Nancy's Travel Journal

It has been very hard to post for the past few days, between not having access to a computer, much less the internet, and a visitor I have had for a couple of days (not complaining about that).  Bill arrived in Navasota, our planned meeting place, a day early.  So I invited him to dinner in La Grange on Monday night.  But, more about that later.
April 9 dawned much nicer than the days before, even though it was cold.  We left Bastrop anticipating a nice ride into LaGrange.  The first 15 miles of our route took us through Bastrop State Park.  There was no traffic and quiet roads, but very steep hills, one reported to be about 15%.  Most of us had to walk that one.  The SAG was waiting for us at the exit to the park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of the day was uneventful, except for the beautiful wildflowers.  It seemed that around every curve there was yet another field of Bluebells, Primroses, Thistles and other that I could not name.On this day, I also saw my first Texas oil well on this trip, and some live oaks with Spanish moss.  The live oaks thrive in this part of the state.
We arrived in LaGrange in time for lunch.  I stopped at the courthouse square and ask a man where we could find the best lunch in town.  He answered, “My house, but it is not open today.”  So we opted for Frank’s place, reminiscent of the old Frank’s or Brook’s in Metter.  Several of us chose big, juicy hamburgers and the best onion rings in Texas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was at Frank’s place that we found out why LaGrange is famous.  Does the name Sheriff Jim Flournoy ring a bell?  How about the “Chicken Ranch”?  If you are still not sure, see this article.http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/CC/ysc1.html

So here is Sheriff Jim.  Wonder if the “Yard Eggs” came from descendants of the “Chicken Ranch” chickens?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch, Ramsay, Hille and I decided to explore the town.  The most impressive building in town is the courthouse, built in 1891 for $96,000. For more information on its history, see http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasCourthouses/FayetteCounty/FayetteCountyCourthouse.htm 

As we entered the building and walked around the lobby and inside courtyard, somehow I could feel Ogden Doremus’s spirit there.  Then I realized that it was the time of his funeral in Metter.  Music was playing in the background as allowed myself to relive some of the ways in which he and Carol had touched my life since 1974, and the lives of so many other people.  It is amazing how feelings come over us sometimes.  We just have to take the time to understand them.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The final site we visited in LaGrange was the old jail, except for the size, not entirely unlike my memories of the old jail in Metter.  While it is now a visitor’s center, some of the old cells and other features have been preserved.

When we left the jail, we found our way back to the motel, where Bill was waiting for me.  It was so good to see him.  He experienced our evening meal, along with several other guests.  One was a vet who gave us a lesson on the various kinds of cows in Texas.  Very informative.

After dinner, I told Bill goodbye, temporarily because he would be waiting for me the next day in Navasota.

This day was predicted to be cold and rainy.  It lived up to expectations with a temperature of 36 degrees.  I was just not ready to subject myself to that kind of ride, with no improvement in the weather predicted. About six of us started in the van, with two more jumping in at mile 12, reporting numb fingers and toes.  This picture as the group started out says it all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we rode along in the van we became more and more concerned about the riders.  The freezing rain continued to pelt the windshield. In spite of the beauty of this river, we were concerned about it rising over the road before the riders passed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we reached Comfort, an appropriate name for what happened there, a couple of the women were suffering from hypothermia. One of them got in the van with us.  The other one had found help in an antique shop, where several others found shelter as well.

The van only holds 15 folks and bicycles.  So, while some waited in the shop for the van to return for them, we rode on to Blanco.  At the end of the day, only four riders made it all the way to Blanco on their bikes about the time it began to lightly snow.  My roomie for the night, Barb, was one of them.  By dinner time, everyone was warm and safe.  The cold weather seemed to be the news of the day all over the country. 

Easter Sunday dawned cloudy and cold again.  Many of us decided to load in the van for Bastrop, not wanting a repeat of the day before.  I had hoped to find an early Easter service in a Methodist Church, but was not able to get any information on time of services.  Later I found out that one of the women had walked into town and found that there was a 9:00 service.  Wish I could have been there.  

Our group managed to keep up their good humor by wearing their Easter finery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was not much to see or do in Bastrop, just good food and a comfortable bed.   

It never ceases to amaze me what a good night's sleep can do for one's physical and mental state!  I  had so much more energy leaving Vanderpool and the Foxfire Cabins, than I did Camp Wood.  Of course, I had planned to ride only 24 of the 51 miles today.  Since the 111-mile day, I have been suffering from some sort of nerve problem in my right hand.  Michelle, one of the guides, looked at the configuration of my handlebars and determined that I was leaning too far forward on the handlebars, thus putting too much of my body weight on my hands.  Now, I have had this bicycle for quite a few years, and never knew why my hands would go numb.  As a  temporary fix, we raised the stem a bit, but there was not much space to raise it and still be safe.  She also turned the handlebars up, thus causing me to sit a bit higher.  Since there is a great bike shop in Kerrville, I decided to ride in the van, get to the shop early, and try to get a new stem.  Michelle suggested that I might want to ride the first 24 miles to Medina because it is such a beautiful ride.  Before the beautiful part, we had to cross another "hill" with a 6-10% grade, a 1.3-mile climb.  It seemed straight up to me!  After only a few yard of huffing and puffing, it was evident that I would have to resort to some cross-training (aka walk up the hill).  The advantage was that I saw some beautiful rock strata where the road was cut. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even some of the strongest women had to walk part of this hill.  Then there was the downhill.  All I could do was "feather" my brakes and say to myself…"hold on tight"!  My maximum speed was probably about 35 mph!

After the downhill, we were rewarded with some of the most beautiful farm country I have seen on this trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The landscape is lush and green.  There are farms with cattle, llamas, horses, and even some kangaroos! Yep, my friend Anne saw them and has photographs to prove it.  We are told that there are some exotic game farms in the area. 

Another highlight of this day was the array of wildflowers, particularly the Texas Bluebonnets.  One of our SAG stops was beside a lovely sea of "blue", spotted with some Indian Paintbrush.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then there was Medina, home of Loves Cree Cidr Mill and Country Store, http://www.lovecreekorchards.com/  They had everything "apple", from cider to pie, to strudel, to apple pie ice cream, and even trees ( a bit hard to carry on bicycle)  Anyone who cycles, knows that a place like this is a virtual paradise!  Just about everyone stopped here for a rest and some "energy" food. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I walked down the street to an art gallery where I found some gifts for the Porter family.  Polly, Melissa, Howard, and Mariann, look for something in the mail!  There was even an ACE Hardware store in Medina, Pernal!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Medina, I loaded my bicycle on the van and rode the rest of the day watching folks struggle up the hills, and enjoy the scenery.  We passed the "Thunder in the Hills Church", a church for bikers.  While I could not stop for pictures, a friend did manage to visit the church.  We might have stopped for a service if it had been Sunday.

Arriving in Kerrville for two days, we went immediately to the Hill Country Bicycle Works. http://www.hillcountrybicycle.com/index.htm  Adam, the owner, agreed with Michelle about my stem and handlebars.  So I left it there for a "make-over".  Of course, just about everyone on the tour ended up stopping there for repairs or new merchandise. 

When one is on the road for over a month, there are other necessities that must be addressed.  Two goals for my layover day here were to get a haircut and a pedicure (a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do-especially if she wears sandals when cycling).  I am not sure it was planned that way, but there just happened to be a nail place next to the bike shop.  So I addressed one goal while waiting for the other women at the bike shop. 

Upon arriving at the hotel, I asked about places for haircuts.  As luck would have it, the first place was booked because of Easter.  But, I managed to reach Lisa, who agreed, not only to cut my hair, but to pick me up from the hotel the next morning (and anyone else who needed a cut.)  At the arranged time on Friday morning Lisa was here to pick Bobbi and me up.  She not only did a great job cutting our hair, but took us to the post office and to Wal-mart before dropping us off downtown for lunch.  She was a gem.  One of her classic statements about Texas women was, "the bigger the hair, the smaller the town"  That quote is a keeper.  She offered to pick us up later from the restaurant and take us back to the hotel or anywhere we wanted to go.  We thanked her profusely!  What if the other hairdresser had not been busy!  We never would have met this angel of a woman.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We met our friends at Jefferson Joe's St. Restaurant, reviewed by Kinky Friedman, on NPR.  Great home cooking, with black-eyed peas, squash, potatoes, buttermilk pie, and the list goes on and on.

Then it was back to the bike shop on Friday afternoon to pick up all of the bikes.  Of course, mine was the real challenge of the day.  It was not quite ready.  The owner had worked until midnight last night to accommodate all of us.  He said h
e would bring it to the hotel later in the evening, which he did.

And, speaking of hotels, we stayed at the YO Ranch Resort, an interesting hotel in Kerrville.  This was our home for two days.

Although it was a short day from Camp Wood in terms of mileage, the day did not start well for me.  The road was “chip seal” (aka shake and bake) the wind was in my face and I just could not find a place to sit that felt comfortable.   At about mile 5, I was about ready to catch the SAG to our next stop.  And, I knew that we had very tough hills ahead.  But, I decided to press on until I saw the SAG, as I began to climb the first serious hill.  Folks have said that if you look down instead of ahead, the road is always level.  That was my strategy in climbing this hill.  Finally, there was the top of the hill.  It was a tough ride, but I was not winded when I reached the top, nor did I have to get off and walk.  Then there was the ride down, quite scary for me.  I always worry about crashing.

This picture tells the story

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then there was the second hill, much like the first.  At the top, our reward was a beautiful vista

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then came another downhill.  The cuts in the mountains are amazing.  This is just before we made our final descent into Vanderpool. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a short stop at a country store for ice cream, we arrived at our home for the night.  The Foxfire Cabins remind me of some place in the North Georgia mountains. Of course there was no cell signal and no internet.   I shared a cabin with Linda and Carol. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As soon as I had showered, I fell asleep for a while on the bed.  Then, it was laundry time (a necessary evil) At one point later in the day, we were sitting on a deck of another cabin and spotted this beautiful moth.  Linda Lamb, can you identify it?  I was told it was gone the next morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There seems to be some sort of intestinal virus going around.  It has attacked some folks worse than others.  So far, I have been spared that malady.

In bed by 8:30 PM, I had no trouble falling asleep after a short but really tough ride today.