Day 29- Blanco SP to Lockhart SP

Nice day! Bill and Angie's son, Anthony, joined us for lunch, rode from Kyle to Lockhart and stayed for dinner. The weather was overcast and route still challenging before lunch. We eventually reached Kyle, met Anthony and chowed down on sandwiches and pie form the Texas Pie Company.

Life is Short, Eat more Pie

The terrain turned quite flat after lunch and we had nice fast ride to Kerrville. 

Anthony made sure that I made an obligatory stop at Smitty's Meats for another taste of beef brisket and to see their four open pit cookers. Yummy but I would hate to wait in line in the summer heat.

The prettiest wildflowers on display were at the entrance to the State Park where we camped overnight. Anthony stayed for dinner and a talk by former astronaut, Bubba rider and NC native, Bill MacArthur. Very inspiring!

Day 28- Kerrville to Blanco

Still a wee bit early for the bluebonnets and other wildflowers to be in full bloom.

This was a day of relaxed riding with an hour long stop for coffee in the morning (only our second and first since Alpine) and another for lunch in the two charming villages of Comfort and Sisterville. The route beside the Blanco River and later following farm lanes reminded me of the countryside and rides outside of Limoux in Southern France. We saw mostly working farms and ranches with cattle and horses. There were fewer hunting preserves and hobby ranches than between Del Rio and Kerrville. The hills after lunch grew considerably more challenging and the terrain drier.

We stayed overnight at the Blanco State Park after a DQ stop and treat to reward us for a delightful ride. 

Several readers have requested that I comment on the other riders and participants in the tour. So, I will begin today with the three folks with whom I spend most days. Bob, who Nan and I met as he was staying in the room next to us in San Diego, is in his early 70's, winters in Florida but returns in the summer to his hometown, Dickson, IL. If that sounds familar, it is the home of Ronald Reagan. Bob is a very strong rider and told us when we met him that he had riden 5000 miles since September. He reminds me of Vern of the Chain Gang. Bob is quite capable of riding much faster but is gracious and let's others set the pace. John and Rose from near Boulder, CO and in their early 60's have been constant companions since coming to my rescue during my illness in Tucson. The four of a us now ride together everyday knowing that we will leave about 8 am, pass many of the other riders during the day and arrive in camp just behind those leaving very early. We seem happy to accommodate each other's desire for stops for pictures and historical markers (that would be me) and ride at a consistent pace.

Day 27- Riverbend to Kerrville

Halfway! We've crossed half the country as of today and commemorated the occasion in front of a fence topped by old cowboy boots. 

The day was ideal for biking- overcast and a cooling breeze- but not so good for pictures. The route included an early 1.8 mile climb that looked much more daunting on the elevation profile than it turned out to be in reality. I suspect that the result was an indication of how well we have all acquired new stamina.

We continued north up US 83 but soon turned east on TX 39. The contour was a pleasant mix of ups and downs past many exotic animal ranches. We eventually reached the Guadelupe River. The road followed the river downstream as if we were riding through an article in Sunset magazine or the Provence region of France. One beautiful stone facade home, club and camp after another all along a river (yes, with water) bordered on one side by limestone cliffs.

Here's one of the more exotic structures along the river just before the boot fence.

We stopped for lunch at the Hunt Store in the village of the same name. Then onto Ingram and finally Kerrville. All and all a perfect day of riding. We arrived in time to chat, drink beer and enjoy a steak dinner compliments of Chef Ann. We are camping in a very large and well appointed city park.

Day 26- Riverbend R&R Day

This is our first real rest day. Our previous non-riding days have been filled with interesting activities, but we are all grateful for one day of just nothing. (Note to readers: You have no doubt noticed that I have used much of the day to catch up with the blog.) 

My cousin, Dan, pictured above, and his wife, Lisa, drove out from their home in San Antonio to join the Coasters for a hearty dinner. We have regular guests and it always a special treat when family can be included. Lisa took this picture as well as many more that I hope to include later.

This evening Camile Sanders, the 18 year old and very poised daughter of Riverbend's owner, sang to us after dinner. We were enchanted and most of us bought her two CD's. You too can listen at camilesanders.com 

Tomorrow we set off again for the theoretical mid-point in the journey. It is so hard to comprehend what we have accomplished individually and as a group. We are into our fourth week and have covered almost 1500 miles so far. We have left the desert and are entering a tunnel of green as we head ever onwards East.

Day 25- Bracketville to Concan

Green grass and trees! We've left the desert and entered the Texas Hill Country. We started the day riding east again into a mild head wind towards Uvalde, where we stopped for lunch. I did not try the goat taco but did enjoy a hearty special collection of Mexican dishes at Ofelia's.

 We left US 90 here and made our way north into the Hill Country on US 83. There was one major climb into the crossroad village of Concan and an ice cream stop. We had a bit less than ten miles to complete the ride to the Ricerbend Resort, a cute collection of cabins where we will stay for two nights.

Day 24- Seminole Canyon SP to Bracketville

Another hard day into the wind, albeit much less intense and half the day a turn in the route provided a mild crosswind. (Note: This is a sunset view from the commune on the outskirts of Marathon, but it seemed like a nice shot of West Texas, not unlike the terrain and Mesa of Seminole Canyon SP.)

We left a bit late allowing time to visit a most informative museum in the park and set off for Del Rio. We did have to complete the 9 miles from the park into the village of Comstock. The terrain into Del Rio was similar to the prior day but with much less intense wind. The local sherrif's department provided an escort over a mile long bridge that spanned an arm of the binational Armistad Reservoir created by a dam on the Rio Grande near the mouth of the Pecos River. This area presented significant challenges to the railroad seeking to span several canyons. Del Rio turned out to be quite the thriving community including a most excellent Rudy's restaurant lunch stop for a brisket sandwich. Again, the Sherrif deputies came to our rescue and escorted us out of town. We passed a large Air Force base on the east side of town and noted many ranches with high fences. My interpretation is that these are ranches converted to raising wild game for hunting.

We camped overnight in decommissioned Army Fort Clark, that contained many rock faced buildings in excellent condition. Bubba hosted an ice cream social after dinner with the Women's Tour.

Day 23- Sanderson to Comstock

What a day! Steady winds of 20 mph and gusts up to 35 mph directly into our faces over a long course. Only about half the riders completed the route and those of us that did questioned their decision. Long and hard but we were briefed, prepared for what we faced and had regular support and offers to bring us in. Another accompanying women's tour seemed to have similar difficulties and only 3 of 20 completed their route which was even longer at 113 miles than ours at 82. 

The picture above illustrates the limestone geology as well as the highway design. Unfortunately the cut lowering the climb acted as a perfect funnel for the wind as we climbed what seemed like endless hills and had to pedal downhill at 8 mph.

Along the way and after a modest lunch several of us ventured into Langtry to visit the saloon and museum honoring Judge Roy Bean. He was quite the self-promoter and suggested that the town was named for British singer, Lilly Langtry. Not so, we learned. The town was named after a Southern Pacific RR surveyor, but Bean named his saloon, Jersey Lily. Name misspelled on purpose. The flags above are an indicator of wind ferocity.

We arrived arrived after crossing the Pecos River, above, after 10.5 hours of riding at our campsite in Seminole Canyon State Park. Very windy night with dust covering luggage and inside tent the following morning. We stopped at the park museum the next morning and learned that the canyon was named after escaped slaves of the Florida Seminole Indians who had been moved to Oklahoma. The blacks had served has scouts for the US Army in the wars to suppress the Comanches and Apaches. The park is a n historic site to preserve caves and pictographic art.