Day 5/6 of “Biking and Blogging†on the Classic Adventures Texas Hill Country Tour.
Today was our second of three Fredericksburg loop rides. There are numerous ride options originating from Fredericksburg, I have a feeling we will try more of them in the not too distant future.
Fredericksburg is more of a town than the actual population (10,500) would indicate. There are numerous good restaurants, shops, and lodging options so it would be a great place to serve as a base for riding in the Hill Country.
Every morning after breakfast and the route meeting, Dale would have all of our bikes lined up in a row having topped off the tires and doing a quick check to see if any of them needed adjusting. I saw him more than once with chain lube in his hand checking out our chains and gearing. We used Classic Adventures bikes but a few brought their own bikes and Dale took care of them too.
Today may have been the first day I put sunscreen on my arms and legs. The sun was out for a change and although I’m a fan of cooler temperatures when riding, it was nice to see the bright blue sky.
Early on in the ride we met a couple from Wisconsin who told us they spend a week in the Hill Country every spring to ride and have been doing so for 10 years. Like us, they enjoyed the scenery and lightly traveled roads. The bluebonnets were superfluous to them, it was all about the great quality riding.
Not wanting to stop, but still wanting to take pictures I was shooting almost all of them while riding. I keep my point & shoot in a small Bento box on the top tube by the handlebar so it is easy to grab.
Some things aren’t worth stopping to take a shot of, but a quick capture while going by – why not? When do you think that mailbox is going to finally fall? Notice the flag is up.
If something looks interesting, like this studio or mega-greenhouse I shoot it on the fly and hope the focus is okay.
The sun was bright but the temperatures mild. I love taking shadow shots.
Today was one of the days where we had several warnings noted in our trip notes. The first warning was coming up at mile 10.2. Sure enough, that cattle guard was still damaged at the center! I wish someone would do trip notes for all my rides.
Another warning was a tight turn at the bottom of steep downhill and we were forewarned at our pre-ride meeting and in the trip notes about every water crossing/slick slab. We all appreciated the heads up.
The miles slipped away easily. By now Lucille and I were scoffing at the Texas size chip seal, nothing was going to take away from our enjoyment of the ride.
More cows, Texas style. If they had known what I was going to have for lunch they may not have let me pass.
The burger was as good and big as it looks. Lunch was at the newly renovated Doss Country Store. It seemed to be a gathering spot for local farmers, ranchers and cyclists. We met a friend of Dale and Dianne’s who had stopped by for lunch too. We talked to him about Texas Hell Week, a weeklong ride held in March. Sounds like a great time, may have to try it next year.
As we rolled out of Dodge, make that Doss, we headed back toward Fredericksburg. It was starting to get hot, but with clouds to keep the sun at bay it wasn’t bad.
Just miles and miles of open road and big sky.
And a few sheep to keep things from becoming boring. The baby lambs were cute.
While waiting for Mark before a turn, I looked to my right to see this gnarly tree. Looks like a tree from a Stephen King novel. I switched the camera to black & white mode, I am glad I did. One of my favorite shots from the trip.
Although we could have stopped at Chisholm Trail Winery, we decided to ride on. The Doss Loop was another great route and ride.
I finished the day with 55.5 miles, 4:25 riding time, 3441 feet of ascent, AHR of 113, and burned 2113 calories (roughly one supersize cheeseburger and fries). Dinner was on our own tonight, we dined with our tour-mates Bill, Wilma and Christopher at Fredericksburg Brewing Company.
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