A day of contrast. 2 days ago we finished with temperatures in the 90’s. Now we have moved eastward out of Hill Country and started our day in the 40’s with a slight headwind. Our ride was about 72 miles, half of which was with single lane roads, lots of traffic and road construction. Although our net elevation didn’t change much from Lockhart to La Grange, we did plenty of climbing and sliding down short and long hills. The other half of the ride was the complete opposite – zero traffic, quiet winding roads through parks and gentle countryside and little wind.
Our route took us through 2 Texas State Parks which reduced the tension of riding alongside trucks. Once we paid our entry fee to the Park, we began a roller coaster ride through a tunnel created by a thick forest of Pine trees, which blocked the northeast wind. The first Park, Bastrop State Park, was connected to the second, Buescher, by a long windy road with multiple 10 to 20% grade hills both up and down so speeds ranged from 5 to 40. This stretched out our team of 5, which till now had been together since the day’s start. Now each of us was on our own with only the crudest directions, but somehow, we all were able to find Dan with Vanna waiting in another superb setting for lunch. Once again, Dan found a perfect spot with great shade overlooking the large lake in Buescher Park. Today’s lunch included a new staple- salmon- thanks to Scott from last weeks trip. There are several salmon eaters now making a variety of sandwiches.
The afternoon included a nice 20 mile stretch on a rarely used country road and gave us hope that as we move east, the hills are starting to disappear. That connected to a busier artery and we have noticed that as we approached the Austin area from the south and Houston area from the west, traffic and commercial activity has definitely picked up. We are definitely in the middle of Texas now and it should be even busier as we move east.
La Grange Texas. We had hoped for a Friday night football game here but the local team is playing Navasota tonight in Navasota – our destination tomorrow. The town has a population of about 5000 and sits along the Colorado River. It is the County seat and like most of these small Texas towns, the square is built around the courthouse – which is incredible. Built in the 1800’s and recently restored, and has a 5 story Atrium over a beautiful fountain. The place was a beehive with elections coming up and lots of people voting early. Outside the courthouse, which is in the middle of the square, There was another amazing site. The four streets surrounding are line with stores and restaurants but today, the Friday before Halloween, was the annual trick or treat. We got here just in time to see hundreds if t=not thousands of young ones walking around to all the local vendors for treats. I have never seen so many kids in one place in costume (and parents as well). Interestingly, there is a strong German and Czech heritage here and some influence by the Swiss. In fact tonight, without a football game, we are going to the Swiss Alps Dance Hall down the road to hear a Texas Swing band that is staying in our Hotel tonight – The Quebe Sisters. Dan caught a quick fiddle lesson from their arranger before we beat the trail for dinner and music. You simply couldn’t find this stuff if you were looking for it – you have to stumble into – and we did.
Map to date:
http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/ca/san%20diego/119128839074344788
Thanks for Following - Carl
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