This week I have been taking a break from biking and have been exploring Texas by other modes -- foot, city bus, Greyhound, Amtrak, and a couple of short rides in relatives' cars.

I bused down from Austin to San Antonio Monday for a first-ever visit, and I'm writing this on the train from San Antonio to Fort Worth, where I'm going to visit my cousin who had a heart attack a couple of weeks ago -- just four days after my crash in New Mexico. Meanwhile, the bike is getting a minor tuneup and rear wheel trued at Bicycle Sports (bicyclesportshop.com ), a very large shop in Austin. I was impressed by the fact the shop has a full-time advocacy co-ordinator, Leslie Luciano, whom I met Saturday at the Green City Festival. See article at http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/07/14/bicycle-sport-shops-leslie-lucia...

I'll come back to Austin by train or bus to resume the bike tour to my final destination, Katy TX, on the outskirts of Houston.

As mentioned before, I really love the thriving bike culture in Austin, at least at this temperate time of year -- as well developed as almost any city in North America, except maybe Portland OR. At last I understand how Texas could produce a Lance Armstrong.

This is my third time touring in different parts of this state, and outside of Austin one hardly ever sees a single cyclist, or for that matter any pedestrians. Other cities such as Amarillo, Lubbock, San Angelo, San Antonio and Fort Worth are starting to create bike routes, including signage and marked lanes, but they have not achieved the "critical mass" point where cyclists feel safe and motorists expect to encounter bikes on the road.

Defensive riding is always a good idea, but Austin is probably the only U.S. city south of Denver where riders feel secure enough to aggressively take lanes, make left turns etc. I saw quite a few doing so, some safely (hand signals, helmets, lights) and also a disturbing number of helmetless, lightless Ninja warriors. A bike coalition successfully opposed a helmet law, on grounds it would discourage cycling, but I wonder about the wisdom of that.

At the Green City Festival, I also had a good visit with members of Austin Carsharing, currently about the same size as CATCO in Calgary, though heavily dependent on grants and donations. Daimler Chrysler has also recently announced a Smart Car pilot project in Austin modeled on the Paris bike program.

I also met up with cyclist and sustainability blogger Dragonfly Jenny (www.dfly.us ) and enjoyed some good food and music at the downtown Farmers Market. Big party with friends and relatives Saturday night, and hearty brunch Sunday at Enoteca, a fine restaurant on South Congress where my cousin Ian works. Sunday I explored some of the bike routes and pathways in Austin, including the big, beautiful bike/ped bridge over the river, and dropped off the bike at the shop.

With some help from Google Maps' "public transit" directions option, I got the right bus to Ian's house and yet another fine Mexican meal (chicken in red mole sauce). Both Austin and San Antonio had good bus networks, easy to navigate with Google Maps, but they will need to double to frequency of service to become truly convenient and increase ridership -- the usual chicken and egg problem with transit. Fares were very cheap, 75 cents in Austin and $1.10 in San Antonio, though transfers cost extra.

The great tourist draw in San Antonio is the Riverwalk -- a network of waterways (river and flood control canal) that has been developed since the 1940s into a tree-shaded linear park and entertainment venue. Water taxis carry visitors from place to place -- as close to Venice as you'll get in this big, mostly arid state; quite a change the high plains I traversed two weeks ago.

In addition to the amenities I've already seen there, including a great chili relleno at Los Barrios restaurant, another reason to return is the eight-mile bikeway, mostly along the river, to the historic missions. I only learned of this yesterday afternoon when it was too late to rent or borrow a bike, but it sounds like a perfect day trip. The other reason is the warm hospitality and stimulating conversation I enjoyed with some fairly distant relatives (cousins of a cousin-in-law) that I'd never met. Both lawyers, they have obviously done well; suffice it to say that their guest house by the pool was the opposite extreme to some of the $30 motel rooms where I've stayed on this trip.

The Amtrak "Texas Eagle" is slower than the Greyhound between the cities I'm visiting this week, and only runs once a day, but it is sure a lot more comfortable -- lots of leg room, you can walk around, and there's a snack bar (I initially typed "snack beer" which is true too) and dining car -- and significantly cheaper than the bus, especially at the over-62 fare: $25 San Antonio to Fort Worth compared to $19 for Greyhound just from Austin to San Antonio.