Category: touring (Page 2 of 12)

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.

Day 4/6 of “Biking and Blogging” on the Classic Adventures Texas Hill Country Tour.

The Hill Country is known as the mecca for the infamous Texas bluebonnets. 

Although we had seen bluebonnets and other wildflowers the last few days, they were nothing like what we saw on the Willow City Loop.

We got our first taste of what would be a bluebonnet bonanza early on in the day’s ride.

Granted, I love wildflowers, but I could not get over the beauty of the bluebonnets. Blue is a rare color in nature, and bluebonnets are especially spectacular.

Once again, we had a day with cool temperatures and few motorists. Instead of cows, horses and sheep (oh my) we had bluebonnets, poppies and Indian paintbrush. A fair trade.

I just could not get over how great the biking was! Pastoral scenes and quiet roads.

Soon after getting back on the bike after our stopping for bluebonnet shots, Mark had a flat on the rear. Fortunately, we had a tube, small hand pump and tire levers so we could change it, but Dianne, our guide on the bike, came up and offered to help change it.

Dianne quickly got the tire off and the new tube in and in no time we were on our way again.

We came across a large field of rye, or some type of grass, that with the billowy clouds above it I knew would make a wonderful picture so I stopped and took these shots. No bluebonnets, but I think they are a good representation of the type of quiet beauty of this area.

Before long we came to Willow City Loop road – just follow the goats. 

To say the bluebonnets and other wildflowers were in abundance on Willow City Loop doesn’t come close to describing what we saw so I will let the pictures do the talking.

My pictures here don’t do it justice either. We were told it had been more than 20 years since the Willow City Loop area has had such a showing of bluebonnets or poppies.

The riding was fun, up and down and a few sweeping turns.

Sagebrush and bluebonnets galore.

So beautiful and the scent of  you were riding through was amazing.

It has begun to rain, but no problem because we skipped the few miles on a highway catching a lift in the van to our lunch spot. We had lunch with Marshall Dillon and Miss Kitty at the Knot in the Loop Saloon.

While enjoying what was a great burger and fries, it poured. When it was time to mount up and head out again, it cleared. Thank you cycling gods.

More great miles and scenery.

Back at the Inn on Barons Creek, we enjoyed our reward for the day, ice cold Shiner Bock, then met up with the others for dinner at another great restaurant, Crossroads Saloon and Steakhouse. Fabulous meal and company.

For the day:  56 miles, in 4:34, 12.3 pace, 110 AHR, 2024 calories burned.

Day 3/6 of “Biking and Blogging” on the Classic Adventures Texas Hill Country Tour.

Our ride today took us from Comfort to Fredericksburg, the heart of Texas hill country.

We packed up and took our luggage to the van for the last time on the tour, at least until the end of the tour. Our next four nights are in Fredericksburg at the Inn on Barons Creek. No more moving!

It might sound like a small thing, maybe it even is, but when you’re biking from place to place, sometimes (all the time) the last thing you feel like doing is unpacking, only to have to repack the next morning. It doesn’t make sense to actually unpack for just one night, but four nights we could really settle in. Plus, it would save time in the mornings so we could sleep later – eureka!

On a bike tour with decent daily mileage (at least 35-50) most of your time is spent biking – eating – sleeping – repeating. Very little time is spent sightseeing although you see plenty of sights while riding and can stop whenever the mood hits you. Having dinner as a group is a time to explore the town a little, get to know your biking buds and guides and get a sense of the town. Oh, and eat really well.

Starting out from Comfort the conditions were close to perfect – overcast, a comfortable temperature, light traffic and a tailwind – all of which can turn any place into cycling nirvana. It was also a great route, actually all the routes were. Classic Adventures gets an A+ on route selection, choosing off-the-beaten path, yet very rideable, roads. The route sheets/trip notes were also spot on. And, since they equipped the bikes with a computer you always knew exactly where to turn. I can’t imagine doing a bike tour without a bike computer, all instructions are done by mileage so it’s no wonder people get lost without one.

Suffice it to say, the route sheets and trip notes were so detailed and precise that I followed them with no trouble – and as those of you familiar with my ability to get lost understand – that’s no small feat. 

Our first stop was at Old Tunnel State Park; to get there though, we had to climb our first significant hill. By now it was raining lightly and the temperature was getting cooler. Old Tunnel, aka Bat Cave, is an old railway tunnel and home to millions of bats. We saw neither, but it would have been cool to see the bats – from a distance.

Dale was waiting for us with the van to refill our bottles and stomachs, both of which are always appreciated. On a bike tour it’s critical to drink and eat throughout the day, food is fuel and you can’t ride without it so you must eat – it’s tough, but I’m always up for the challenge.

Speaking of eating, lunch was in Luckenbach – home to Waylon and Willie and the boys. A small place during the week, but a busy, crowded place on the weekend. The ride there was ideal; serenely beautiful in that bucolic kind of way.

Another day where we saw more horses, cows and sheep than people and cars.

Rolling into Luckenbach for our well-earned picnic lunch put us at the half way point in terms of mileage for the day. It had been an incredibly easy ride to that point; I was beginning to get my “bike touring legs”. Even though we’ve done a lot of training this year, it still takes a few consecutive days of riding to get there – guess it’s sort of like getting sea legs. Anyway, I was feeling strong and the riding seemed effortless. Could have been that tailwind too.

Every day there were mileage options, with Mark and I usually riding the longer option. 

Taking time to stop and smell the flowers.

The afternoon ride was more of the same miles of empty roads and easy riding. The kind of day when the miles rolled away easily.

When we did roll into our home for the next four nights, Inn on Barons Creek, our luggage was in the room (as it was on every other day too) so all we had to do was grab a cold beer and relax outside by the creek.

For the day, we rode 45 miles, averaged 12.0 mph, climbed 2,500 feet and burned 1,700 calories – which I would more than make up for at dinner at the excellent Bejas Grill. We walked back to our room and did something I had been looking forward to since leaving Comfort, we unpacked.

Previous posts:

Classic Adventure – Texas Hill Country

Texas Hill Country–Boerne Arrival

Texas Hill Country-Boerne to Comfort

Day 2/6 of “Biking and Blogging” on the Classic Adventures Texas Hill Country Tour.

After our morning meeting over a hearty breakfast at Ye Kendall Inn (not too Texan-y is it), we saddled up and headed out on the lovely roads of the Texas Hill Country.

My definition of lovely roads:  very little traffic, no potholes that will swallow up your bike, no beasts on 2 or 4 legs, and lovely scenery. Our ride from Boerne to Comfort offered us all of that and more.

The weather was perfect for those of us that prefer to ride without the sun beating down on us and mild temperatures. Cycling utopia.

Seriously, I didn’t expect to think that the “farm to market” (FM) roads in Texas would be my idea of cycling nirvana, but in many ways they were. They form a network through the Hill Country and other areas of Texas and are simply perfect for traveling by bike. Farm to market roads were developed to connect agricultural areas with market towns – the same types of towns that have the amenities that a cyclist needs.

One thing about the “farm to market” roads is they are all paved with chip seal. Texas sized chip seal.

Lucille, as I came to call my loaner Trek Pilot, smoothed out the chip seal or maybe I just got used to it.

The ride from Boerne to Comfort had us cross the Guadalupe River and the turn for the “Cave without a Name”. Although we didn’t stop at the cave, Dale, our resident historian (a former professor of history) explained to us how the cave got its no-name. The owner of the cave back in the 1940’s held a contest to name the cave. A boy entered the contest and suggested the cave was too beautiful to have a name and thus the no-name name.

We stopped at Sister Creek Vineyards in Sisterdale, and then on to the Sisterdale Trading Company & Saloon for a picnic lunch. Reportedly, the saloon is the oldest bar in the lone star state; from the way it reeked of cigarette smoke I’m inclined to believe it. It was a cool old bar, unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of inside.

After lunch we continued along the same type of secluded roadways with gently rolling hills. We rode together as a group for awhile and at one of the stops I took the opportunity to get this shot. Sort of reminiscent of a pro peloton stopping for “natural break” – ha.

As the week progressed the hills did too which was fine by me. My preference is always to start out with easier terrain and fewer miles, since typically I get stronger with each consecutive day.

The scenery was also going to improve we were told (and it did), but both Mark and I enjoyed the scenery of the first couple of days too – one bucolic scene after another – including the first sighting of bluebonnets.

and other wildflowers.

Our trip notes even included information on where the best photo ops were so we all stopped for this pastoral scene of the Guadalupe River.

Just a few more miles later we pulled into our next home, the Meyer Bed and Breakfast. Thanks to a couple of our riding buddies we continued our bike touring ritual of enjoying a cold beer after a day’s ride – this time on a porch overlooking the picturesque Cypress Creek. Beer always tastes best after a bike ride.

Dinner was fried shrimp and catfish, fries and hushpuppies and something equally fattening for dessert. There will be no weight loss on this bike tour.

For the day:  38 miles, 3:14 actual riding time, 1437 calories burned (and ingested at dinner), AHR 107, AVS 12. It’s a tour, I’m supposed to be slow.

Previous Posts:

Classic Adventure – Texas Hill Country

Texas Hill Country–Boerne Arrival

Day 1/6 of “Biking and Blogging” on the Classic Adventures Texas Hill Country Tour.

Doing a bike tour so close to home allowed us to drive instead of fly. We always prefer to drive when the distance is manageable in a day, sometimes even when it isn’t. If you can’t ride it, driving it isn’t bad.

Besides, when our daughter, son-in-law and the two sweetest, most adorable grandchildren in the world lived there – Austin and the University of Texas – we made the trip frequently. Other than riding in the Ride for the Roses, it was our first time to go there for the sole purpose of biking bliss.

We drove down to Boerne, TX the same day the bike tour officially began – Sunday. We would get our loaner bikes fitted, take a short ride and get acquainted over dinner. By the time we arrived everyone else was already there. We were a small group, only ten of us, including Dale and Dianne, our guides for the week, and as I mentioned in my first post Classic Adventure – Texas Hill Country, founders of the bike tour company, Classic Adventures.

Once we got our bikes adjusted we changed into our bike gear and took a brief ride around Boerne. My initial ride on my steed for the week, a Trek Pilot, had me missing both Rocket and Condor, but that would soon change. After our quick ride around Boerne we returned to Ye Kendall Inn, our home for the night to get ready to meet the gang for dinner. The rooms in the Inn were large and nicely furnished – Texas style.

It didn’t take us long to give our room our own personal touch…

Before dinner, we gathered in Dale and Dianne’s room for wine and a “meet and greet”. As usual on bike tours, the group seemed friendly and easy going. Interestingly enough, with just a few exceptions they were all retired teachers. As Mark pointed out, although he wasn’t a teacher, he had caused many to retire, so it was sort of the same thing.

We also learned about the beginnings of Classic Adventures from Dale and Dianne – an interesting story – again involving teaching – which you can read about here. For any of my fellow tour riders/former teachers reading these posts, be forewarned that I take whatever license I need with the English language and rules of grammar to tell my stories so be prepared to cringe, particularly if you taught English. Thank god you can’t use your red pen–

As is typical on bike tours we ate well, this evening at the Tin Roof steakhouse in Boerne.  As is not-so-typical on any bike ride I do, I only had salad for dinner; although the steaks looked fantastic. I would more than make up for that as the week went on.

Tomorrow our riding officially starts when we leave Boerne and ride to Comfort!

Scenes from Day 1: