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.