helmet to take to the Veloway, and it worked quite well. I still have a problem with wind noise, the boat Alison made for the the top of the camera didn't help. The Austin Veloway is a 3.17 mile paved loop that is open to the public for bicycle and rollerblade traffic only. Pedestrians, joggers and dogs are not allowed, although snakes, deer and birds are fine. It is about 23 feet wide with two lanes, the right one for slower bicycles. The Veloway winds through typical central Texas Hill County, and is periodically reseeded with wildflowers and native grasses. Sometimes closed for special events, notice of which is posted at the entrance 10 days in advance. Call 512 974 6797 to reserve the veloway. The Veloway may be closed during times of excessive rainfall (not likely here in central Texas). Bicycle helmets are required by Austin city ordinance. This is a 28 MB file, on dialup you may need a couple hours to see the video, broadband highly recommended. You need the Flash plugin to see the video, click the play button to start. My camera picks up wind noise, so the downhill and upwind parts are pretty noisy. Directions to the Austin Veloway: Take Loop 1 south (MoPac), to get through the loop 360 and 71/290 interchange do not drive in the left lane, stay in the lane next to it. When the Loop 1 freeway ends in far south Austin, the first red light is Slaughter. 8 tenths of a mile farther at the second red light, turn left on Lacrosse, go 3 tenths of a mile on Lacrosse and the gravel parking lot for the Veloway will be on your left.

The Veloway is located near Bowie High School, Wildflower Park subdivision, the Wildflower Center, and the Circle C Ranch Metro Park. This is the second prickly pear I have found growing in the fork of a tree in central Texas. I always see something new on the Veloway, when I keep my eyes open.

This video was taken with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2. A $200 camera designed mainly for still photography, it will take a 30 minute video with sound if you have the 1 Gig memory card.

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