Category: texas hill country (Page 1 of 3)
Day 6/6 of “Biking and Blogging†on the Classic Adventures Texas Hill Country Tour.
Another last day of another bike tour. About the time the last day rolls around, I find I’m getting into a good groove and don’t want to stop! I love riding daily and exploring new places by bike.
One thing is for certain, we will ride in the Texas Hill Country again. Soon, hopefully next year.
Every bike tour has a “Queen stageâ€, the toughest day of the tour – the ride to Hilltop, Enchanted Rock and back to Fredericksburg would make it the most challenging (and longest at 67 miles) of the week. Daily mileage options are always provided and on this day in particular our group utilized all the available options.
Mark and I didn’t ride to Enchanted Rock, only to the entrance then back to Fredericksburg. We chose not to do it because of a tough climb coupled with a strong headwind and since we know we’ll be back we elected to save it for another day.
Even without Enchanted Rock it was a challenging day. Mainly because of the heat and headwind we faced going back. Still, it was an awesome day – good route, good mileage (it would put us around 250 miles for the week) – and just another superb day of riding.
We started out as usual from the Inn on Barons Creek. A good day for sunscreen so I slathered it on and put the tube in my trunk. I think Mark and I were the last of the group to pull away, other than Dianne. We headed out on the road we had come in on the day before. Got to see these guys again.
Wasn’t it nice of them to pose for me.
Although our route took us back on a road that had a fair amount of traffic (compared to the other roads), cars weren’t an issue and we didn’t appear to be a problem for them. They passed when it was safe and gave us a wide berth when doing so – all any cyclist needs or expects from drivers.
I have never encountered more courteous, respectful drivers than those in the Hill Country. Mark and I have talked a lot about this fact; most recently yesterday when we were out riding on our local roads and cars were buzzing by us as if waiting for two seconds to pass safely was too much to expect. We have come to the conclusion that the biggest difference is no one in the Hill Country (that we encountered) appeared to be in a hurry. No one felt the need to catch up on their phone calls, send text messages, read that report for work, do their nails… while driving, so they didn’t feel irritated by our presence. They weren’t in a hurry and everyone everywhere else is.
It’s that mosey thing. I’m telling you, we all need to mosey more. Moseying on a bike – even better.
We were all stretched out on the road. That is Deena in the photo just above. She is a strong rider and relatively new, but you wouldn’t know it by the way she rides. The day we rode the Willow City Loop, she also rode it the other way so she could do the toughest hill again going the other way making it steeper. Several years ago before she started riding, she was on the Willow City Loop in a car, saw some cyclists riding that same hill and couldn’t imagine doing it. Several years later it is her charging up that hill.
Most if not all who bike have similar stories and I love hearing them.
Mark and I met up at the snack stop and headed off together. We rode an easy pace, savoring the last day of the tour. As the pictures show it was a beautiful day.
With bucolic bliss adding to the biking bliss.
The last miles to Hilltop Cafe were fast and smooth as glass thanks to a tailwind and a newly paved road and shoulder. I parked Lucille and noticed Deena and Christopher aka the speedsters were already there.
The food was very good, including the gumbo which was possibly better than the stuff I grew up on although I would never admit that to a family member.
More homage to the bike outside the Hilltop cafe.
Soon after lunch we rode through a gypsum mine that sort of resembled the surface of the moon. It was a blizzard of gypsum dust, making it very hard to see and breathe. I guess the wind was kicking it up. Fortunately we noticed a Tonka looking truck roughly the size of a huge tank approaching on our right. He didn’t appear to want to wait and who were we to expect him to since he could have crushed us like a bug.
The rest of the route, however, was more of what we had experienced all week – roads that were more like paved bike paths, particularly today because there were more bikes than cars. We saw more cyclists out than all the previous days combined.
You only have to bike here once to understand why.
We had a bike club from Houston flying down the hills with what for them was a tailwind as we were ever so slowly making it up the hills with the headwind. One hill in particular was very steep and fairly long. I actually stopped in the middle of the climb because my legs refused to turn the pedals fast enough. They paid for it when we had to get started again.
A few more shots of the lightly traveled roads and quiet beauty of the Texas Hill Country on the remaining miles of our last day.
I told the cows above that I had chicken for lunch and they let me pass.
We finished the day with 60 miles, 3228 feet of ascent, and 2546 calories burned. For the week we rode 258 miles.
It was an outstanding week of riding, far exceeding any expectations I had.
I highly recommend the Texas Hill Country for your biking pleasure and the same goes for Classic Adventures. Dale and Dianne managed to make a highly organized tour seem flexible and relaxed, I’m not quite sure how they did it. The accommodations were very good, the dining choices very good and the daily routes superb. They provided each of us with excellent support throughout the week and treated us like friends rather than customers.
I hope you have enjoyed the blogposts, especially those of you on the tour. Safe travels.
Previous Posts on the Texas Hill Country Bike Tour:
Texas Hill Country – Classic Adventure
Texas Hill Country – Boerne Arrival
Texas Hill Country – Boerne to Comfort
Texas Hill Country – Fredericksburg
Texas Hill Country – Ride to Doss
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 legsâ€. 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.
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