TEXAS TEST FLIGHT - DAY 8

Ride report: 50.1  miles, 311.3 total miles, 16.1 mph avg, 3,840 calories, 2,635 ft climbing.

I'll get to the pictures later.  First this breaking news story...

Supplemental ride report.  HOLY CRAP!  Somewhere North of Utopia on 187 and before the intersection with TX 39 there lurks a monster.  It’s ugly, possessed of a soul of the darkest night and laughs at entreaties to the good Lord to make it go away.  I suspected it was there because the small river I was following was increasingly headed toward the hills with no apparent way out - and it was getting smaller as I pedaled against the flow.  Sure enough, I came around a corner and it hove into view - I just hung my head and laughed.  It measured out at about a mile of constant 10-11%.  There was a light drizzle and when I looked, I couldn’t see the top.  I consoled myself with the thought that eventually even Job’s miseries ended and calmed my rebelling legs with the thought that the reason I couldn’t see the top was because God himself had seen my abject misery and reached down to snatch the top of the hill off.  Such was not the case.  I know because I asked the two guys who were repelling down the opposite lanes as I pedaled up.  They said the top was up there “somewhere”.  God apparently never rode a bike. We now have something to discuss when we eventually meet.

The saving grace to the day was the Guadalupe River.  Once Delta and I hit the intersection of 187/39 the river was only a few miles away and we followed it (downhill) for 20ish miles all the way into Hunt, Tx.  It was really a beautiful ride.  The river was clear, flowing vigorously, and there were any number of nice homes to look at along the way.  There were also the obligatory "Private Property - No Trespassing" signs.  Hmmm...  Maybe God has ridden a bike to make today’s ride end like this.  But its a good thing Jesus came to the middle east - he couldn't have been baptized in a river in Texas.

When we reached town there was a Methodist Church with a (for Hunt) big parking lot right on the edge of town.  Susan had spotted it on Google Maps.  She was waiting for me.  We managed to talk to the guy who is in charge of the sound system. He texted the Minister who confirmed that we were welcome to stay.  We’ve a nice breeze, a field of Bluebonnets out front and abundant sunshine - the clouds broke late in the afternoon.

And lest I forget, one of my erstwhile readers (OK - its my brother-in-law Curtis, widely renowned as the family genius.  I'm pretty sure he was born speaking Latin.) tells me that the plant Delta inquired about a couple of days ago is an agave.  All I know is that they’re the (very) big brother of yuccas.

This is what  mile a of 10/11% does to ya.  The drizzle is apparent on my helmet and glasses.  Thank God for low temps and drizzle.  I can't imagine climbing that monster in 100+ degree sunshine - which I'm sure they get around here.

Just another gorgeous river shot.  There were no trespassing signs (again).  I just didn't include them.  They offend my egalitarian sensibilities.

Me - ruining a gorgeous river shot.

Delta!  Get out of the water.  Signs, signs. everywhere there's signs.  Do this, don't do that, can't you read the signs?

Texans are apparently serious about low water crossings - of which there are a ton.  And prolly for good reason.  I bet I see news stories at least a couple of times a year about people getting swept away in their cars down here.

Sometimes there's no getting around it - its just all about Delta...

Susan caught this pic of me coming into town as I passed the sign for the Methodist church.  Yes, I married a planner.

This one and the next are our home for the night.

And finally, today's Thin Blue Ride quiz.  What is this?  We found it just outside the local grocery store/gas station/restaurant/bank.  You have to be under 25 to participate.

Till next time.

TEXAS TEST FLIGHT - DAY 7

Ride report: 61.5  miles, 261.2 total miles, 15.1 mph avg, 4,938 calories, 3,714 ft climbing.

First, forgive the delay in posting.  Found out after leaving Bourne that once one actually enters Hill Country, Verizon's much touted network disappears.  I wondered why Google Maps stopped talking to me part way thru the trip.  Being directionally challenged, Susan is quite lucky that I showed up tonight.  At least that’s what I keep telling myself.  Her mileage may vary...

Speaking of Susan - she had a much better day today.  Yes, the poor soul was a bit off her feed when she made it to Boerne yesterday.  Turns out that the ninety minute trip from Kyle to Bourne was made without any breaks.  Breaks are apparently a big deal to Teamsters.  And when her truck stop buddies let her know that management (me) was taking advantage of her, she bought in.  So today I made sure she got plenty of breaks.  I managed this by feigning exhaustion at the top of hills when she passed me, thus encouraging her to stop and wait for me to give me a break.  This worked wonders.  Her demeanor has improved considerably and talk of a collective bargaining vote has gone by the wayside.

Fun fact of the day: top speed = 41 mph.  The fun fact of the day was immediately preceded by the Not-So-Fun fact of the day.  The steepest grade encountered: 16%. This is bad enough in its own right, but it was only part of what was about one mile stretch which varied between 10% on the low end and 16% on the upper end.  Cycling is like life - sometimes its painful and ya just grind it out.  And the SB’s were at their finest again today.  What looked like a relatively short, albeit steep climb went on endlessly.  This because the SBs had designed the highway to wrap around the hill thus obscuring the summit.  This is both demoralizing and...well...sadistic.  Hence the acronym.

Oh - and I curse Accu-Weather - see previous discussion concerning their misapplication of the term “Accu”.  A pox on them unto the 10th generation.  A little biblical vengeance terminology there...  The anticipated SSE slight tail wind was SSW at prolly 15-20.  Where I come from we call that a headwind.  And at times it was pretty much a full bore headwind.  Curse them all.

Took a TON of pics today and won’t bore the reader with them all.  Suffice it to say that I saw a number of things uniquely “Texas” today.  But the big thing was hills - lots of them.  Big ones, little ones, series of them, stand alone ones, picturesque ones (I could notice these when I stopped at the top to take a break), boring ones (any uphill stretch constitutes a boring hill as I just keep my head down and grind), you get the picture.  I came to several conclusions concerning hills.  First, they look better from a distance.  Second, when one is put upon by them, they all look the same - remarkably like the shoulder of a Texas highway - at least that’s all I see with my head down.  Third, I wondered why when the good Lord suffered glaciers to scour the planet some, what 12,000 years a ago, he didn’t let them poke their noses into Hill Country and take the tops of some of these evil monsters.  Fourth, in terms of the time it takes to move from one side of a hill to the other, 75% of said time sucks and only 25% is fun.  I’m working on a mathematical formula for this...

So, anyway - on with the pics...

Delta has determined that a "fallen" rock sign means hills.  I'm curious why Texas warns me about the ones that have already fallen.  In Kansas we warn people about "falling" rocks.  Seems to me that the active ones are much more dangerous.

Delta now thinks that they have a slower class of horse around here...

And lest we forget, this is what makes Texas great.  Or at least what helps them pay for all the chip seal highways.

Or maybe it was this.  Yes - you're seeing a cross covered with deer antlers.  I don't even know what to make of the theological implications...

I KNEW IT!  A Cadillac with horns.  Fortunately, this one was behind a fence and even if it had seen my comments concerning Texans he couldn't get to me.

OK - this was just pretty.  However, Texans are proud of their property.  The sign over my left shoulder threatens trespassers with unspeakable atrocities should they deign to dip their toes in someone else's river.

Delta thought this one was appropriate.  About a half mile down the road five of the sign's deer buddies came across the road in front of us.  The last one stopped dead in the center of our lane looking at me.  He ignored the car approaching from the other direction.  Apparently Texas deer see cars constantly - bikers - not so much. I whooped a couple of times and the thing jumped from the center of my lane across the ditch and cleared the 5 strand barb wire fence on the far side of the ditch.  Amazing.

Ah yes - proof that I've been to Utopia.

Till next time.

TEXAS TEST FLIGHT - DAY 6

Ride report: 58.0 miles; 199.7 total miles; 16.3 mph avg; 4717 calories; 3084 ft climbing.  As you can see by that last figure, there were some hills today.  This is good as this is why I wanted to come here.  I figure all the hills will be good for me when it comes time for the Trans-Am in June. 

While the wildflowers weren't quite as abundant today, they were still around - and I got a couple of pics of the better "bunches".

I also went thru Gruene, TX today - a great little town with a historic downtown.  I stopped briefly to get some water from what was, by all appearances, an old mercantile store pretty much set up as one - with some modern conveniences as well.  There were antique shops, all that sort of stuff.  And it really was quite scenic.  It's apparently also on the Texas Historical Commission's list.  At least this time everyone didn't pick up and move like the last marker I took a photo of...

Curiously, I've determined that Texans are also a religious lot.  Ya can't swing a dead cat (apologies to cat lovers) without hitting a Southern Baptist church in these parts.  Nothing wrong with that, I'm a believer myself.  Its just that in Kansas we don't put up signs.  I'm trying to figure out whether Texans are advertising or trying to warn those not so inclined.  I may report further on this matter in the future.

There were also some beautiful homes on the route I took today.  This one, for example.  I'm pretty sure its new construction, but it certainly looks like a turn of the century (or earlier) native stone house.  I love the gnarly tree off to the right side.  It looks to me like what we call a burr oak in Kansas but I could be way off base.  Not enough leaves yet to make an accurate assessment.

Delta and I did encounter one other curious sign.  Being new to the world, he is (of course) still learning.  He expressed surprise that people would ride something snarky that eats money and poops attitude.  I remained silent, but it certainly reminded me a lot of a certain snarky, carbon fiber steed I know.  I shall say no more just in case Delta learns to read.

We also came across a particularly scenic spot.  People here know where to build a house - right along the edge of a bluff with a great view.  And yes - the road drops away just past the guard rail.  It was a blast.  Unfortunately I've ridden enough that on the way down I was already anticipating paying the piper to get up out of that hole.  And a hole it was.  I think coming up out of there was the steepest grade I saw today.  10.3% according to Garmin.

And a close up, just in case...

And as we were within maybe 8 miles of the finish line we suddenly encountered a TON of big houses, fresh asphalt, and no cars.  Biker paradise.  Apparently people with a LOT of money can afford really good roads for no one to drive on.  There was even this...

The guy in the picture had about a billion balls on the chipping green and as I went past he was hitting them all off the green to do it all over again.  Hmmm, costs a lot of money, great exercise (if ya walk) and no snarky companion.   Hmmm...

And finally, Susan's foray to RV Land was a not inexpensive proposition.  But for the piddling sum of around $900 we now have warm water and a dry storage bin under the RV.  Turns out that the heater had rusted out around the cold water inlet.  Susan reports that the folks at RV Land were all very pleasant and easy to work with.  I would be too for $900.  I might even let ya call me names for that much, but that's just me.

Until next time.

TEXAS TEST FLIGHT - DAY 5

Ride report: 54.2 miles; 141.7 total miles; 17.5 mph avg; 4191 calories; 1834 ft climbing (interestingly, exactly the same climbing data as yesterday)

Greetings and salutations veteran readers.  Short blog today because we’re “boondocking” (stopped with no electrical or water hook-ups) in the Wal-Mart parking lot in San Marcos, TX.  Hey - its free and we’re on a fixed income now by golly.

It was a good, if difficult ride today.  The SB’s (my new acronym for the sadistic bastards at Texas DOT) saw fit to chip seal probably 48-50 of the total miles today.  Interspersed with the occasional 500 yard section of smooth pavement.  Oh - there was one 1.5 mile section of good pavement that got my hopes up, but alas it was not to be.  Delta and I did see some interesting sights today tho. The first stop of the day was just past Gonzales, TX where we pulled in to my old buddy The Lion King’s place unannounced. Unfortunately, he wasn’t home.  I’ve heard a re-make is in the works.  He was probably on location shooting.

The next stop was at about 31 miles for an early lunch.  It was only 1130, but I was hungry.  So into the  Buck-ee’s we went.  For those of you who are unfamiliar, its apparently a Texas chain of truck stops.  Susan found it.  So, here we are about to head into the Buck-ee’s with some of our best friends.  It was good.  Susan and I both had shredded brisket BBQ sandwiches.  She also insisted that I purchase a bag of chocolate chip cookies and as of this writing there is still one left.  Susan also got a chance to catch up with some of her truck stop buddies - at least I saw her chatting up the lady behind the counter just before we left with our sandwiches.  Susan mumbled something about, "You mean when we checked out." upon reading this part of the blog, but in the main she ignores my posts.  Better for both of us this way.  We weren’t there long, but it was a good break.

Somewhere along the route Delta and I were talking and we both had noticed that these Texans are quite fond of grand entrances to their “ranches”.  Never mind that some of them are rather affluent estates and some are hovels; a goodly number of them like to dress up the entrance to their property. This is the only one we saw that didn’t indicate it belonged to a particular ranch and there was no home visible.  Since it was just pasture as far as the eye could see, Delta suspects that the Texas cows are starting to get in on the act.

We also stumbled across this pitch for a local skydiving company.  Apparently they used the same consultant as the State of Texas.  Recall the "adult entertainment" business, the "Welcome to Texas" sign, and the dead motorists sign shortly after we entered the state a few days ago.  Not gonna generate a lot of business this way, one would think...

And finally, our home for the night.  Turns out we located ourselves on the opposite side of the trees from where the local Job Corps (they help disadvantaged kids get a high school degree and teach them a trade - we have one in Manhattan as well) parks to off-load buses full of kids between the ages of 16-24.  I know this because I stepped out to talk to one the staffers who travels with the kids on outings.  He told me they have something like 1,400 kids.  Good Lord!  Between the ages of 16-24?  That's gotta be like herding cats.  Nice guy.  Turns out he's proposing to his girlfriend at a yet undisclosed (to her) date.  But he let me in on the secret.  If she sees this and figures out that I know, just respond to the blog and we can talk.  But he's got it all planned out - you'll be impressed.

Oh yes -  a bit of bad news today.  Several days ago - after the rain in El-Dorado - we noticed one of our storage bays under the RV had about 3 inches of water in it. We both assumed it was storm related and checking the weather stripping on the compartment went on my list of things to do. However, when the water was back yesterday despite the fact that there was no significant rainfall, we knew we had another problem.  After a bit of sleuthing we determined that our water heater had sprung a leak.  Even worse, I was doomed to a cold shower tonight.  Sigh...  Anyway - we have an appointment to have it replaced at RV Land in Kyle, TX.  Its about 10 miles North of our route but right off I-35.  So, tomorrow's plan is for Susan to drop me off at my start point.  She will then take the rig back to RV Land for repair, then meet me at the RV Park where we have a reservation in Boerne, TX. More on how this all works out tomorrow.

Till next time.

TEXAS TEST FLIGHT - DAY 4

Ride summary: 60.1 miles; 87.5 total miles; 17.3 mph avg; 4537 calories; 1834 ft climbing

Today started out on the dreary side with a steady drizzle from the time I left Cedar Creek, TX.  I've ridden in some pretty heavy rain previously, but in keeping with the theory that I'm trying to mimic how I'd handle it on the Trans-Am, I elected to pull into a small (and I mean small) combination grocery store/gas station just outside Rockne, TX.  The people there were very nice and let me store my helmet and other accoutrements of the trade behind their counter while I waited out the rain.  A local gentleman hit me up about the rain messing with my ride and when I told him that I was here to see the flowers he went on about how his mama's hillside was covered with em this year.  I got a PHD level dissertation from a guy buying tomatoes at the grocery store concerning the vagaries of the wildflower season and why this year was a good one.  This was helpful, as the view from the front door of the store in the rain was depressing. The reader should note the two garbage trucks at the gas pump in the first photo and the "poop sucker" (also known as a septic cleaning truck) in the second.

However, things improved rapidly - and in short order.  When I went to pull out of the parking lot there was a bloom of wildflowers just around the corner from the store...

There were any number of wildflower blooms alongside the road today.  All of them worthy of pics, but I only stopped a few times.  Check out the samples below.  Sorry about the first one, Delta had to horn in on the act...

I believe I mentioned Rockne, TX earlier.  This historical marker was in the center of town.  It basically says that Rockne is a Catholic community and has been re-named several times.  Typically when a new bigwig shows up and opens a general store, donates land to build a new church after the first was burned down by an arsonist (seriously), or some other significant event in the life of a small, newly founded town.  Catholics apparently being an indecisive lot, they eventually let the school children from Sacred Heart School re-name it for the final time in 1931.  They chose to name it after legendary Notre Dame (where else?) football coach Knute Rockne, who had been killed in a plane crash.  I suspect the adults may have primed the pump.  All the schools I know that are named by kids are Dolphins, Mustangs, Eagles, or some other nondescript and politically inoffensive mascot.  Not dead football coaches.  Ever heard of Bear Bryant City or Switzerville?  Exactly.  Anyway - all this indecision warranted a historical marker.  And right next to the Catholic church...

I also stumbled across this gem.  Apparently the good people of Hopkinsville packed up lock stock and barrel in  1873 to move 5 miles South and found the town of Waelder.  This because the railroad had built a line there.  Texans appear to be curious mix of both fickle and indecisive, with wayward tendencies.

Oh - on the road into Shiner, Delta insisted on taking his picture with this plant.  Anyone know what its called?  I told him I'd ask.  Looks like a giant yucca plant.  This thing is prolly 6-7 feet tall.  The first person that says, "It's just a yucca plant, everything's bigger in Texas." will be fined by the internet.

Oh yes, he also insisted on vamping for this pic...

And since I'm in Texas and have the habit of occasionally discussing road conditions; after riding Peach Tree Road (who wouldn't - sounds glorious - no?) I not so reluctantly concluded that the Texas DOT (whatever they're called down here) employ the most sadistic people on the planet.  Far from glorious, Peach Tree Road (and its corollary Farm to Market Road 1296 - no, I'm not kidding about the name) were jointly the worst section of road I've ever had the misadventure to travel by bike.  Start with chip seal using rocks the size of marbles, throw in some ruts, the occasional sinkhole 4 feet deep (nope, not kidding - again), and pavement cracks that could eat the front wheel of my bike, and you get the picture.  Fortunately, I was able to get cell reception at the top of a hill and called Susan to warn her off traveling this route.

In the middle of this mess and just  as I was wondering what sadistic bastard had done this to me, came a stretch of new asphalt just North of Waelder.  Finally - FINALLY someone turned off the vibrating orbital sander that had become my saddle.  As a result, my butt (which was mostly numb by this time, thank God) started to un-clench  (Note: if you don't ride a bike you won't know precisely what I'm talking about, but as word pictures go I think it has merit.).  And then, two turns later the marble sized chip/seal resumed.  It lasted the rest of the way to Waelder.  My faith in sadistic bastards restored, I pedaled on to Waelder where Susan was waiting with the RV and lunch.  Being a health food fanatic, lunch consisted of chocolate chip cookie dough and a PB&J.  I married the right gal.  Perfect. (Upon further review, Susan denies responsibility for this lunch.)

After Moulton, TX, I had a nice 10-11 mile leg to Shiner on Texas 95.  (Fairly) new pavement, 6 foot wide shoulder, (very) slight tailwind.  In a word, fun.  And as icing on the cake, I called the Shiner PD to inquire about parking the RV in town.  They very politely told me they had strict rules prohibiting that, but that they also had an RV parking area in their City Park with full hook-ups for the grand sum of $20.  Sold.  We were further impressed when we got there. A pond with ducks, a Martin roost with space for probably 40 growing Purple Martin families, and wild flowers blooming like mad just across the street.  See below... 

Till next time.

TEXAS TEST FLIGHT - DAY 3

Ride report: None - this was planned as a travel day.

Today started bright and early from the parking lot of Tio’s.  The night went pretty well, although there was this one truck.  You know the kind: diesel, exhaust pipe bigger than the cylinder bore, small skinny driver - it roared past at 0-un-godly-thirty in the morning causing Susan to mumble something like, “Grow up and go home.”  But all in all a decent night’s sleep.  Good thing because today was planned for a little over 350 miles - we were wheels-up at 0900.

We made it to Oklahoma City in good time, though I must digress here and talk a bit about Oklahoma’s contribution to the interstate highway system.  By all appearances they recruit fired county road employees to chip and seal most of it.  There were some decent stretches, but by and large, not so good.  There was a particularly scenic part of the state that Susan and I both enjoyed.  Big hills, excellent vistas.  The state of Oklahoma thought enough of the view to install a “scenic view” sign alerting passing motorists to the majestic scene.  I was particularly enamored of the wind turbine generators scattered all about the top of the largest hill where the “scenic view” pull-out was located. I’ll say no more...

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Oklahoma City - they don’t build em that tall in Manhattan!  Oklahomans can be proud.

Apparently they’re also quite proud of their ham sandwiches. We musta seen half a dozen of these.  They had a dreary effect on the surrounding countryside tho.  Note the drab colors.

Oh - and Oklahoma also had a lot of these...

It took some doing since Susan was driving, but I managed to keep her on I-35.  I was afraid she’d burn out the bearing on a slot machine and then we’d have to pay for it.

And before long, as if transported on a magical carpet ride, we were in Texas. I’m not gonna say a lot.  I’m just gonna show ya the first three pics I took as we entered the state...

Ya can't make this stuff up. This was in the first two or three minutes of entering the state. I'm thinking maybe someone at the Texas Chamber of Commerce had ought to ask around a bit and see what they can do to improve Texas' first impression. Thankfully, we weren't 534 and 535...

We made it to our spot in the RV park at about 1700 and set up for the night.

Oh - for technical reasons I may fall behind in my blogs.  It seems that Blogger doesn't really like my i-Pad much and Susan's computer (due for replacement about two years ago isn't going to be available for the next few days.  Some computer issue related to Susan leaving the charging cable at home.  We're trying to find another, but the computer is old enough to make doing so difficult...

This also means that there may be more errors in this post than usual as I don't have much time before the battery dies, hence little in the way of editing.

Till next time.