Palatka to Jacksonville

Last day!  We started early because we needed to be at the 40 mile mark by 10:30, but we were so anxious that we arrived almost an hour early. The first part of the ride was thru farm country.  Lots of fields of potato plants.  I didn't know that they grow potatoes in Florida, but there was even a small town called Spuds. Then we turned north and traveled along the eastern shore of the St. John's River--beautiful views and nice homes. The river is very wide in this area and is part of the Intercoastal Waterway.  Finally we turned east to the St. Johns County firehouse where lots of picture taking went on while we waited for 10:30 to arrive.

The last 7 miles from the firehouse to the beach were under police escort.  A police car in front, followed by the riders 2 by 2 and the sag wagon, with another police car bringing up the rear. We were on parade.  People waved and cheered as we proceeded thru the center of St. Augustine to Anastasia Island State Park and the Atlantic Ocean.  At the park there was a big welcome from friends and family of some of the riders. We had to carry our bikes across a lot of sand to get to the ocean, but we got our front wheels into the surf.  Again there was a lot of picture taking. Then most of us began cavorting in the surf--more pictures with the waves knocking us about as we tried to pose as a group.  Great fun!  Then we had a pcinic together with family and friends.

In the evening, we had our final dinner, just for the tour group.  Kathy Tex read a poem she had written about the trip and each of the riders--lots of laughs and remembered moments.  Goodbyes and hugs, and it was over.

I still need to do a final tally, but I think I rode roughly 2800 of the 3100 miles and did things I never thought I could do.  That's what it's all about.  I plan to post my photos on Picasa, but am not sure when I will be able to get that done.  I have a lot of things to catch up with when I get home.

High Springs to Palatka

We started early to avoid the heat--prediction was for 95 degrees. I don't think it got much over 90.  From San Diego on we have experienced unusally warm weather--10-15 degrees above normal and in some cases new records have be set.  On the other hand, I never had to wear my raingear.  Who would have thought that we could bike for 2 months all the way across the US without getting rained on!

I was first out this morning but I wasn't first for long and was among the last to come in, as usual.  If I would stop taking pictures, I probably wouldn't lag so much but I am also one of the slower riders. The first part of the ride was pleasant but more of the same, tho with fewer flowers.  But of course there were some new flowers: a beautiful white lily with no foliage (atamasco lily, I think) and a yellow fIower that I think is some kind of mullein. I went thru Keystone Heights where my Aunt Sophie used to live, but there was no time to stop and explore the town since I was hurrying to beat the heat.

Whatever the official temperature, it is a lot hotter out on the asphalt.  I could just feel the waves of heat coming at me.  The headwind did help to ease the heat a bit.  At the last sag stop, I took my large blue hankerchief, dumped a bunch of ice on it, rolled it up, and tied it around my neck.  OOh, that was chill, and I covered about 7 miles before all the ice melted.

There was 20-25 miles of construction work in the last third of the ride where they are repaving hwy 100.  Most of the road surface was in good condition, but most of the shoulder had been milled and was impossible to ride at more than 5-6 miles /hr.  There were two places where they were actively working and only one lane was open.  In the first case where the stretch was probably only 1/2 mile but felt like a mile, I had to bike at the end of the line but that meant that the traffic in the other direction was waiting for me.  I was biking as fast as I could go but it was on an uphill into a strong headwind, so they let the oncoming traffic start before I got to the end.  Made for an interesting ride.  In the second case they were replacing a culvert and I was able to ride on the closed lane--that was much better.  The lane closures meant that I had long stretches where there was no traffic going my direction followed by a string of 25-30 vehicles one after the other.  When that happened I got off on the shoulder no matter what condition it was in.

In Palatka, our destination for the day, I stopped once again for a milkshake.  As I left to continue to the motel, I saw the remains of an accident where a logging truck had lost its load.  I'm not surprised.  The guys who drive those trucks are maniacs.  They speed.  They give us no room on the roads.  Most of the truck drivers are very curteous to us and go over into the other lane to minimize the impact of turbulence they create.  Not so for the logging truck drivers.  Glad I won't have to deal with them anymore.

Final day tomorrow--40+ miles to Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine where we will dip our front wheels in the Atlantic Ocean, then celebrate with a picnic.

Perry to High Springs

What fools we mortals be, to be out biking on asphalt in the hot afternoon sun.  Even the animals know to relax in the shade.  I sought out and savored each possible bit of shade, but there was little of it.  Having said all that, the day's 77.4 mi ride was much more varied and interesting than the previous day's ride. We started early and had some cloud cover in the morning.  We passed by cattle ranches, dairy and poultry farms, tree farms and logging trucks. In the afternoon we stopped at the Ichetucknee Springs State Park, which was a nice break.  I just waded up to my knees in one of the springs, but several of the riders went swimming to cool off.

The best part of the ride was the wildflower display along the roadsides, mostly a variety of pinks (sweet williams?)--pink, red, lavender, and white--and coreopsis for miles and miles. Undoubtedly they were planted by the highway department, but they had spread into nearby lawns, fields, and woods. Other flowers that I have mentioned before were sprinkled among them, including a lovely blue flower which I have tentatively identified as a wild petunia. I also saw 2 lovely flowers not seen before.  One a pink frilly round (3/4 in diameter) flower (mimosa macrophyla, I think) so delicate and yet thriving in the roadside environment.  The other was a white prickly poppy, the bloom 2-3 inches wide with a yellow center and the foliage was shades of green and white.  I also spied a gopher turtle trying to cross the road in front of me, so I stopped and carried him (her?) across the road.  There was a fair amount of traffic and I was afraid that at its slow pace it might become road kill.

A correction to the Apr 23 blog: I said there were cornflowers, which was not the case.  Cornflowers are blue and these flowers, coltsfoot, are yellow.  Don't know where my head was that day.

Crawfordville to Perry

Monotonous I think best describes today's 54 mile ride.  We turned left onto route 98 out of the Inn where we spent 2 nights and stayed on it for 52.4 miles before turning right and going 1.6 miles to our motel.  The road was flat and mostly straight with good shoulders and not that much traffic. There were no towns, a couple intersections, and only a few houses as the route was mostly thru or along National Wildlife Preserves  and National Wildlife Management Areas.  Mostly what we saw were trees, including some tree farms and at least one that was harvested. We have been seeing tree farms and their harvesting ever since eastern Texas, and I know that I have mentioned the logging trucks we have had to deal with.

The trees were interspersed with swampy areas and a number of streams and rivers.  We crossed the Wakulla, St. Marks, and Aucilla Rivers.  When Linda was crossing the
Wakulla she stopped to look for alligators.  Instead she saw 2 manatees swimming under the bridge, but that was well after I had crossed without sighting anything.  There were a couple new flowers today which, unfortunately, I have been unable to identify.  The computer is just not very good for this task unless you already know the name of the flowers, then you can find lots of information about them.  But some of the unidentified flowers that I mentioned in Saturday's blog were yellow primroses and spiderworts but of unspecified varieties.  I did see today several beautiful blue irises in the boggy areas and lots of pinks, of different varieties I think.

It rained this afternoon, but not until well after everyone was in.  We have been unbelievably fortunate with the weather, except for the unusual heat.

Tomorrow is a 76 mile ride, I hope with a little more variety than today.

Crawfordville - rest day

Nancy, Victoria, and I went kayaking on the Wakulla River and had a terrific time.  Four hours for $25--wish I could bring those prices back to the DC area. When we first went out we were the only ones and it was very peaceful.  We saw osprey building a nest and two different owls. As the morning wore on more people joined us on the river, including a number in boats with motors as the river is lined with private docks and houses/cottages.  I saw a manatee come up for air, but just then a boat went by and there was no further sighting of manatee until much later in the trip.  When we were just about back to the place to take out, a couple fellows who spotted a manatee swimming around waved us over.  We got to see it swimming right by our kayaks and watched it come up for air before swimming around some more.  I got some photos which I hope will look good on my computer screen.  We also saw a number of herons, several great white egrets, another owl, moorhens, alligators (small ones), turtles, and lots of fish, some of which jumped more than a foot in the air pursuing bugs, I presume.  The sun was hot, but there was a nice breeze and some shade. While my shoulders are a bit sore, not having had much exercise for the last 2 months, it really was quite relaxing to be out there on the river and exploring nature.

The afternoon was spent eating, reading, and eating.

Quincy to Crawfordville

A great day today!  We started out around 7:45 in a misty fog but with sufficient visibility that we felt safe. Damp enough that I had to remove my glasses so I could see, and water was dripping from my helmet. The misty weather remained with us for the first 25 miles or so. It not only kept us cool, but it gave a special effect to the woods and the rivers and streams. There were a variety of wildflowers along the way--coreopsis, cornflowers, black-eyed susans, lady lupine, crimson clover, purple verbena, and a number of others I haven't been able to identify. There was not a vast sweep of them as there was in Texas, but rather a continuous scattered mix wherever the roadside had not been mowed.

At mile 34 of what was supposed to be a 47 mile ride, I along with Lise, Nancy, and Kathy M. took a side trip to Edward Ball Wakula Springs State Park, which is an area of a massive spring that spawns a river and of the 4th largest underwater cave system in the world.  It is a lovely place and usually the Womans Tour stays there but this year the place was already booked.  The 4 of us went on the guided boat tour and saw a lot of wildlife--alligators, moorhens, yellow-crowned night herons, little blue herons, wood ducks, a barred owl, turtles, a great white egret (heron), some unidentified ducks, and fish.  There was also a lot of pickerel weed in bloom and a small patch of spider lilies.

After lunch at the lodge we meet 4 men (all in their 70s) who are biking across country to raise money to fight childhood cancer.  They call themselves grandparents to support grandchildrens health.  They started March 2 in New Mexico (I think) and will end in Sun City, FL, just south of Tampa.  So far they have raised $180,000 for the cause.

Then I took a short (2 mile) hike into the woods and marsh around the springs and saw another alligator and read about various trees along the way.  Finally, I had to head towards the motel and got in around 4:30, having clocked 60 miles.

Tomorrow is a rest day.  I'm going kayaking.

Crestview - Marianna - Quincy

The ride from Crestview to Marianna was 94 miles.  Ninety on 90 the guide called it--90 miles on Hwy 90.  Well, there was a smooth shoulder and trees (but not shade), houses, open land, and medium amount of traffic, but it was hot (low 90s by afternoon), humid (in the 80+% range when we started), and boring and a headwind was picking up.  Consequently, I couldn't see any reason to be out there riding and sagged in from the 32 mile point. My second no-photo day.  I spent the afternoon sitting in the shade with a nice breeze and reading a book.

Today's ride was only 54 miles, some of it on very pleasant country roads with lots of rollers and a significant climb after crossing the Appalachiola (sp?) River.  Crossing the river also put us finally into the Eastern time zone.  While it was humid (87%) when we left and hot (upper 80s by noon), it was a more interesting (farmland, pasture with horses and cattle, woods, and small towns) and shorter ride with frequent shade.  I left around 7:30 and was at the motel by noon ( 1pm EDT).  I took a few pictures, but I really didn't see anything new or different. But I am surprised at how hilly Florida is--not what I usually think about the state. If I may mention honeysuckle once again, the fragance in the early morning under foggy, then cloudy conditions was intoxicating.

If it sounds like I'm getting a bit tired of this, you're right.  I was discussing this with a few of the other riders this morning, and we all agreed that 8 weeks was a bit too much and the sense of that set in somewhere around the 6 week mark.  We're getting anxious to go back to riding where and when we want, having a room of our own, and eating what and when we want to. But we're all hanging in there with less than a week to go now before we dip our wheels in the Atlantic Ocean.

Pensacola to Crestview

68 miles today, first on busy highway (with nice bike path/shoulder) along the coast crossing over various waterways, then on the Blackwater bike trail headed north away from the coast, then rolling country roads, and finally back to busy highway riding with shoulders.  Except for the very high humidity (it was like a sauna when we started out this morning) and the traffic it was a very pleasant ride, but there really isn't that much to say about it because it is so much like home.  When we were out West there were always new things to see, but generally that is not the case here.

The big find today was an area of Whitetop Pitcher plants in swampy area along the bike trail.  These plants, which are 1-2 ft high, are gorgeous! The top part is white with bright red veins and the stalk red then fading to green.  The flower is a bright red bell about 2 inches across--beautiful!  We also passed a watery area of swamp covered with hundreds of water lilies. We're still enjoying the fragrance of honeysuckle and another shrub with racemes of white flowers which I can't identify.  And have I mentioned that the Southern Magnolia is starting to bloom?

Dauphin Island, AL to Pensacola, FL

We made it to our final state and only 9 more days to go!

Yesterday was a rest day on Dauphin Island, but I didn't do much resting.  I started early in the morning with a hike thru the Audobon Society bird sanctuary.  I'm not a good birder--by the time I locate the bird and get the binoculars focused on the spot the bird has moved to another spot.  But it was fun just listening to all the bird calls.  At one point I thought I heard a rufus-sided towhee, but when I stopped to listen I realized that I was actually hearing a mockingbird.  I think I heard the songs of all the birds in the area during the few minutes that I listened to the mockingbird--a virtuoso performance.  I also saw 2 green herons flying back and forth at the lake in the sanctuary and lots of brown thrashers plus other birds I couldn't identify.

Then it was on to Fort Gaines, which is one of the two major forts protecting the entrance to Mobile Bay during the Civil War. I had lots of fun climbing around on the fort and reading the accounts written by those who were defending the fort and the Union soldiers who captured it.  There was also extensive material on the naval battle of Mobile Bay and Admiral Farragut who may or may not have said "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead."

On the way back to the condo, I stopped at the Indian Oyster Shell Mound Park.  These mounds of oyster shells reflect repeated Indian encampments from 1100 AD to the early 1800s. Nice hike thru stands of old oaks and lots of wildflowers.

After lunch, further exploration of the island, and a brief rest, I took a 2 1/2 hour walk along the beach and watched the sun set over the water.  All the foam from the surf reflected the colors of the rainbow.  I don't know if that has to do with the oil spill or not.  I've never seen it before.  I also learned that what I thought were oil rigs on the horizon are actually natural gas rigs.  Whatever they are they certainly ruin the view looking out to sea.

Today we took the ferry across Mobile Bay.  I left the group on the other side to visit Fort  , the other major fort protecting access to Mobile Bay.  This fort was not in as good repair nor as well explained.  And it was much larger than Ft. Gaines because the government expanded it greatly in the 1890s before abandoning it in 1923. 

To catch up with the group after the fort visit, I sagged for about 20 miles with the van so I only rode about 41 miles today instead of 60.  Most of our route was along the coast with lots of views of the Gulf and the white sands of the shore.  After arriving in Pensacola, I spent a few hours touring the historic part of the city and visiting art galleries.  Pensacola was settled in the mid 1500s which makes it one of the oldest cities in the US.

Pascagoula, MS - Dauphin Island AL.

We are one state closer to the end.  We have a rest day tomorrow here on dauphin Island which is a barrier island outside Mobile Bay.  We're staying in a condo complex with direct access to the beach and 2 swimming pools. On the horizon are a number of oil rigs and tonigght they are lit up like Christmas trees.  I counted 8 of them, some close some farther away.

Today's ride was a short 41.3 mi.  We had a headwind or crosswind for the first 25-0 miles, then a tailwind.  I liked that part better.  I did spot an alligator along the bank of a creek? bayou? shortly before leaving Mississippi. I stopped at the spot where the ranger at the wildlife refuge (where I stopped yesterday) told me I could a number of pitcher plants but i couldnIt see any. Much of the area was fenced off and inaccessible.

The last part of the ride was near the coast with  lots of salt water marshes and a number of sea birds including egrets, a great blue heron, brown pelicans, and white pelicans.  Finally. to get to the island we rode across a 3.5 mi  bridge which was mostly low level but one very high section which provided great views of the island and out over the water.  However, there were aa lot of broken beer bottles on the shoulder and I'm really surprised that I didn't get a flat tire.

Wehad a bit of a party tonight to celebrate the birthday of our guide, Carol.

Wiggins to Pascagoula, MS

Great ride today--cooler, less humid, good roads, and pleasant countryside (71 mi).  Early in the ride we had a rather bizarre incident--one of the riders had the bolt holding her seat in place snap in two, her seat fell apart, and she went down.  I never heard of such a thing happening.

We rode a long stretch thru the DeSoto National Forest, which was largely pine forest.  Coreopsis, crimson clover, and purple verbena again, and occasionally the yellow and the blue irises which grow along water.  In one case, someone had planted water lilies inthe ditch next to their drive. In the afternoon, I stopped at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Preserve, but didn't get to see any of the approximately 120 cranes.  It is nesting season and they are pretty much out of sight.  These cranes do not migrate, and the ones living hete are the only ones living in the wild anywhere in the world.

One of the great things about biking is the sensory perceptions as you ride, which you don't get driving along in an air-conditioned car--the sound of birds calling back and forth, of cows mooing, and dogs barking; and the fragrances of honeysuckle and other flowers, of pine trees and the smell of fresh cut pine when the logging trucks go by, of water and damp earth, of horses and, of course, less pleasant smells--exhaust, dead animals, skunks, etc.

Hammond - Bogalusa, LA - Wiggins, MS

The ride from Hammond to Bogalusa (55.2 mi) was mostly over quiet roads with rolling landscape with pine woods, cattle farms, and occasional towns and houses.  Weather was good with only light winds. We continue to see lots of honeysuckle, purple verbena, and crimson clover to which were added some form of mint with a light blue flower and a black-eyed susan with foliage somewhat different from that in the DC area but the flowers  look the same.

Today's ride started out fine and we quickly crossed the state line into Mississippi.  We were all anxious to move quickly because the forcast was for strong winds, thunderstorms, and possibly hail in the afternoon.  We were not far into Mississippi when we encountered the first road closed signs, but when we checked it out we were able to get thru by walking our bikes a short distance thru the construction area.  But we hadn't much more than cleared that problem, when we encountered another "road closed" sign.  This time we couldn't get thru and had to wait about 1/2 hour until our guide could find a suitable detour.  By the time we had completed the detour (which really didn't take us out of our way), the wind had kicked up considerably and I decided to sag rather than fight the wind.  Only did 27 of the 60 miles.  In terms of terrain, etc. I can't see any difference from Louisiana.

Everyone made it to the hotel without more than a few drops of rain.

St. Francisville to Hammond, LA

What a day!  First, let me say that it was a beautiful, warm, sunny day, the roads were mostly good, and the scenery pleasant. But...it was supposed to be an 87 mi day until we encountered a detour which made it a 95 mile day.  Then I was cruising along with my head on another planet and missed a turn, adding 4 more miles. As I neared the end, I saw a Sonic drivein where I could get a milkshake, and with my attention thus diverted I missed a turn and added another mile to the total.  So, I rode a century (100 miles) today, the 2nd time on this trip, and I did get the milkshake.

Just a note about the Sonic chain: it is a drivein fast food place like they used to have when I was a teenager.  There is no inside seating, but there is outdoor seating with a place to order, which works very well for us cyclists.  I thought driveins had disappeared completely, but not here in Louisiana and eastern Texas.

While it was a pleasant ride today, there wasn't anything particularly notable about the area we were passing thru--it could have been anywhere in the eastern US south of New England.  For the first time on this trip, I did not take any photos, which gives you some idea.

Lake Charles - Lafayette - St. Francisville

Yesterday we crossed the Mississippi River by ferry.  We are now in the eastern US, which is good because we only have 16 more days to make our way to St. Augustine.

These are long riding days--88.5 mi. into Lafayette (I took a couple side trips.) and 86 mi. to St. Francisville.  Today is a rest day to be followed tomorrow by an 88 mi. day.  The good news is that it is quite flat in Louisiana, although less so here on the eastern side of the Mississippi River.  The bad news is that on the ride to Lafayette we were dealing with a 20 mph wind--mostly a crosswind, and only occasionally a headwind or tailwind, and who knows what tomorrow will bring.  The other good news is that with 70% of the ride behind us, we still have not been rained on.  It rained last evening, but not until well after all of us had reached the Butler-Greenwood  Plantation where we are staying, in the outbuildings--the old kitchen, cook's cottage, gazebo, dove cote, treehouse, etc. This plantation has been in the same family since 1796.  Unfortunately, it is way out of town, with no WiFi, no place to eat, and a long way to walk to get to anything.

So, this morning I rode my bike into town to visit the Rosedown Plantation which has 28 acres of gardens. The house with its two-story columns and porches was impressive, just what one imagines of a southern plantation. The rose garden has lots of heirloom varieties which have such wonderful fragrance.  And the live oak trees, which are nearly 200 years old, are just magnificent. What I really wanted to see were the azaleas in bloom (hundreds of them, most well over my head), but I'm too late.  They've already been here and gone, hastened no doubt by the record setting heat wave in this part of the country.  In Lafayette the temperature was 89 degrees the day we rode in, and the record for that day is 89 degrees.

On the ride to Lafayette, we passed thru Crowley, which claims to be the rice capital of the world, and we did see a number of rice paddies around there as well as a number of crawfish farms, which I suspect were once rice paddies.  Lots of water and lots of water birds.  I was riding along a deep ditch when a great white heron flew up and flew alongside me for awhile--that was great!  Road kill has changed--we now see lots of armadillos, skunks, and possums as well as snakes, frogs, and other little things that live around water.  I'm still waiting to see a live armadillo.

Honeysuckle is everywhere--we ride to the fragrance. Also hundreds of spider lilies along yesterday's ride.  As we headed towards the ferry, we rode along the levee for miles, and I was surprised to see that they graze cattle on the levee, and bail hay, and who knows what else.  The last few days have reminded me how much earlier things mature here than back home in DC.  Mulberries are ripe, strawbery festivals are happening, roses and Southern Magnolia are in bloom, corn is already 12-15 inches high in the fields.

I'm writing this on the computer in the St. Francisville public library and am about to take a walking tour of the historic part of town.  St. Francisville was once the capital of the West Florida Republic, a short-lived declaration of independence from Spain which led to the US taking over this area.

Cleveland - Silsbee, TX - Lake Charles, LA

The big news is that we finally are out of Texas! Twenty days was about 15 too many.

For the last 2 days there has been nothing particularly notable in the landscape or the locations. It was mostly pine woods in Texas and lots of logging trucks, but getting wetter as we approached Louisiana.  No longer a burn ban--I think that may be a first for our entire time in Texas.  Once we crossed into Louisiana, there were lots of bridges and more farmland, fewer trees.  Both days there was a headwind or crosswind most of the day, more today than yesterday.  Yesterday was a 63.5 mile day and today was supposed to be a 76 mile day, but with the heat and humidity and a persistent head wind I called it a day at 62 miles.  I think if this combination of heat, humidity, and headwind continue, I may get in the sag wagon everyday by 1 pm--it's just too hot for me in the middle of the afternoon.

Wildflowers have been fewer, but a new one which has made infrequent appearances over the last two days is the spider lily, which I have never before seen growing wild.  There have been perhaps 100-150 of them along the way compared with the thousands of crimson clover (the clover I described in the previous post) and the millions of pink primroses, but they are quite a delight to see.  Also notable is a pinkish thistle with a flower head 1 1/2 to 2 inches across, which the butterflies really love especially the swallowtails, both yellow ones and black ones. Yesterday just when my spirits were really flagging, a great blue heron carrying a few sticks, presumably for its nest, flew across the road right in front of me. It gave me a lift that kept me going for quite a few miles.

Navasota to Cleveland (Texas, that is)

Another good ride--75 miles today much of it thru wooded areas. We had about 15-20 miles thru Sam Houston National Forest, a lovely ride, but there were also many other miles of wooded areas, mostly pines but oaks and other varieties as well. We had gentle rolling hills in the morning, but by afternoon the landscape had largely flattened out.  I didn't mind the change--my thighs are a bit tired of hills and there was a headwind the last 20 miles. We  passed a large lake while in the National Forest, and I saw egrets and great blue herons for the first time since we left San Diego.

My ride was brightened by the wildflowers along the roads.  The dominant flower today was a bright yellow coreopsis--miles and miles of them.  New today was a red clover that is unlike what I know as red clover back east, which is actually rather purplish.  This clover has a cylindrical flower head and is definitely red.  I have no idea what it is called.  There was also a deep reddish purple vetch as well as all the other flowers I've written about over the last week. If they have this many wildflowers when it has been so dry, I can't imagine what it would be like if they had had rain.

Yesterday was a rest day in Navasota. A group of us walked into town for lunch, then I continued exploring on my own. Lots of antique shops, but not much else. One of the town's claims to fame is being the Blues capital of Texas.  They have a Blues jam every Friday night, unfortunately, I was there on Wednesday.  There were a number of big Victorian era houses in town--the money came from lumbering and growing cotton.  The town is, it seemed to me, less prosperous now, although several of those houses have been turned into inns or B&Bs, so maybe the money now is in tourists.

I also visited the studio of a local artist whose work I really liked--very simple lines and vivid colors making a powerful impression. Didn't buy one, but I do have his card and his web address.

La Grange to Navasota

Today was just a delightful, delightful ride! There were gentle rolling hills, good road surface, blue skies, beautiful scenery--farmland and pasture, cattle grazing, beautiful oak trees (live oaks, I think), wildflowers-- and cool weather.  What more can one ask.

The front that came thru yesterday changed the weather tremenduously.  Yesterday morning when we left it was around 77 degrees, and I wore my shorts, a sleeveless bike jersey, and sandals with no socks.  This morning it was almost 40 degrees colder and I wore my shorts, a short-sleeved jersey, a jacket, leg warmers, full gloves, and shoes with socks and was still cold until the sun was high enough to warm us.  But once it warmed, it was a perfect day for riding.

Today was bluebonnet day--they were everywhere, along the roadside and whole fields of them in many places. In addition to all the other flowers we've been seeing, today there were in a few white poppies with yellow centers. I got some great photos but have not found any way to get them from my camera to the computer.

It was such a lovely day that I was in no hurry to get to the motel, so I stopped to explore along the way.  One stop was at the original site of Baylor University founded in 1845 as a coed institution, later separated into a men's college and a women's college. The same site also had several historic houses on display tho not open for viewing.

Then I stopped in Independence, one of the original settlements in the area, for lunch and a chat with the owner of the General Store, who looks forward every year to the bikers coming thru and had many stories to tell.

Finally, I stopped at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park, which is dedicated to the history of the independence of Texas from Mexico and the 10 years of the Republic of Texas.  The convention of delegates that drew up the Texas Declaration of Independence and declared the republic met in the town of Independence, which they refer to as the Philadelphia of Texas.

Then it was 10 more miles to Navasota, another strawberry milkshake, a shower, and dinner.  A special treat tonight because we were celebrating the 50th birthday of one member of the tour.

Bastrop to La Grange

Only 41 miles today, but what a day!  We started witth a ride thru Bastrop and Buescher State Parks with lots of ups and downs, some quite steep (17% - I walked).  It was largely pine forest with the wonderful fragrance of pine.  About 2/3s of the way thru the parks a big storm blew thru, which was part of a front moving thru the area.  The temperature dropped 10-15 degrees almost instantaneously and the wind was howling thru the treetops.  One of the members of the groupwho was already out in the open took refuge in a big trash can that had been overturned by the wind.

When the rest of us got out of the park we had a 2+ mi ride in a crosswind that was blowing about 25 mph across open fields and gusting.  There were a couple times when I thought I was going to be blown over. Then we turned a corner and it became a tailwind. Terrific! From there it was an easy ride with only occasional cross and headwinds as the road turned one way or another.

I think we are truly in the South now as I saw Spanish moss today for the first time on this trip. Also saw more oil wells today--spotted the first ones yesterdayy, which I forgot to mention in my blog. Again lots of flowers along the roadside.  More bluebonnets than we've seen before. But the most beautiful were the winecups, which are a rich magenta with a white center.  Unfortunately, I still have not found any way to add photos to this blog.

Blanco to Bastrop

The word for today is windy--15-20 mph, mostly crosswind and headwind until we left Lockhart.The ride out of Blanco was again ups and downs for the first 25 miles or so, then it leveled off considerably with open farm fields.  That's when I began to struggle with the wind. I finally gave in at Lockhart about 62 miles into the ride because I was struggling to go even 8mph and I figured at that rate I would not get into Bastrop until after dinner.  Of course, shortly thereafter the route turned and what had been a headwind/crosswind became a tailwind/crosswind, so at the next sag stop I got back on my bike and pedaled the last 13 miles into town for a total of 72.5 miles for the day.

Wind aside, it was a lovely ride--good road surface, cloudy til mid afternoon, rolling hills and ranches and farms, and wildflowers almost continuously along the way.  I rode by myself almost the entire way because I got a late start and then stopped to take photos. Many of the roads we have been riding on are designated as "ranch" roads and "farm" roads, but I haven't been able to figure out the difference since there seem to be farms along the ranch roads and ranches along the farm roads.

In yesterday's post I neglected to mention the  purple verbena and the pink primrose which have brightened the roadside for the last 4-5 days.  Today I added some new sightings--blue-eyed grass, wild mustard, blanketflower, and some unidentified.

Tomorrow's a shorter ride but they are promising more wind and a 50% chance of rain--further proof that we have left the arid regions behind.

Kerrville to Blanco

Today was 64.8 miles of up and down--some ups pretty steep, but in most cases the momentum from the downs carried me most of the way up the next. We had about 10 miles of really bad road, but the rest was not too bad, some was almost smooth, especially the last 9 miles into town. Really lifted my spirits, which had been flagging badly.

We  were also fortunate that today was cloudy until late afternoon.  Although it is very dry and there is a burn ban thruout the Hill Country, it is much more humid here than earlier and the sweat does not evaporate as easily. With temperature in the high *0s full sun would have been quite uuncomfortaable.

There were more flowers along the roadside than on any previous day.  As we paralleled I-10 there were bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush. Elsewhere there were lots of white and yellow daisies, rain lilies (which are pink when in bud and white with pink tinge when open--quite delicate and lovely), pinks, and many others which I couldn't identify.

On the way into Blanco I stopped at the Dairy Queen for a strawberry milkshake--really refreshing on a hot day and oh so yummy! It should read temps in the high 80s, but I can't get this to let me go bake and make the change.