It got down to 36 degrees last night and I had multiple layers of clothing to start today’s ride. As I turned out of the state park I was a blue heron flying over the road and down the river. Then I began to climb gradually but around the first turn, there it was! A 7% grade, 1,000’ climb that was straight and I could see the top the whole time. I’d much rather climb tree-lined, curvy mountain passes even though they are longer and higher, than to be able to see the top. It is easier mentally as there is more scenery to take your mind off the climbing. I started the climb using the pedaling technique I used yesterday and my legs felt fine. I just kept my focus on some short goal I knew I could reach like the beginning of a guardrail, then kept going to the next goal like the end of the guardrail. It was a gut-busting, quad-burning climb but I made it without stopping. The view back from the top looking at where we had been the day before was very pretty and rewarding. I also shed a layer of clothes at the top and waited for a few of the others to arrive before going on. The rest of the ride was nice. The weather was cool with no noticeable wind and there was abundant wildlife; white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, antelope, wild goats, etc.. I really enjoyed riding the hill country today! The last 7 of the 34 miles to Hunt, TX was pretty flat and winded along the Guadalupe River. There are some very nice homes along the river a couple of which had Texas A&M flags flying on their flagpole so there must be a few alums living in these parts. We all ended up at the first place in Hunt and had lunch. My first BBQ since entering Texas – delicious and long overdue. After lunch I headed to Kerrville and the Kerrville Schreiner Park where we are camping for the night. There is a total burn ban in these parts so we hired a van to drive us to a really nice Mexican restaurant where we celebrated the halfway point (mileage-wise) of the trip. Tomorrow’s ride is 60 miles to Blanco SP in Blanco, TX.
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View looking back from top of early morning climb (1,000' @ 7% grade)
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Gary makes it over the top.
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