Sleep in late today and eat some leftover pizza for lunch. There's still so much! We plan our next couple of days then drive to a place called Barton Springs, which a bartender recommended last night. It's a freshwater spring that runs through Austin that has two little dams so it creates a natural pool with a twist; it's filled with weeds and algae and such and the ground is slimy and slippery. It's cool and gross at the same time. We cool off there for a while then drive to Austin's lake called Lady Bird Lake. Here we take the bartender's second recommendation and rent some stand up paddle boards for an hour. We paddle out to a little island and drag our boards up onto shore. On the island we find wooden swings in the trees, a fire pit, a big painting and a pogo stick. On a tree is a large painted sign proclaiming this Indico Island. Very cool hippie vibe to the place. We paddle back onto the lake and back to the dock to wrap up the hour. A good mix of relaxing, sunshine and exercise. We sit on the dock to dry off in the 102 degree heat. Then we drive to a BBQ place recommended by the same bartender last night called Iron Works BBQ. We get our fill of tasty BBQ and knock Texas BBQ off our list of things to eat.
Head back to the hotel to shower and change then walk to the Congress Street bridge to watch the flight of the bats. Each night at sunset, thousands of bats fly out of the trees surrounding the bridge and off into the night sky to feed. It was quite a sight and looked like the swarms of cedar waxwings back in Saskatchewan. Like thick black clouds in the sky. We walk up Congress Avenue which was also recommended but don't see any cool spots so we pop into a cafe and ask for recommendations. The barista is super helpful and he recommends we go to East 6th Street which is further down 6th where we were last night but past an interstate overpass. We walk over that way and the vibe is much sketchier but also cool and artsy. We stop at a little Mexican place called Papi Tino's for a beer, then begin a walking pub crawl. Up next we go to a rooftop patio at a place called the Brixton for a beer, then just up the street from there is this odd looking gothic-decorated bar that has old furniture, weird animals like boars and tapirs heads mounted on the wall and an old electric organ on display. Have a beer there and wander out the back door to the big open patio that also houses food trucks. Also backing on the patio is another bar, so we wander into it and there's a live band. We grab more beers and listen to this band that sound like The Smashing Pumpkins. Once their set finishes we grab some amazing pulled pork/avocado tacos from one of the food trucks out back then back in for another beer and to watch a new band.This band plays psychedelic rock and utilizes an overhead projector with various liquids poured onto it to form their lighting and backdrop display. Once they finish we wander further up the road and into a random bar. Here we load some songs on the jukebox, play pool and play a game of darts.Head back to the last venue for more food truck snacks and see most of the set of band #3. Satisfied with East 6th, we walk back to 6th and into the place we sang karaoke at last night. Turns out it isn't a karaoke bar but rather has one karaoke night per week. The same bartender is working and remembers us and she is thrilled that we took every one of her recommendations. She gives us free rounds of shots then another round of doubles. We all hang out chatting until the bar closes then Matt, Nick and I walk back to the hotel. Along the way a random Austin dude starts chatting with us and wanders most of the way back too until we part ways near the hotel. A full day and night of activities has tuckered us out and thus concludes the night.
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