Texas
Texas has been a state full of surprises. I spent nine days in the state and visited three major cities. This state is massive, and I’ve barely scratched the surface. As far as Pink Tag goes, it’s been a very successful journey, with my bags now being sold in three shops spread across all three cities I visited.
Houston
I’m so happy with Houston. Coming into Texas, I had no idea what to expect, and from the moment I landed in the city, it was nonstop amazing! I went straight from the train to Eado Bike Co.. The folks there were so friendly, and I’m really excited to now have my bags available in their store.
I don’t plan much when I travel, mostly taking things day by day. The only thing I had planned for Houston was the Coffee and Bikes ride that Saturday, but after chatting with the people at Eado, I learned about the Cemetery Gates Ride, hosted by the East End Bike Ride group. It turns out this is one of the biggest rides of the year in Houston, and you can read all about it HERE. Another huge surprise was that two people on the ride actually recognized me and knew who I was! That felt insane.
I arrived early for Coffee and Bikes, and after some fresh caffeine, I started chatting and meeting people. I have to say, Houston has one of the friendliest bike scenes I’ve ever experienced. If you haven’t yet watched the video, I highly recommend you do as am quit proud of it, you can watch it HERE. Due to train schedules, I needed to stay an extra day to catch the next train back to San Antonio. I was totally happy with this, as my new friend Angie offered her home to me. I spent the extra day at an art museum and finally tried the Tex-Mex I’d always heard so much about. With so many great people and rides, Houston is definitely a place I plan to visit again.
San Antonio
There’s a transfer from the Sunset Limited train to the Texas Eagle in San Antonio on the way to Austin, and the city came highly recommended by one of the Amtrak workers and some folks in Houston. Given how amazing Houston was, I was excited to explore more of Texas. I stopped into a shop called Level Up Bikes, which is also half retro video game store, and they were happy to carry Pink Tag Bags. From there, I cruised around before checking out the Tuesday Night Social Ride (write-up coming soon). This ride and city had a diverse mix of people, but it also had more of the Texas feel I expected—some people were very friendly, while others weren’t interested in engaging or even making eye contact.
I originally planned to stay for just one day, but I extended my visit when I learned that the next day, a group called San Antonio Babes on Bikes was hosting a bicycle race underneath one of the freeways. I was so excited to learn about a woman-led bike group in San Antonio that I just had to stay and check it out. A video and full write-up of this will be coming soon as well. I also got to meet another local bag maker, Natalie of Bread Bags.
Austin
The "Portland of Texas." I was excited to visit Austin, back when I was planning to move out of California, I seriously considered this city. This was my first time visiting, and I also used Warmshowers for the first time, a website where people offer their homes to bike travelers for free. I stayed with a lovely couple, one of whom is an artist who makes models of insects and other items out of cardboard. They were so friendly and welcoming, and I’m so grateful to have stayed with them and listen to their bike travel stories.
My good friend Brian also happened to be in town, so we grabbed breakfast and caught up. Brian the second person to buy a Pink Tag Bag, even before it was officially labeled as a PTB. Austin hosts a Thursday Night Social Ride, which I attended and filmed, but I broke off at the halfway point as I wasn’t feeling it that night.
I stopped into two shops while in town. The first, Dogspeed Cycles, now carries my bags. The second, East Side Pedal Pushers, was a stop just to say hello. They expressed interest in selling my bags, but I told Dogspeed that I’m limiting my sales to one shop per city. I want to build strong relationships with my dealers, as I value the connections I make with people as a small business owner. I did mention to East Side that if they get Dogspeed’s blessing, I’d be happy to sell to them as well. So we’ll see! :)
Overall, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by Texas. It’s been a long nine days, and I’m currently on the train to Little Rock, Arkansas. After visiting three cities, participating in multiple social rides, and constantly working, I am exhausted. I have two days in Arkansas, and while I plan to do some bike work, I also intend to take it easy—spending time in parks, museums, and just riding around. I’m looking forward to some rest before my time in St. Louis.
