On March 28, a cold and blustery Saturday morning, interns from the Capitol Intern Program, sponsored by Senator Rodney Ellis, arrived at the BikeTexas office at 8:30 a.m., excited and ready for their journey to the LBJ Ranch. The interns had been invited to participate in a low-key, 10-mile bike ride around the ranch organized by BikeTexas.
Upon arriving at the ranch, the group checked out the visitor’s center and a working farm on the park land while BikeTexas staff readied our fleet of bikes for the ride. After a windblown picnic lunch and a bike and helmet fitting, we were ready to roll!
Fortunately the weather improved as we began our ride. Though it was a little early for wildflowers, we did see plenty of cattle as we meandered over the ranch roads, and even had to shoo them out of our path! Equally exciting, though a bit more rare to see, was a (live) armadillo in the meadow, sniffing the air on his hind legs.
Once we got to the show barn, we had the great fortune to run into Luci Baines Johnson, who had just finished riding the LBJ 100 Bicycle Tour. She was charming and gracious as she effusively expressed her appreciation for the interns’ interest in public service, and told us some great stories about her dad.
Some of the riders had not been on bike since they were kids, and though a few ended up walking the home stretch, everyone had a great time and was proud of their accomplishment in completing the ride.