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.