FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE SPRING TOUR

Total mileage:  196.6 - we'll just round that up to 200 miles!

Total climbing:  4,923 feet

What a great 5 days on the road with my hubby and wonderful friends! This was a great trip length with a very acceptable amount of climbing for us flatlanders. It was still hard work, especially the climbs that tilted up more than 7%. Fortunately, there weren't too many of those - unfortunately, they all seemed to happen on the last day! I didn't plan that very well, did I?

April weather can still be unpredictable in Texas, even though it is finally starting to warm up. We lucked out and missed the rain on day 1 and day 5, even though it looked like it was raining all around us. It was never too warm during the day and the nights were cool for good sleeping. 

I added a Big Agnes camp table to the touring kit this time. Dave gave it to me for Christmas and he also carried one this tour for the first time. It provides a nice area off the ground when camping without a picnic table, and only adds a little over 2 pounds to the overall load. They came in very handy for the whole group the two nights we didn't have a picnic table. The Big Agnes chairs go without saying. It is so much more relaxing to sit in a chair with a back after a day on the road, than it is to sit at a picnic table. And I'm willing to carry the extra 2 pounds for this as well!

Big Agnes Woodchuck Camp Table and Big Agnes Mica Basin Camp Chair

I'm not sure where the next tour will take us, or when. My brain is already spinning about places to explore. I'll let you know when we figure it out!

DAY 5 - LEXINGTON, TX TO WARDA, TX

Mileage - 32.6; Total Mileage - 196.6 miles

Margarita Count - 4! plus 2 shots of Tequila in camp

Today was our last day of this tour. We are all finally in the daily routine. It takes a few days before the setting up and packing up of camp are normal and you know where everything belongs. It is quite the sight when we roll into camp and start unpacking the bags. It is amazing to see two tables, four chairs and the tents all set up with sleeping bags, pads, pillows and clothes. 

Everyone sat in camp a little longer this morning, savoring an extra cup of coffee while packing up. We finally rolled out about 10am, just far enough to get to Herk's Store and Grill a few blocks from camp. They made a great breakfast that got us ready for the road. We finally left town about 11am - not an early start but we knew we had a shorter day and were not too worried about time.

Most of the ride today was on small county roads, which varied in condition from mostly patches with intermittent smooth road, to pretty good road. What they all had in common was beautiful country, very few cars, and great scenery. We had more wildflowers today, mostly Indian paintbrush and primrose. I also saw one small area with this pretty blue wildflower that I don't remember ever seeing before. I had to look it up - I think it is the Blue Mealy Cup Sage. We've also seen patches of the purple Drummond Phlox all through the trip.

Here is some scenery rolling down CR 216 this morning.

We came across a ranch that had this display of statues of all types of wild animals. They were very life-like and so well done.

Dave found the first patch of wild blackberries that were ripe today on the side of the road. Of course, he had to stop and pick some for a quick snack.

Here are some more scenery pics from the last part of the ride. 

Right outside of Giddings there was a pasture with these two donkeys and this beautiful longhorn. One of the donkeys came charging from the back of the pasture when I stopped by the fence, braying all the way!

We rolled into Giddings about 2pm and stopped for our last meal "on the road". We ate a great lunch at the Santa Fe Steakhouse and then it was time to ride the last 12 miles of the tour. We arrived back at Bluff Creek Ranch (Warda) about 4pm. There were a few shots of tequila to celebrate a great tour and I managed to get my last two margaritas in celebration. Then it was time for showers and everyone to load up and head back to reality.

I'll follow up with stats and other thoughts tomorrow.

DAY 4 - ROCKDALE, TX TO LEXINGTON, TX

Mileage - 37.9; Total Mileage - 164.0 miles

Margarita Count - still 2, plus 2 shots of Tequila in camp

Today was a very good day of riding. We slept okay last night but the RV park was on the main road through town and the train tracks were right on the other side of the main road. Everybody used ear plugs, which helped some. The RV park was mostly workers for road construction or maybe oilfield work nearby. We heard many of them leaving out between 5:30 and 6:00 am. 

We were up fairly early today but didn't manage to get out of camp before 10am. There was a very heavy dew last night so we took extra time to let the tents dry out in the sun before packing them away. It was worth the delay! As we were finishing packing two peacocks came wandering through our part of the park. There was one male and one female - the male had beautiful cobalt blue feathers but we didn't get to see his tail feathers. 

We only made it 2 miles before a quick shopping trip at Wal-Mart for freeze-dried meals. We wanted to make sure we each had a meal in case dinner options fell through tonight in Lexington. After that we had a good run into Thorndale, which was the only place for services today. It was also lunch time when we got there. Dave asked a lady in town if there was a good place to eat and she directed us to a BBQ joint. It was a fabulous meal! We all ate too much and were moving a little slow when we rolled out of town. 

The scenery was similar to yesterday, with many rolling pastures and all varieties of cattle. There were also morr great displays of wildflowers. We saw a few patches of bluebonnets but we mostly saw Indian paintbrush and indian blanket today. 

Today we also saw a nice group of longhorn cattle.

And then there was this crazy group of cows that followed us from the field to the fence as we stopped in the shade on the side of the road for a break. They came right up to the fence and were just curious about what we were up to. They all appeared to be yearlings or a little older. 

The climbing total today was very similar to yesterday, but it felt much harder. Part of it was probably because it is day 4 and our legs are tired. The other part is that we had steeper hills today. Yesterday, the hills were longer but not as steep. As flatlanders from Houston, we don't have the opportunity to regularly ride hills. It's only when we're touring that we really have an opportunity to "practice".

We had great scenic vistas from the top of the climbs, though, so there was that payback at least. 

We're staying at Sonny's RV park in Lexington tonight. It is a very nice park, and Rodney and Sharon we're great hosts. They have had touring cyclists through the years and had a great spot on grass near the bathrooms for us. The most important parts!

They recommended Granny's in town for a nice sit-down dinner and it did not disappoint. After dinner, we attempted to go to the liquor store on the way back to camp. It was 8:15pm so we thought we had time. Surprise - they closed at 8! One more shot tomorrow to improve the margarita count - not sure it that will happen. 

Tomorrow is the last day of riding for us. It has gone by so quickly and I'm not ready for it to be done yet! I feel like I'm just starting to get in my groove and then it's done. All the months of planning and anticipation - done. 

DAY 3 - BRYAN, TX TO ROCKDALE, TX

Mileage - 46.9 miles; Total Mileage - 126.1 miles

Margarita Count - still 2, plus 2 shots of Tequila in camp

Yep, no change in the margarita count again today. We had a recommendation for dinner that wasn't too far from camp that we tried to go to. Guess what? Their weekly day is Wednesday! We went a ways further down the road but didn't find another restaurant open that wasn't fast food, so we doubled back to the Texas Burger. That gave me zero chance for a margarita tonight. We were able to stop at a liquor store on the way back to camp but they didn't have any margaritas.

Today was our longest day of the trip, and we had steady rolling hills all day, with a few that made us work. We went off route first thing this morning out of Lake Bryan, and then stuck with the route until near the end when we went off route to avoid a busier road and an extra mile of two. We had about 12 miles of dirt/gravel roads today towards the end. It was mostly hardpacked but we had some areas that were sandy and loose gravel. Eve showcased her impressive mountain bike skills by riding it all on 30mm tires with a loaded bike. 

The scenery was wonderful today. It just kept coming and coming. We saw more bluebonnets today than we had previously, and the Indian paintbrush were out in force as well. 

We also saw a lot of fields of newly planted corn just sprouting.

Dave had his second mechanical of the trip today. Yesterday, he had a slow-leaking flat that he had to change. Fortunately, there was a driveway close that had shade for us while he changed the tube. Today, his front derailleur somehow moved on him. It took a couple allen wrenches and not too much time and we were back on the road. 

There were a lot more pastures with cattle today, including this magnificent bull that just stood near the fence and watched us go by. 

We had more climbing today than the first two days, but the climbs afforded us beautiful vistas of the surrounding area. Even though it was a little slower riding the dirt roads, the quietness of the roads made for a great afternoon. 

Other random pics from the road today. We found Terlingua out here!

Random old cars and "stuff" as we rode by. We were hoping our shower facilities were better than what this guy had!

We have a little easier day tomorrow - only about 40 miles, unless we find something better as we go and change the route again. The weather forecast looks good as of now - it will be hard to beat today's weather. It was a high of 74 and sunny with just a few clouds. The sun made it feel warmer than 74, but it felt glorious to me! I now have a good start on my standard summer leg tan!

DAY 2 - SOMERVILLE, TX TO BRYAN, TX

Mileage - 42.2 miles; Total Mileage - 79.2 miles

Margarita Count - still 2, plus 2 shots of Tequila in camp

No liquor stores again today - the margarita count is going to be lackluster this trip. C'est la vie. 

Today was a good day on the bike with a few bumps in the road. I am happy to say we made it all the way until today before going off route! 

We had a small first breakfast in camp today because we knew we only had 8 miles to Mama's Kitchen in Somerville. We had a great home-cooked second breakfast at Mama's Kitchen that got us well down the road. Callie was a great waitress and you'll get a great breakfast if you happen to be in Somerville. 

After we left Somerville, I had routed us on FM 60 to take us northeast towards Bryan. Unfortunately, there was construction and the road had no shoulder. They are widening the 2-lane country FM road into a 4-lane road as it is a straight shot to Bryan and College Station from Somerville. 

Dave did his super re-routing routine and found a couple of smaller county roads that would get us to Bryan that held more promise for less traffic and saner riding. He hit it out of the park!

We saw lots of oil fields with tank farms and almost everything we saw was pumping today. It was a day of rolling pastures, cattle, and oil wells. We also started to see a few fields of corn today. Wildflowers were abundant - we saw mostly Indian paintbrush and primrose. There were a few areas of bluebonnets and we're hoping to see more the next few days. 

 

We got to our campsite at Lake Bryan a little before 5pm. Dave scoped out the facilites and we found they have restrooms but no showers. Bummer! But there is a lake. It is still cold this time of year but it worked wonders for washing the grit, sweat, and sunscreen off. Once I got in and became numb from the cold, it didn't feel half bad! Elie, me and Dave after our "bath" in the lake. 

Because of the re-route, we didn't have our planned stop for getting dinner to take to camp. We did have a great convenience store where we could get provisions for tomorrow morning's breakfast and snacks. We were also able to buy a variety of adult beverages of the beer and wine variety. We all brought something good to camp to go with our freeze-dried meals and promised we'd have a real dinner tomorrow in Rockdale!

We had a beautiful sunset over the lake this evening as we ate dinner. We are looking forward to another great ride tomorrow. Can't wait to see what it has in store for us!