Texas Trip Report #2

We turned in last night with bellies full of tacos so we planned an early ride to work them off. Or more accurately, The Boss rousted us up and told us to get on the bikes.

Saturday dawned warm and windy. There were a few breaks in the clouds but not enough to warrant slathering on any sunscreen. We had hoped for sunshine but in reality the riding is so hard down here that the cloud cover helps keep us from dehydrating. Unlike the midwest, with it's entire road system set up on a grid of one mile by one mile squares with a town every 5 miles or so, these Hill Country roads wind from the center of nowhere to the middle of nowhere with nary a town to speak of. We've yet to ride by a convenience store or other establishment where we could fill our water bottles.

The Boss and the bikes at the hitching posts. Ready to saddle up.

We again headed out southeast into the wind and soon found ourselves climbing category 2 Col de San Antonio, Category 3 Piedmont de San Antonio and once again, the fearsome Beyond Category (HC) Bat Cave Summit. That's a lot of climbing in the first seventeen miles of the ride. Especially for guys from the flatish midwest. The ride is a beautiful mix of open, cattle grazing land full of scrub brush and cedar along creek-beds in the low areas, and almost alpine-like heavily wooded areas at the top of the climbs. Herds of domesticated goats, sheep and cattle dot the countryside as do wild deer that we've seed in herds larger than thirty, racing alongside us in open fields.

The base of every climb seems to have a beautiful, tranquil creek or river running lazily along, in contradiction to the pain that awaits just beyond.

Horses grazing alongside a tranquil river near Waring, Texas

After a fast decent down Bat Cave Summit we decided to head off-route for a few more miles of climbing. This took us to the outskirts of Luckenbach. Yes, the town from the Willie Nelson - Waylan Jennings song. The town isn't much more than a crossroad with a general store that also serves as a bar and a music hall. But we hear that if you come here on week-ends you'll be able to enjoy a beverage as you listen to music performed by anyone from local talent to world renowned artists. There are no signs directing you to Luckenbach. The tourists steal them. Elvis thinks it's in your karma; if you're meant to find Luckenbach, you'll find it.

No fan of country music, Scott rolls by Luckenbach, Texas

A few times on today's ride we were lost. Well, not lost exactly (Men never get lost, right?), just not quite sure where we were. Between Barry's pocketful of maps and Scott's GPS equipped cell phone we eventually found our way back on route. The rolling and twisting roads have a way of confusing your internal compass. And with no sunshine or shadows we often found ourselves with no real clues as to which direction we were riding. The road junctions were few and far between and the marked ones rarer still. But since we're here for the riding we just kept spinning along knowing hoping that eventually we'd figure out where we were.

About two hours after starting out and low on food and water, we stumbled upon aptly named Comfort, Texas. Here we were able to re-fill our stores and get a pair of contradictory directions out of town. Maps and GPS devices were of little help so we wet our index fingers, stuck them up into the wind and headed west out of town. A little bit of; this turn looked right and that turn felt right got us on to a road that would wind and climb it's way, eventually, back to Fredericksburg.

This particular road, Center Point Road, may be the finest road that Elvis has ever ridden. It winds, twists and turns alongside a beautiful river for thirty glorious miles. Stately oak trees dot the open grazing land filled with free roaming cattle. Piney peaks and rocky canyons mark the climbs and descents. We met one car in the entire thirty mile stretch and the cowboy driver pulled off the road to let us pass. The center piece of Center Point Road is an intimidating stretch of steeply angled road that climbs 450 feet in less than two miles. This giant nub is known as Center Point Ledge and it is heart busting on the way up and heart racing on the way down. Exhilarating!

The Boss powering over Center Point Ledge

After the leg breaking climb, the road drops almost steadily downwards for the remaining fifteen miles into Fredericksburg. There were only a few remaining steep uphill sections there to remind you that you were still in Texas Hill Country. Riding in a compact pace-line the speeds went way up and the heart rates went way down. There is no better way to end a hard day of cycling than by enjoying a long, fast run in.

Here is a profile of today's route. We did this route in reverse, so read it right to left. We also added about twenty miles and a thousand feet of climbing by doing a few "off the map" loops.

The run into town

As we came into town we were overwhelmed by the wonderful scent of Texas beef curing in a smokehouse. We had ridden right by a restaurant called Peach Pit Barbecue and as soon as we agreed to head there for dinner we found ourselves racing back to the hotel. The sooner we were showered and changed the sooner we would be enjoying some Texas BBQ.

A hard day in the saddle is rewarded