Austin to Bastrop, TX

57 miles

Brrrrr. The temp read 55 for most of the day, but it felt much colder then that as the rain kept coming down pretty much all day.

We took a circuitous route out of Austin that felt more like clues for a scavenger hunt then a cue sheet of riding instructions. The longest stretch of road was 5.9 miles.  For me, the constant need to navigate actually passes the time more quickly. Although the first 15 miles seemed to take forever.  We went through high end and working class neighborhoods, and eventually found ourselves on country roads again as we headed toward Bastrop.

it was so raw out that we did not stop for sightseeing or lunch. Several people stopped in at Mellow Johnny’s bike shop.

Arrived at the hotel early (for me) and was able to get laundry done and warm up. Staying at Hampton Inn tonight and it feels like a Ritz Carlton!   Ahhhhh

Near the end of the ride we saw more wildflowers and passed fields of blue bonnets. My hands were freezing so I did not get any blue bonnet pics. Sorry

but I did get pics of how wet and dirty of a day it was!   Hoping my shoes dry!

Fredericksburg to Austin, TX

78 miles of hills, hills, hills. Did I mention the hills?

Enjoyed a wonderful rest day in Fredericksburg.   Thank you to Sheryl J for traveling to Texas for a great visit.  The best part of rest day was enjoying a pitcher of Mango Margarita’s and enjoying the day!

Leaving Fredericksburg, we were told that we would have more of the same leaving Hill Country.. and that would be hills.   At some point, I will admit, that I thought we would be beyond them – but that did not happen today.   The day was chilly and overcast – and I could not get warm all day . Brrr.   At dinner tonight, I was told that we climbed a total of 4500 feet – that’s a lot of continuous ups and downs!    As I looked around the dinner table, everyone looked exhausted — we were not expecting such a tough day.

It was tough, but very enjoyable.   Early on we were treated to miles and miles of springtime wildflowers all starting to bloom!   Blankets of Texas Blue Bonnets lined the  roadside.  The colors were so vibrant – even in the gray overcast sky – I can only imagine how robust they look with a sliver of bright sun.  Mixed among the blue bonnets were several other wildflowers – yellows, whites, corals, pink!   I was struck by the contrast of the spring wildflowers, and the prickly pear cactus that continues to dot the landscape.   For some reason  all  I could think about as I looked at the prickly pear and wildflower mix was that even in nature opposites attract!

We continued to roll by many ranches- The ranches often have elaborate gates that mark their  entrances.  I thought of my Dad quite a bit today, as these gates are often crafted out of wrought iron.  Many have ornate ornamental iron work, and others are more functional.

Saw our first Longhorn cattle today!  I found one that was ready for a photo op!

And finally, a shout out to my nephews who love waffles!  Here in Texas, we get Texas shaped waffles for breakfast

Vanderpool to Fredericksburg, TX

80 miles

Last night we stayed at a cute place, Fox Fire Cabins — the group was spread out in many cabins and houses on the property. We were the only guests there.  The property ran along a river – and was very quiet and remote  (hmmm, much like many of the other place we have been through!)     The day started with a 1.25 mile 8% climb out of Vanderpool at mile 2.  Nothing like waking up your legs by getting right into a climb.   The weather forecast overcast with a 30% chance of showers.  The air was heavy with moisture, but it never did rain — which I am grateful about.   The last few days we have had overcast weather, which makes me happy, as it keeps the sun from toasting you all day.  The sun did appear later in the afternoon, but by then we were almost finished.

Mile 20-40 was really enjoyable.  We crisscrossed the Guadalupe river 11+ times.  We caught on quickly that the downhill meant we would be crossing the river, and shortly after we would wind around and climb back up.  A bit later we rolled along the river as it was to our right.  The area reminded me a bit of Weirs Beach area of NH – as it had lots of cabins, cottages and vacation resorts all along the river.  It looked like a great place  to spend a hot day.   Spring was also blooming all around us, as trees and flowers were springing to life.

We moved further along and officially entered Texas Hill Country.  Many miles of rolling hills and valleys passed before us.   The term “rollers’ is used to describe many of the hills  – the kind that you power down, so that your momentum carries you up to the top.  Many of them were rollers, but there were also a few steeper hills that still required us to pedal up!

The last 25 miles had us riding through unmarked country roads, that made you feel as though you were on private roads.  We pedaled through ranch after ranch after ranch, country road, after country road….  We saw several signs for Loose Livestock – and we did come upon a few stray cattle on our side of the fence!  They just looked at us with disinterest.   We passed quite a few calves, goats and a herding dog.

It was long, but an enjoyable ride.   New to the roadkill collection was an Armadillo!  I have not caught sight of any live ones, but will keep my eye  out.

Drove by a home that had it’s fence posts (on both sides of the road) decorated with boots – of all kinds.  Picture does not do it justices – but it was whimsical and fun.

My cycling buddy, Tanya met with another flat tire – so we did a quick change (we are getting good at this..) and off we went.   During our flat changing time out – every car (5)  that went by us, stopped to ask if we were okay or if we needed help.   I am impressed with the kindness of the the many people that we have met.

I had pictures on my cell phone, unfortunately, it has decided to stop working entirely. Have a replacement on the way (Shout out to Tim! Thanks for your help!!)

Enjoy a very relaxing rest day in Fredericksburg — great place to stroll around with lots of shops and restaurants. With Sheryl here – we did errands in the car!! What a treat.

Enjoyed a great lunch with a pitcher of Mango Margarita’s (not sure if they are on my riding diet.. we shall see tomorrow).  And dinner was great with Tanya and Sheryl.  Thank you Tanya and Ted!

Heading to Austin in the morning – 78 mile day!

Camp Wood to Vanderpool, TX

38 miles

Today is day 6 out of a 7 day stretch. Today and tomorrow were expected to be tough. Today because we had a series of steep climbs, and tomorrow as it combines a longer climb and longer mileage.   Today’s ride was wet and foggy. First day that we had precipitation.  As we climbed higher we experienced a bit of foggy mist which reduced visibility to less than a quarter mile. This is a good news, bad news situation.  The good news is that we could not always see when the climb started, or how steep it may be.  The bad news is the random car traveling down the road could barely see us. I was following behind one of our riders, and could hardly see her blinkie light.

So, for those that assume Texas is flat, tis not so.   We are officially in Texas Hill Country.  We are moving away from the desert and only the prickly pear cactus remains.  The landscape has become more lush, trees are blooming, grass, and many more shrubs.  As mentioned yesterday, the humidity has also increased.

There have been quite a few deer sightings -both dead and alive.  Two small groups of deer ran across the road, and one group had several babies.  Unfortunately, there have also been dozens of dead deer on the side of the road. Looks like they do not pick them up if they are hit.  Yuck

Enjoying a bit of home for the next few days, as my friend Sheryl J has flown out to spend my off day with me.  She was able to find her way from Austin to Vanderpool,which is not even on the map!

Today was a hard day, but I do feel that I am getting stronger, and the climbs did not totally wipe me out.   Finally, I got a bit of “that power. “.

Day 25 – Del Rio (aka Hell Rio) to Bracketville. 43 miles

Day 26 – Brackettville to Camp Wood  49 miles

Quick blog post tonight as my Ipad charger has decided to not be compatible with my IPad.   Have just a little juice, but may be offline for a few days until my replacement charger is delivered in Fredericksburg.

The last two days have been considered “recovery days”. Which is kind of funny as we are still pedaling like crazy.   The chip seal pavement makes the ride seem so much more difficult than it is, because the surface is so rough that you are vibrating and rattling the entire way.  It forces you to try and hold on loosely to give your wrists a break, yet you can not hold into loosely as you can hit a bump and go awry.

The most fascinating moment came when we left Del Rio yesterday, it was if we went thru an invisible curtain that left the dry arid air behind us and within a few mils we were enveloped into the humidity.  I think I will need to adjust to that, I prefer the dry air to the humidity any day!

We pedaled past many ranches that were quite expansive.  Large head of Angus cattle grazed along side flocks of sheep and goats.  One ranch that was for sale had over 1600 acres.  Hard for me to imagine running that sort of operation.

Another note about the 110 mile day, I mentioned previously that only 5 completed the ride that day, however a group of 5 went out early yesterday and finished the route where they had left off. They were only about 10 miles short.  These women are determined to ride every mile.

Tomorrow will be another challenging day, as we enter Texas Hill country and have several climbs.

I will be back as soon as I receive my charger!  And will add pics.   Darn, technology.