It was so cold when we woke up in our tents that we opted to stay wrapped in our sleeping bags for an extra half hour. We were still wearing all our cycling clothes from the previous day, but knew that as soon as we emerged from our cocoons we’d start to shiver. Besides which it was still dark outside.
When we did finally decide to brave it, the best approach was to sort as much as possible from the inside of the tent before venturing outside. Sleeping bag, rollmat, pillow, gadgets were all packed away allowing the panniers to be placed outside from within the tent. That done there was nothing for it but to emerge and start decamping as soon as possible.
Fortunately the Roadrunner RV park, superbly run by pensioner Bunny, who whizzed around the campsite on her golf cart, had a day lounge so we were able to tuck into cereals and fruit in the warm.
“However much you plan a long ride there’s no guarantee the weather will play ball”.
Before we left, Ian the cyclist we’d met the night before and who was obviously planning a late start, gave us some useful advice on the route ahead. Having delayed his ride due to snow in California, he had decided to finish in Austin, so today was his last in the saddle. It just goes to show that however much you try to plan a long ride there’s no guarantee the weather will play ball.
The gas station opposite the campsite was also the local bakery, so we dived in for a warming coffee and ended up buying a couple of delicious Mexican pastries as well as bread. Back through Johnson City and over the Pedernales River, Terry spotted an electric plug-in point for cars … the first we’d seen in America … and in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Weird.
A quick hop up the 281 saw us back on the quiet up and down roads of the Texas Hill Country. As we move further west there are more and more cacti mixing with the bluebonnets. Butterflies abound and Terry spotted a small group of white-tailed deer leaping through the brush beside us.
We pass numerous ranches and despite the land appearing wild most of it is fenced off for cattle ranching, although we also see sheep, goats and even llamas. We pass a ranch where the farmer is tending to his Texas Longhorn cattle and give him a wave. These really are extraordinary beasts with horns metres across.
This really is the land of the Longhorn. At Austin the Southern Tier crosses the route of the Chisholm Trail, where thousands of Texas Longhorns were once driven from the Rio Grande to the cattle yards in Wichita and Abilene in Kansas.
Today is another mix of grinding up inclines, getting hot and sweaty in the sunshine and then flying down the otherside, immediately chilled in the cool still air. We spend the whole day zipping and unzipping tops and putting on and removing fleeces. But the riding, like yesterday, is exhilarating and the scenery dramatic.
Some of the high landscape is like the Peak District, with knarled, stunted trees and big isolated boulders, and then you’ll suddenly get a small pristine vineyard, a pecan grove/orchard or even a tilled field, apparently ready for sowing. Deer fences appear around some of the ranches and estates but we are still not sure if they’re to keep deer in or out … we’ve seen them on both sides.
I get myself up some of the longer climbs by listening to gritty encouragement from Bruce Springsteen. Terry, meanwhile, is thinking about history and tyres. Here’s an insight into Wooller’s World:
“I’m still not entirely convinced that the Romans didn’t get here a long time ago … the roads are sooo straight … which I find can become a tad tedious, as I’m not very good at just cycling at a constant rhythm. Luckily, the scenery takes my mind off that train of thought. As does going up anything, however slight”.
“The inclines all feel as though someone has let air out of the rear tyre. I do keep checking the tyre pressures so I know that’s not it. I did read somewhere that although our Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres are excellent for puncture resistance, the extra protection does come at the price of more rolling resistance. Paul even laughably suggested it was because I’m now 5 years older than our last long ride on the TransAm”.
To be honest the only thing I’ve got on Terry is age. He’s lighter, faster and twice the cyclist I’ll ever be. Mind you, I haven’t lost my fleece, dropped my water bottle, or spent hours looking for missing shorts and socks which then appeared in my panniers, so maybe there is hope!
After forty miles we pulled into Fredericksburg, right in the heart of Texas Hill Country and a Main Street awash with smart shops and restaurants. There were lots of original shop frontages (or were they good replicas?), some brick built and two storeys high with ornate ironwork balconies, while others were of single storey wooden construction. Most were now transformed from their original roles as general stores and shops into cafes and bijou restaurants. We didn’t notice one thrift store which are de rigueur for most U.S. communities.
Named after Prince Frederick of Prussia, Fredericksburg boasts German heritage and was the birthplace of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet during WW2. In his honour the town is now home to the National Museum of the Pacific War, a six acre complex with restored vehicles, weaponry and interactive exhibits. We’d loved to have stopped.
“While the tourists took in everything on offer, we headed to Subway”.
Indeed riding through town it became clear we should have planned a zero day here, but with cross country cycling comes compromise and sometimes that means constantly moving on, however much you’d like to stop. So while the tourists took in everything on offer, we headed to Subway for a quick lunch on the edge of town.
We also decided, due to time constraints, to cut ourselves some slack and continue on the 16 into Kerrville, instead of using the longer official route further north via the ghost town of Morris Ranch. One downside was it was inevitably busier, but the road had a wide shoulder so we cycled next to each other and chatted… or shouted on some occasions … and took in the views of the hills in the distance, as opposed to being on the hills themselves. And there were proper bridges over any low river crossing.
One bonus was we saw a whole bunch of classic American cars in a lot by the road … such dated but beautiful designs. About twenty miles later we were in Kerrville, where we’d booked into the Day’s Inn for the night.
“We dined in style on microwave mac’n’cheese and spaghetti bolognese”.
After a Brexit and general state of the UK and the US discussion with the receptionist, we did the usual thing to our room, spreading tents, sleeping bags, panniers, clean clothing, damp clothing and dirty clothing all over it before luxuriating in the shower.
There were no food stores or restaurants close by, but there was a gas station foodmart next door. We dined in style on microwave mac’n’cheese for Terry and spaghetti bolognese for me and set about planning our next three days cycling that will take us to Del Rio, right on the Mexican border. The perfect end of a very nice day.
Today’s miles: 61.17 miles
Total miles since Anastasia State Park: 1,463.29
