George: Tuesday, 26SEP’17 – Camp Wood, TX to Kerrville, TX

Today’s route was as pretty as you can make one. It reminded me of riding in Richland County, OH (Mansfield/Ashland). The rain, the rolling hills and the Guadalupe River were Sara’s companions today. I took the day off riding in the sag wagon. I needed a day off the bike. The prudent thing for me to do at this time was to take the day off considering we are just over half way to the Atlantic Ocean.

Sitting in the passenger seat of the van, I was a proud observer of a great cyclist. She handled the 2500 feet of uphill with lots of grace. There were two major climbs and countless rolling ups and downs. Ultimately, she tamed the route with a light rain pelting her for 60% of the ride.

Last evening I decided to sit out the ride. It was not a good option to spend a second night in Camp Wood, mainly because of the services: hotels and restaurants. Sara did not want to consider any other options except to ride the planned route. It was a long route with lots of climbing. She was going to do it alone. We went to bed with that being the plan.

We woke to a dripping rain as we walked across the road to Casa Falcon for a 6:30 breakfast. Since promptness is not a central consideration around these parts, the place finally opened for business at 6:50. Each of us ordered an egg meal and the service was quick. We discussed the day as we finished up with breakfast. Sara was on the road at 7:45 for a bell ringer of a ride. The road moved upward slowly until about mile 9 when it erupted into a full-blown cliff. Sara rode smoothly up the first major climb as we followed. At the top, the route followed the ridgeline moving up and down, sometimes substantially. It was on this leg that we saw what appeared to be a group of Javelinas cross the road. For the next 8 miles it went mostly down, but once in a while it reminded Sara that she was on the Texas Hill Country Trail. The Trail travels through West Texas on several differently numbered highways. It is a very scenic route and as we moved along I thought about these roads as being training grounds for Lance Armstrong. We are not far from Austin, TX.

At mile 20 Sara made a turn onto US 83 that ran down but mostly up for 18 miles to the Junction with SR 39. On this leg was the second major climb. Sara, again, moved smoothly along, shifting into a higher gear as the hill subsided into a series of rollers. SR 39 was a bermless road with a 70 mile per hour speed limit. Susan was worried; I was worried. Sara rode without much thought. The traffic was very light, but picked up as Sara reached the town of Hunt. As we approached this sleepy suburb of Kerrville, the hovels of Camp Wood gave way to Stone buildings. Some of these homes were built high on the bluffs of the Guadalupe River; many along its banks.

From Hunt it was a short hop to Kerrville where we are spending the night. Tomorrow it is off to Dripping Springs. Stay tuned.

Controlled burns on US 83

Boot-adorned fence along SR 39 just before Hunt