"Two-wheeled" Solidarity

Riding Day 21

The camping spot at the rest area was awesome and we all slept like rocks. Even though we were merely 50’ from the highway, there wasn’t any traffic after 10pm, and the first car this morning didn’t pass by until sometime after 5am. We took our time getting ready to ride, letting our good moods lead the way into a relaxed start just after 9:30.

The route was again loaded with rolling hills, most of them of the “reasonable” category, but there was a particularly steep one just beyond Kerrville that we had to walk. My legs were still reeling a bit from the previous day’s torture, and I didn’t see any point in trying to struggle up a steep incline and risk having to do a low-speed exit half-way up. The Bob refers to this aspect of dealing with the hills as the “cost/benefit ratio,” meaning, is it worth it to expend so much energy to conquer a hill, energy that you might need later in the day? We officially entered Texas Hill Country as we passed through Hunt, TX this morning, but it feels like we’ve been in the same type of hills for the previous two days, so I guess it must be a political or marketing scheme, because from a bicycle rider’s perspective, hills are hills irrespective of the title placed upon them by humans

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Turkey hunting season started today, and early this morning I saw a tom turkey and a hen relaxing in a field. I yelled at them to run for cover, and they did, probably more so because of the crazy human shouting at them rather than any in-depth understanding of the danger they’re in. I also saw a herd of buffalo grazing peacefully in a sunlit field, their brown coats against a field of faded gold a perfect snapshot in my mind. We also saw an Axis deer, which is a species that was imported from India in 1932 for meat production on farms, but some escaped and have populated parts of central Texas and compete with the indigenous white-tail deer for resources. They’re considered an invasive species now, but I think they’re mostly victims of human ignorance and should be left alone to the extent that any other creature is in this state, which ain’t much. Hunting is a big, big deal in these parts.

The roads for the past two days were continually bordered by fenced land, with many of the fences at least 10’ in height. After we were done riding for the day, Odie talked to his son Corey and asked him about these tall fences, as Corey has spent a lot of time in Texas while serving in the Army. He said that these fences surround private hunting land, and that the height is to keep the wild animals contained so that the hunters, who pay a lot to hunt on these properties, will have an easier time bagging their quarry, which seems more than a little bit unfair. Corey added that they also bait the animals so the hunters can lie in wait and then fire away when the animals come to eat the bait, which seems to be 100% unfair…

Tonight, we’re camping in the Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park in Fredericksburg, TX. It cost us $10.60 to camp here, the 60 cents a surcharge for putting it on my credit card. We rode 68.59 miles today, which takes our grand total to 1,446 miles and pushed us beyond the half-way point of the trip, and for the last 30 miles or so there were motorcycles in all shapes and sizes everywhere. The operators were overwhelming friendly, and frequently waved at us as they passed, perhaps in a show of “two-wheeled” solidarity. We found out from the folks who manage the campground that there’s a big motorcycle event this weekend, like a smaller and more sedate version of Sturgis. Most of the riders are older, like us, but they have 1000cc engines instead of worn-out legs and sore buttocks.

Oh, I almost forgot this episode…as we we’re pedaling up a moderate hill on the way out of Kerrville, on a four lane road sans shoulders, but designated with multiple signs as a bicycle route, some dude in a big, grey diesel pickup took issue with us impeding his passage, and once he could move over to pass us, he made sure to gun his engine and douse us with diesel smoke before slowing down, presumably to witness us coughing and sputtering on his diesel-fueled manliness. Overwhelmingly, the people in this state have been courteous and very engaging when we’ve talked to them, but there’s always that guy out there who simply can’t tolerate another perspective that doesn’t match his own, oft times limited, worldview.

We hope to make it to Austin, TX tomorrow, over some 70-plus miles of hills. The Bob has good friends who live there, Houston & Jeremy, and they have graciously invited us to spend a couple of nights in their home. Monday will be an off day, probably our last off day until New Orleans, and knowing there’s a bed, shower and other comforts awaiting us will provide ample incentive to tackle whatever tomorrow throws at us. So, time to crawl into the tent and rest my old bones, which so far, have served me quite well…