Day 28: Friday 04/01/16, Kerrville, TX to Blanco, TX

 

I meant to add this picture to yesterday's post, so will start today's blog with it. I know that there are ranches that cater to paid hunters, but in an area we rode through that is known for paid hunting, this is the only sign I observed that was openly advertising for hunters.

 ****************************

Day 28 Blog: 

 

Day 28 distance: 61 miles

Total miles:  1552 miles

Elevation gain: 2430 feet

Map of today's ride:

 I will get the whining over immediately today. Today was a tough day of riding. I experienced driving rain, many rollers that were bigger than what I normally think of as rollers, and, once again, a very strong headwind, up to 25 mph at times. It was a cold day of riding, as when you ride with rain gear, the body sweats, and the sweat cannot escape. Then when there is a wind, the wind penetrates and chills your entire body. And the day never warmed up beyond the mid 50's. When we arrived at Blanco State Park for the night, it was still overcast and 57 degrees. I am going to be bundled up tonight as it poured during the night last night and everything in the tent is damp. I am glad I bought a blanket at the Del Rio Walmart to slip inside my sleeping bag!

With that said, it was a great day of riding! I think the scenery the past two days in Texas Hill Country has been the best of the trip so far.

Tomorrow is Day 29, the same day on the 2015 C2C ride where I laid my bicycle on its side, at 12 mph, to avoid colliding with another coaster. I ended up with a compound fracture of my right elbow that ended last year's ride. Tomorrow at mile 29 in the ride, I will finally be on roads I have never been on before and am eagerly awaiting that milestone! The blog will also be more fun to write as everything will be new.

Let's review today's photos:

It rained thru-out the night last night with a lot of thunder and lightening. The thunder and lightening was a new experience for many coasters who live in arid areas. It also poured for about an hour during breakfast, so we waited and left about 8:00 am, right after the rain stopped. The sun came out for about 15 minutes just as we were leaving Kerrville. As you can see, we had wet roads for riding. I am sure glad I left the fenders on my bicycle!

 

Right after I took the preceding picture of the road, I spotted this herd of very small deer. No one I asked knew what kind of deer they were. Can anyone identify them?

 

We traveled on many farm roads with basically no traffic during today's ride. It really is a great way to see rural Texas!

 

We rode along the Guadalupe River during the early part of today's ride. There are many low dams on the river, I assume for flood control.

 

Everywhere you look it is lush and green.

 

This is a typical road we rode when we weren't on a farm road. These roads also have very low traffic volume. Note the larger hills in the background.

 

Now that is a long driveway!

 

The buzzards were enjoying a feast on a road kill deer.

 

This picture is a good representation of the scenery and the road we traveled today.

 

I always thought "rollers" were hills that you could travel down with enough speed to carry you up the next hill. Not on the kind of hill you see ahead! In fact, today the headwind was strong enough that I could only get up to a speed of 4.5 miles on most hills like in the picture when pedaling up the hill!

 

I know it is a dead Armadillo, but at least it shows that they live in this area. I thought it interesting that the buzzards must have enough "soft shelled" victims (like deer), that they had not bothered this road-kill.

 

Across the water and up the hill is tonight's camping site at Blanco State Park. If you look closely, you can see that the water is almost coming over the bridge to the Park. Last year, after we had camped here, the rain was so heavy that the campground itself was flooded and under several feet of water.

 

Meet coaster  Jim Sporer, a retired landscape architect from Fenton, Michigan. Jim said he was conducting nightly business with the home-front.

 

Tonight's menu.

LINK to Day 28 of my 2015 C2C blog.

Day 27: Thursday 03/31/16, Concan, TX to Kerrville, TX

Day 27 distance: 72 miles

Total miles:  1491 miles

Elevation gain: 2500 feet

Map of today's ride:

We left River Bend this morning about 7:30 am, dressed lightly, as it was a warm morning with no wind. It had been foggy during the night, but the fog had lifted, so it was safe to ride when we left. About 15 miles into the ride, the headwind came up, and although not real strong for most of the ride, it did slow us down.

Today's ride was through the heart of Texas Hill Country. That means not only was it a beautiful ride with great scenery, but it also means that there were a lot of hills or "rollers." Everyone was tired at the end of the day due to the many "ups and downs." The highlight of the day was when we reached the "boot fence" which is the half way point of this year's C2C!

When we reached Kerrville this afternoon, the temperature was 78 degrees, but I don't believe it felt as humid as when we left River Bend this morning. To celebrate the day, Bubba had Anne prepare a delicious rib eye steak dinner for everyone!

 

It was a beautiful morning  when we left River Bend around 7:30 am this morning.

 

These Hill Country ranchers are big on fancy gates to their spreads!

 

Interesting name for this spread! From left to right, coasters Wayne Andresen (your blogger), Gerald Allard, Kurt Frederick, and SAG member (and this year's official C2C photographer,) John Murphy.

 

This was a typical stretch of road today.

 

The beautiful Guadalupe River.

 

Your blogger at the half way point of this year's C2C!

 

A proud Texas Longhorn with his young ones in tow.

 

I think they should add after "Texas", the phrase, "or Texans!"

Since we rode along the Guadalupe River for many miles, I felt it deserved a second picture.

 

However, in this part of a Texas, you don't need a river to view a pretty scene!

 

Tonight's dinner menu.

 LINK to Day 27 of my 2015 C2C blog.

Day 26: Wednesday 03/30/16, Rest Day in Bracketville, TX

Day 26 distance: 0 miles

Total miles:  1419 mile

 

It rained during the night at River Bend and drizzled off and on all morning during our day off. It was a good day to get all the missing blogs and pictures prepared to post as soon as it is technically possible.

This was our view on the morning of our day off. It had rained during the night and there was a light drizzle in the morning. A great day to be in a cabin!

Today a lot of people are getting extra sleep as the normal ride day schedule of being in bed by 8:00 -9:00 pm every evening and up again at 6:00 am, just doesn't seem like quite enough rest time when riding a bicycle long distances every day. The coasters who are up and around are just relaxing, cleaning and oiling bicycles, or sitting around telling stories to each other. There is a lot of laughter in the air.

 

A pretty pond down the hill from our cabin.

 

About ten coasters chose to stay in their tents rather than in a cabin during their two nights at River Bend. Everyone said they were happy with their choice, even with the rain.

 

Robyn Saur and Mark Copher from Florida enjoying the Frio River by the tent site. Robyn was one of the coasters who chose to stay in her tent. Mark was one of the three people in the same cabin I stayed in. BTW, the river was cloudy due to some road construction upstream. It was clear in the morning and soon after this picture was taken.

 After dinner, we had an excellent music program by a champion fiddler, Mr. Dick Walker, and a 22 year old professional musician, Camille Sanders. Camille travels and performs internationally, singing with her guitar, and also playing the fiddle. She has performed with entertainers like George Strait and Dolly Pardon, and recently had a #3 nationally rated hit on the adult contemporary billboard. Dolly Pardon recently wrote a song for Camille to sing. Camille's father owns River Bend. Her fiddle instructor was Mr. Walker. He played his fiddle for us last year and they both put on an excellent extemporaneously musical performance this year. BTW, we also learned that the only difference between a fiddle and a violin is attitude!

Champion fiddler and fiddler instructor Dick Wallace and Professional fiddler, guitar player and singer, Camille Sanders.

 ********************

Today's  Extra - Fred Lipton:

Fred Lipton, 82 years young, from Toronto, Canada. Bubba's oldest rider ever in a C2C!

Fred Lipton is Bubba's oldest coaster ever at the age of 82. If you did not know Fred's age, after meeting and talking to him, you would think he was at least 20 years younger. Fred was born in London, but immigrated to Toronto, Canada when he was 18. Fred lost the love of his life, his wife, after 62 years of marriage last fall. He has two living children who also
reside in Canada.

Fred worked in distribution for a large part of his working life, first for a steel company and then for a farm cooperative. He finished his career as a consultant for dangerous materials, helping companies set up their safety procedures and ensuring that these companies were in compliance with government regulations. Fred did a lot of traveling throughout the world in that capacity.

Fred first started riding in London when he was 16. After purchasing and accumulating used bicycle parts, he built a fixed gear bicycle. On that bicycle, when still 16, he took a job on a freighter to Naples, Italy, and then rode his bicycle back to London. After returning to London, he joined a bicycling club, and again, through purchasing and accumulating used bicycle parts, he built what he called a "nice 4 speed road bike." With that bicycle, he joined an English racing group that went to France and raced competitively. He said that no one on his team understood French, and one time when racing, they saw a big banner over the road. He and his team thought it was for a race Premium and they "went for it." They lost the race and later found out the banner was actually an advertising banner for a furniture store sale.

After Fred moved to Toronto, he got married and started working so he quit bicycling  until shortly before he retired. He joined a cycling club and started going on tours. He usually now rides between 4,500 to 5,000 miles per year. This Coast 2 Coast ride is the longest ride he has ever done. When I asked him if he is enjoying it, he said: "I'm loving every second of the ride. But what makes a ride is the people!"

Fred is a great addition to this year's 36 other coasters!

LINK to Day 26 of my 2015 C2C blog.

Day 25: Tuesday 03/29/16, Brackettville, TX to Concan, TX

Day 25 distance: 74 miles

Total miles:  1419 miles

Elevation gain: 2258 feet

Map of today's ride:

We left Bracketville, Texas with an overcast sky, a wind alternating between a headwind and side-wind of about 15 -18 mph, and a chip seal road certain to irritate your lower back. (Especially if you had lower back surgery about 25 years ago!) It never rained during the ride, but the humidity was high and our riding clothing became completely saturated very early in the ride. At the first SAG stop, I squeezed each riding glove in my fist and was able to wring free water from them. About ten miles before reaching Yeargan's River Bend Resort, our next two night's stay near Concan, Texas, the chip seal finally disappeared and we had a nice shoulder to ride on.

River Bend is an old establishment on the Frio River with cabins, a small motel, and a camping area. It reminds me of the Catskill's setting in the movie Dirty Dancing. But the old beds will feel very comfortable to sleep in for two nights!

 

This, what I assume is a small spherical water tower, was several miles down the road from our nights stay in Brackettville. Why it would be located miles from any small town is a mystery to me, or it is actually used for something other than water? If any of you know what it is, please advise me and the readers. As you can see, we started the day riding in fog.  EDIT: I have already had two readers tell me the sphere is used for radar, possibly related to Langlin Air Force Base.

I keep snapping pictures to make sure the desert is really gone! The desert is pretty, but the spring green on all the shrubs and trees is a great change from the last couple weeks. Note the skyline.....we are also getting into Texas Hill Country.

As we approached Uvalde, Texas, the fields looked healthy and very green. I don't know if they grow wheat in this area, but the heads on this grain crop looked like wheat.

 

The street we rode on as we left Uvalde, Texas, was lined with many big, old, and well maintained homes. The town's population is around 17,000 people. Historically, Uvalde is known as the Honey Capital of the World for production of huajillo honey, a mild, light-colored honey, dating back to the 1870s.

 

I believe this is the first "real" pond of water I have seen since the mountains of California.

 

This photo was taken from a bridge crossing the Frio River, the same river that flows through River Bend where we are spending two nights. I think all the extra standing water was due to the recent rains in the area.

 

This is the cabin that three other fellow coasters and I shared at River Bend. There were three beds in the back room and one bed in the front room by the kitchen living area. It made for a comfortable two night stay!

LINK to Day 25 of my 2015 C2C blog.

Day 24: Monday 03/28/16, Comstock, TX to Bracketville, TX

Day 24 distance: 74 miles

Total miles:  1345 miles

Elevation gain: 1727 feet

Map of today's ride:

The one thing certain about this year's C2C is that wind is becoming a major ride factor. Yesterday we were blessed with a tailwind that made our 81 mile ride yesterday a breeze. :) Last night, the wind reversed, so on today's 75 mile ride, we faced a headwind of 15 to 18 miles for the entire ride. The wind,along with a very rough road with a course chip seal shoulder, for the last 30 miles, made the ride extremely tiring. However, the terrain covered today is definitely getting greener by the mile and it appears the desert is finally behind us!

We camped at the historical Fort Clark by Brackettville, Texas. Fort Clark is the largest and most complete military historic district in Texas. It was in operation for almost 100 years from 1852. It currently is a destination spot, including many private homes and is operated by a Homeowner's Association.

This photo was taken a few miles from Seminole State Park. The rock cut shows by the color and type of rock, two different phases of the earth's geological formation. Also, as you can see by the sky, most of the day was overcast, but it did not rain.

This picture was taken 27 miles from Seminole State Park at a SAG stop. The water ahead on both sides of the road are part of Amistad Reservoir.  Amistad Reservoir is a reservoir on the Rio Grande at its confluence with the Devils River, 12 miles northwest of Del Rio, Texas. The Park Ranger who spoke to us last night said the primary fish caught in this lake are stripers and alligator gar. Since the bridge across Lake Amistad is very narrow and not safe for bicycle traffic, Bubba arranged with the County Sheriff to escort groups of riders across the bridge from this SAG.

We rode by Laughlin Air Force base right outside of Del Rio, Texas. Trainer jets were constantly in the air passing over us, and landing. I could have watched for hours!

We are now starting to see a lot of roadside flowers.

The look of the terrain has changed dramatically and everything is a pretty spring green. Here there is standing water from recent rains.

Fort Clark has a nice camping facility with a covered area used for eating and congregating. Also some green grass for the tents!

We never grow tired of Anne's evening menu!

 LINK to Day 24 of my 2015 C2C blog.