Day 27 - Concan, TX to Kerrville, TX

71.7 miles today
1,469.7 total trip miles
13.1 mph average
2,214’ climbing
FF - 5
MP - Bishop Jeff Haines - he was my pastor at St Frances Cabrini Parish at a time when I was very involved in youth ministry & as Trustee-Treasurer of the Parish.  He also encouraged me to get involved with Southeast Wisconsin Common Ground.  A great spiritual leader who has helped enrich my relationship with God.

After our much appreciated day off, we got up to a foggy, misty morning, but at least there was a tailwind for part of the day.  We are now in Texas Hill Country, which is beautiful & much greener than the desert we had been in.  There are many game ranches here with 8’ high fences to keep the prey within their boundaries.  Hunters apparently pay big money to come to the ranch for a hunt.  I personally didn’t see anything but a steer & I doubt anyone wants to hunt him.  The roads are full of rolling hills.

This picture gives you an idea, but many hills are even steeper.  The nice thing is that if there is a downhill before the uphill, I can sometimes get enough momentum to climb without a lot of effort.  There were a couple of surprise steep uphills without an advance downhill that made me work harder than normal, but I pedaled them all.

I keep getting lots of questions at the end of a day about how my recumbent is handling the terrain.  I have a real advantage downhill, but it is harder for me to climb.  Today I was playing leap frog with another rider.  He would pass me going up a hill & I would glide past him on the downhill.  This went on for half an hour.  In the end when discussing why I ride the recumbent with other riders, I emphasize that the main thing for me is comfort.  I don't experience pain in the back, neck, wrists or butt that many upright riders do.  

We did reach an important milestone today - 1/2 way across America.  The designated spot is at something called the boot fence.  You can see boots hanging on the posts in the background.  The halfway point is marked with pink arrows on the road.

This achievement was celebrated at dinner tonight with steak & lobster!

I did have the 1st casualty among my possessions.  My favorite blue soft suitcase with lots of pockets all around got me back & forth to Ghana, Mexico & Switzerland, but couldn’t make it across the USA.  Fortunately Amazon offers 2 day shipping if you are a Prime member & lots of my kids are. So I started calling them late last week & Laurie was the 1st to answer.  I had a replacement shipped to our rest day location.  Lots of miles on this old one, but it was time to move on.

WDYLT - ILT Kerrville, TX has a really nice paved bike trail along the Guadalupe River that we rode for about 5 miles today.  Similar to the trails in Tucson, but smoother & less confusing.  Didn’t get lost even once.

Day 25 - Bracketville, TX to Concan, TX

74 miles today
1,398 total trip miles
11.8 mph average
2,431’ climbing
FF - 5
MP - my in-laws Don (RIP) & Marie Prom.  He was always easy to talk to - calm & thoughtful. Helped feed my interest in becoming a business owner & especially exposed me to working at trade shows (one of my joys in business).  She has always had more energy than any 3 other people - raised 9 children & helped run multiple businesses they were involved in.

The headwinds return!  The day started out overcast, which was fine, but a persistent 15+ mph headwind caused most riders trouble.  I was again passing folks that I usually get passed by.  After lunch we turned north, so the wind was less of an issue, but we entered Texas Hill Country, so most of our climbing happened then.  Some riders thought today was the hardest day of the trip so far, but it seemed average to me.  We are out of the desert, but we are in farm country, with lots of fields already growing grain.  We also are seeing more flowers along the road.

I have noticed something interesting in the last week or so regarding biking styles of different riders. Some sit up straight on their seat & pedal at a consistent slow pace.  Some actually sit crooked on their seat, almost like they are leaning to one side.  One rider wobbles back & forth with every pedal stroke. The really strong riders have their head down with a fast & consistent cadence (I only see them from behind after they pass me).  It also seems like the same riders leave camp early.  They are often the strong riders who I rarely see on the road.  There are some couples who pretty much stay together all day, with the faster rider hanging back & waiting for the slower one.  There is one couple riding a tandem.

What about me?  I usually am one of the last to leave camp (mornings are not my best time of day). There is one friend that I play leap frog with many days.  He usually leaves a little sooner than me, but I ride faster, so I pass him.  When I get to a rest stop or lunch, I take my time.  He comes in after me, but usually leaves the stop before me.  When I do get back on the bike, I pass him again. Depending on the day, we usually arrive at the destination within minutes of each other.

The other thing I notice is that almost every rider starts & stops pedaling a lot.  Ruth taught me that it is more efficient to just keep pedaling, even if you have to move to a lower gear.  I’m surprised more bikers don’t do that.

WDYLT - ILT on our off day tomorrow, we have an opportunity to float down the river near our camp in an inner tube.  Weather looks good, so it should be fun.

Day 24 - Comstock, TX to Bracketville, TX

76 miles today
1,324 total trip miles
13.5 mph average
1,361’ climbing
FF - 4
MP - Ray Brill (RIP) - a good friend since we were in 1st grade together.  Usually the smartest person in the room, but he didn’t believe it.  Music connoisseur who helped form my taste in music.  I miss him a lot.

Today started out cloudy with a slight mist, but warm enought to not be uncomfortable.  A couple of long, shallow climbs that I don’t mind.  The historical marker tour continues.  Here is an example of what I see.

I also am attempting to take a picture of every sign at the entrance to a city.  My favorites are the little green ones like this.

I have to admit that I have missed a few where it wasn’t safe to stop & take a picture, but so far there are about 20 in my collection.  Think I’ll make a collage when the trip is over.

One more long day of riding before a rest day.  Everyone is ready for that.

WDYLT - ILT the British parliament has voted to take authority away from the Prime Minister regarding the Brexit process.  I find that whole situation very interesting.  Doesn’t seem to me that there is going to be a good ending for England.

Day 23 - Sanderson, TX to Comstock, TX

85 miles today
1,248 total trip miles
13.4 mph average
2,434’ climbing
FF - 6
MP - sister-in-law Cindy Nickels & family.  She is always interested in what is going on in your life & it makes me feel important when she asks about what I'm up to.

Today was Historical Marker day.  I try to stop at every one, read it & take a picture.  Texas has a bunch of them.  Sometimes they even have a sign saying “Historical Marker 1 mile”, but then there isn’t one.  Can’t explain that.  The ride was tougher than I expected today, not because of the mileage (even though it was one of our longest days), or because of the amount of climbing (which was one of the biggest number of feet).  For me it has to do with how steep the hills are.  A short steep one I can handle no problem, but long & steep wears me out.  Glad to say I pedaled them all today & there were some nice downhills to balance out the climbs.  The terrain has changed.  No more mountains in the background like we’ve had for the past week or two.  And more vegetation, so there must be better soil & water supply.  We crossed the Pecos River & there was a nice overlook I got a picture from.  If you look closely, you will see a couple of bikers on the bridge.

Looking the other direction from the bridge I could see how the river carved out its passage in the rock, so I put my bike in front of it & took this picture.

I had the most unusual experience of the trip so far, & I doubt that anything more unusual will happen.  I arrived in camp about 4 PM, emptied out the bag on the back of my bike, took a shower, had dinner & attended the daily rider meeting.  About 7 PM, I was back at my tent getting ready for the next day’s ride.  I opened my bike bag, which was closed but not zipped.  Look what I found.

A pretty completely formed bird's nest!

WDYLT - ILT the birds at Seminole Canyon State Park are very industrious!

Day 22 - Marathon, TX to Sanderson, TX

57.5 miles today
1,163 total miles
16.7 mph average
452’ climbing
FF - 2
MP - the Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative family - I am grateful for the staff, the Board of Directors & the membership of this organization that has been an important part of my life for the past 7 years.  We have succeeded in the face of many obstacles put before us & I have learned much through the experience.

Today was pretty much an ideal day for the 2019 C2C trip.  Sunshine, pleasant temperatures once the sun got working, lots of downhills, easy mileage.  We all felt we had earned this after many of our previous efforts.  The terrain continues to intrigue me.

Just a few miles earlier I had read a historical marker that discussed how the hills in this area were formed by earthquakes, but if this doesn’t look like a volcano, I don’t know what does.

I find it interesting that very few serious bikers use a kickstand.  I've noticed that on a couple of different trips I have done.  Here is a picture of one of our rest stops.  My bike is the only one upright. Everyone else just lays the bike down on the ground if there isn’t a building or fence post to lean it against.

Yesterday was an off day & we took a trip to Big Bend National Park.  We didn’t bike there so this really isn’t part of the actual bike trip, but I have to include this picture of a prickly pear cactus in full bloom.  I never imagined it could be so colorful!

WDYLT - ILT we have met probably 10 different bikers who are touring the country carrying all their gear with them.  Today we met 2 ER doctors from England who are trying to set a record for biking around the world in the least number of days.  Bubba always invites these bikers to eat & stay with us & they have great stories. 

Day 20 - Marfa, TX to Marathon, TX

58.5 miles today
1,105.5 miles total
12.7 mph average
921’ climbing
FF - 3
MP - Jamie Waters & family.  We have been friends since high school.  He convinced me, while still in high school, that to make a good decision about what to believe regarding politics, religion & life in general that it is important to study what all sides of an issue say, not just what you think you believe.  He also taught me to play ping pong reasonably well.

Today was a good day to be on the bike (I love it when I can say that).  We had some hills, but not too many & not too steep.  We had some wind, but not too strong & not always a headwind.  We had a relatively short distance to go.  All made for nice riding.  The terrain is changing a bit.  We still have some mountains in the background, but the vegetation seems to be getting greener & bigger.

You may remember the Prada store from yesterday.  Well Target is not to be outdone, although this isn’t quite as deluxe.  No door at all & holes in the wall & graffiti painted inside.

Probably the most interesting event of the day was when we arrived at camp & I removed my helmet.  Everyone agrees I have the best “helmet hair” ever.

Tomorrow is an off day, and we have the opportunity to go see Big Bend National Park.

WDYLT - ILT in Marathon, TX there is a residential area that has about 20 eclectic, DIY built homes with some of the strangest architecture I have ever seen.  Word is that you can rent a home there on AirBnB.  Check it out.

Day 19 - Van Horn, TX to Marfa, TX

75.2 miles today
1,047 total trip miles
11.8 mph average
1,210’ climbing
FF - 6
MP - Sandy Horwitt, friend & author.  When he was studying the development of Southeast Wisconsin Common Ground, we had many discussions.  I always found his questions to be thought provoking, helping me vocalize things I thought & believed.  It is good to be challenged to do that.

The “wind” theme for the 2019 C2C trip continues.  The forecast last night was for 6 - 10 mph variable wind today.  Instead we got 15 - 25 mph wind, sometimes a cross wind, sometimes a headwind.  That made 75 miles a challenge for many.  Again, my recumbent helped me a lot & I was passing bikes that normally pass me.  It was a continuous climb for about 60 miles, but it wasn’t steep so the wind was a bigger problem.  The terrain was similar to what we’ve been seeing, but I did get a morning picture of shadows on the mountain that is kind of interesting.

And I never expected to find a Prada store on Hy 90 in rural Texas, but here it is.

It is actually an art project by the local community.  Built in 2005, inside are actual Prada products from that year, but the door doesn’t even open.

As we traveled along, we also saw a spy blimp along side the road.

Turns out that one of our riders was involved in building it.  For more information, see my WDYLT.

Overall, today was a pretty good day for me, but I agree with the crowd that we are due for more friendly weather.  Unfortunately the forecast is for headwinds again tomorrow. One more day of riding before a rest day. 

WDYLT - ILT the spy blimp we saw is for searching for low flying drug planes.  It is hooked to a tether & covers the area too low for normal radar to detect planes.  There are 3 or 4 of them along the southern border, including one in Florida.