1,740.6 total trip miles
12.7 mph average
FF - 8
MP - sister-in-law Sue Heiden & family. She has always been willing to chart her own course in life with various careers, raising 4 successful children & moving out of the busy suburban life to a quiet place up north at a young age. She’s shown me that following “normal” paths in life isn’t necessary, or maybe even best.
For those of you expecting a blog post by 10 PM every day, I apologize. Yesterday was a long day - we are in tents - I knew we had a day off coming today so I could catch up & by the time we were done with dinner it was already under 40 degrees. So I put on 2 layers of clothes, crawled inside my sleeping bag, zipped it up all the way, covered my head & went to sleep. I am happy to report that I was warm & comfortable all night. I woke up this morning to clear skies so the sunshine is already warming things up nicely. Now to yesterday’s ride.
I knew it was going to be a long day, so I forced myself to get going early. It was another day of cold, so I had on all my layers. It was also another day of Texas Hill Country, which meant a lot of up & down. As I’ve mentioned before, my Cruzbike recumbent helps me in these conditions because I can get a lot of momentum on the downhill & unless it’s a really long uphill I don’t suffer quite as much as other riders climbing. It is still exhausting. I didn’t count, but there must have been 50 hills. It seemed like every time I turned a corner, another one appeared.
We also had a new road surface appear for the 1st time on this trip. The route clearly showed a right turn, but when I got there it was a dirt road. At first I wondered if it was right, but when I got on it, the surface was smooth, so I kept going. That lasted about 1/4 of a mile. Then it was filled with cracks & pot holes. This went on for about 5 miles & it was worst was when a car would go by resulting in a dust storm. Fortunately there were no real hills in this section. I spent the time deciding whether I preferred dirt road or hills. Answer is: I prefer hills & I was rewarded after the 5 miles with 30 miles of them.
It was really a day of 1st’s because we had a weather condition that I have never experienced on this trip, or even ever on a bike - hail! It wasn’t heavy or big, but it sounded like ping pong balls hitting my helmet. This happened 2 or 3 different times during the day. Our last check-in spot along the route was at a Dairy Queen, so of course I had a Blizzard to maintain the weather theme.
I have taken enough pictures of Texas Hill Country & wildflowers along the route, so I have stopped doing that, but I continue to stop & get a pic at every little green city sign. There were a record of 6 today. Sometimes there is a sign, but no real city. Here is an example of that.
I almost wish I would have taken more pictures of entrance gates to ranches. The variety is endless. I might have to make that a priority on a future trip. I do continue to stop at every historical marker. Here is an interesting one.
The riding day came to an interesting end. We have 43 riders of different capabilities. I estimate that about 10 of them decided they couldn’t finish the day, so they got a ride in one of the SAG vehicles. Some riders aren’t the strongest, but really put out extra effort to complete the day. Just before 6 PM, one of the staff called out “Join us at the driveway to welcome our last riders of the day.” Most everyone appeared to cheer them on. I felt the emotion of their accomplishment, and they appreciated the support.
I just realized that even though this post is late, it is probably the longest one I have written. Hope you have found it interesting. The place we are staying is a working ranch that welcomes bike riders to stay overnight. They have showers & laundry available. They also have an interesting sign with a couple of bikes welded above & below the sign.
Apparently they get a lot of riders doing the Coast 2 Coast route from San Diego to St Augustine because they give you the distances to each. Doesn’t quite match my odometer, but close enough!
WDYLT - ILT I have been dreaming more during this trip than any time in memory. As my family knows, I don’t remember my dreams, but I am always aware when I have been dreaming. I don’t know why I am dreaming more, but I find it interesting.