Day 38 - March 31, 2010 - Coast to Coast

From the Stoker: I will answer the question the Michiganders will ask when they see the first few photos I post. NO, we are not back in Michigan biking in the northern woods. Although, we sure felt like we were.

We biked from Bastrop to LaGrange, TX today on a few different farm roads. Still no shoulders but much lighter traffic. The best part of the trip was the first 20 miles biking through Bastrop and Bueschlar State Park. That's the part that looks so much like MI. It was extremely hilly but well worth the miles. We only biked 45 miles today due to the hills and wind once we got out of the parks. We couldn't have gone another mile. Part of the fatigue could have come from all the times I got off the bike to take photos. We had to load up and drive all the way back to Bastrop because all of the campgrounds were booked due to an antique show.

The flowers are absolutely beautiful. I can't believe they will get any better but the Texans say they will as we continue to travel east.

Day 37 - March 30, 2010 - Coast to Coast

From the Stoker: I can't believe the beautiful weather we are having day after day. We left Lockhart on Farm Road 20 and biked 27.5 to Bastrop, TX. We needed a short day to have time for normal every day chores (laundry, shopping, paying bills, changing bike tires, etc.). We are still in the "hill country", still biking through a lush green country side and ranch land, over many hills, still on 2 lane roads with no shoulders, and enjoying more and more wildflowers every mile. The traffic was a little better but still pretty heavy. That makes for a stressful day, especially for the Captain, so the short day was a blessing.

We would like to thank the Bastrop RV Park, 512-321-4404, for their generous support to our cause.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. It's going to be hard to get many miles in if I have to stop so often to take photos. The meadow full of blue flowers are "Texas Blue Bonnets" and we feel fortunate to be traveling thru this part of Texas during blooming time.

Day 36 - March 29, 2010 - Coast to Coast

Another beautiful day. We left with temps in the 40's but quickly warmed to 75. We are still biking in the Texas hill country and the scenery is beautiful. We left Blanco state park which was a very nice park heading to Lockhart, TX. We are continuing to bike in rolling hills which we can handle well. The Texas wild flowers are blooming and we expect some nice displays as we head further east.

We went thru a neat quaint town called Wimberly. We would have stopped but felt we are running behind schedule and should continue a full day of biking. Carol tried stopping but had driven down a dead end road and was having trouble turning around and getting out. The local constable was less than helpful and gave her a very hard time as she tried to get the truck and trailer out.

We made it to Lockhart and checked in to another great state park. It was 61 miles of riding and we are both niticing the fatigue in our loegs. It's been 9 straight dayts without a break so we decided to put in a short day tomorrow to rest our bodies and catch up on some much needed chores (laundry, bill paying, etc.).

The roads were probably the most stressful we have had. They were narrow 2 lane ranch roads with no shoulders and heavy traffic. The drivers seemed very impatient. At one point, I glanced in the mirror and saw a big truck bearing down on us. With oncoming traffic, he couldn't move over and I couldn't go anywhere because the edge of the road had broken up. The truck managed to slow down and passed us after we crested the hill. Tough Day!!!

Day 35 - March 28, 2010 - Coast to Coast

TOTAL MILES BIKED: 1,550 (half way)

From the Stoker: Another beautiful sunny day for a long 63 mile bike ride from Kerrville to Blanco, TX. The route took us on the most beautiful small country roads through unique little towns with constant turning and twisting. We said over and over again that we felt like we were biking in northern Michigan along one of our rivers. It felt so like home.

We deserve bragging rights today. We are biking in the "hill country" and 63 miles of hills deserves bragging about. We had a tailwind for probably 50% of the day which was a real treat. We were quite tired at about 50 miles but decided we could go the last 13 because the map showed about 5 miles of climbing and the rest downhill. Of course, that was not quite true. We finished our day with 10 miles of climbing and enjoyed 3 miles of down hill into Blanco, TX. I'm not complaining, it was a beautiful day of biking.

From the captain:

What a surprise, driving down a one lane road, in the middle of nowhere, to come across an F8U fighter jet sitting behind a farm building. It was the workhorse aircraft for the Navy to land on aircraft carriers. Couldn't imagine how the owner got it, moved it there, and what in the world would he possibly do with it. Brought back memories for me. When I graduated from college I hired into LTV Aerospace and had the option of working on that aircraft.

Day 34 - March 27, 2010 - Coast to Coast

From the Captain: What a day!! Started out from Lost Maple State Park Campground (no city, just the middle of nowhere) and immediately started climbing the 4th (and last) of the really steep hills. We thought with fresh legs we might have a chance. No way, the hill must have been 10-12% grade and you couldn't even see the top, so back to a little bike hiking. After cresting, we were having some really nice riding with pretty scenery.

After 25 miles, we jammed the chain again. This time the jam was between two sprockets as well as between the frame. We were really disappointed because we were really rolling and the weather was great.

Thanks goodness for Carol and our support vehicle. We loaded the bike and headed to Kerrville (20 miles away) and luckily the mechanic was available (even on Sat.). He made some adjustments and sent us on our way with theadvice to do the shifts easy and slow. We don't have a very good feeling that it won't happen again. I bought the tools that I need to be able to take care of the jams myself.

Since it was around 2:30 and we had a really good tailwind, we decided to go back and pick up the route at the point that we broke down. What a ride! Back into Kerrville, 1 1/2 hours to ride 24 miles. The ride was absolutely beautiful along the Guadalupe River. It really is a beautiful part of Texas and the locals say the wildflowers we be out soon. After a day like this, we decided to treat us ourselves to dinner out (sure makes Annette happy).

From the Stoker: The Captain is right, What a day!! The weather was perfect, the green meadows and trees, and the rolling hills are beautiful. The homes and the landscape were amazing coming into Kerrville. This is called "Texas Hill Country" and they are telling us we will see some gorgeous wildflowers soon. I could have biked many more miles today but I bet we have some long days in our future.

Hope you enjoy the pictures and don't forget, to view them in a larger format, just click on the picture.

Day 33 - March 26, 2010 - Coast to Coast

P.S. from day 32 from the Captain: It was surprising how the vegatation has changed in such a short distance. In Del Rio, it was still the desert look, brown with mostly cactus. As we headed east, you started to see small trees, then flowers, and soon, trees large enough of to give shade. By Cooksey Park, the only cacti were prickly pear. The flowers were abundant and green grass was everywhere.

From the Captain: We headed out of Campwood knowing we would have to tackle the steepest grades (not the longest grades as in the mountains) of the trip. They were steep!!! Probably 10-12% grades but luckily they were short. The longest climb was 700 ft. We have refined the fine art of "bike hiking". One downhill was so steep, we had to stop and let the rims cool so we didn't have a blowout.

The scenery was beautiful with all the hills, valleys, and rivers. Trees are blossoming out and the pastures made for nice photos.

We went thru a small town called Leakey, population 307. Every motorcyclist in the state chose to ride to Leaky today. No wonder, the twisty roads and steep grades and fine weather make for good biking. They had 2 restaurants that catered to the bikers, "Hog Heaven" and "Bikers Grill." There must have been 2-3000 of them.

We made it to Lost Maples Natural Area. Nice Campground with large lots, grassy areas, river and waterfalls. It really is a nice part of the state.

We're continuing to have shifting problems with the bike. We jammed the chain again today buyt was able to dislodge it without tools. It is making for very tentative shifts. We are hoping to get to a bike shop tomorrow.

Day 32 - March 25, 2010 - Coast to Coast

We are way behind in posting. We didn't have service the past 3 days and tonight it is weak. Hopefully I can catch up.

From the Captain: The first thing this morning, Annette exited the camper and ran into the slide out so hard it knocked her to the ground! We're waiting to see if it turns black and blue.

From the Stoker: It did not! A beautiful sunny day for a 46 mile ride. We left Fort Clark on Hyw 334 to 55 to Campwood, TX, still 2 lane, a little rough, but light traffic. We took pictures of the stream from the pool at the campground on our way out.

The scenery was beautiful, so green, many trees, and beautiful wildflowers along the road and in the meadows. The first 32 miles were fairly easy. The last 14 were up hill and into a strong headwind but we are getting stronger and didn't have too much difficulty.

We met 4 bikers today. The first young guy was a college graduate out of work so was taking his time to complete the trip. He said he would be happy if he found a job anywhere. The next 2 men were near retirement and do a section of the route every time they get a weeks vacation. The 4th young man was in grad school and on spring break. He was traveling so light, he looked like he was our for a short pleasure ride. All he had was a credit card. I asked how he was finding motels and restaurants close enough for each night stop. He said no problem because he was biking 140 miles a day which allowed him to get to motels. He left San Diego 10 days ago and will be done in 10 more days (pro level).

Every biker we talk express their sympathy for us knowing how much more difficult it is to climb hills with a tandem vs. a single bike. We remind them how much faster we are downhill and on the flats.

We arrived in Campwood, TX and staying at Cooksey Park on the Nueces River. We are camped right on the river and it is beautiful. We would all love to stay here for a day or two but our desire to finish this trip is keeping us pedaling on.

Photos from Day 31 - March 24, 2010

Photos I couldn't send with tonights post. Amistad Reservoir and wild flowers.

Day 31 - March 24, 2010 - Coast to Coast

CORRECTION IN TOTAL MILES BIKED - 1,323

From the Stoker: What a great day! Drove back to Comstock where we broke down yesterday and started biking under dark thick clouds and a light mist falling BUT NO WIND, no head, no tail, no cross wind, just still and enjoyable. By noon the sun was out and became almost hot. We biked 30 miles back to Del Rio passing the Amistad Reservoir. It is huge and beautiful and formed by the backing up of the Rio Grande and the Pecos River. Del Rio is a large town on this reservoir and a great place for snow birds that love lake living, boating, and fishing. The winter months are the busiest due to the warm weather. The owner of the campground we stayed in last night says the summer is very slow due to the heat.

Once we biked through Del Rio we continued on Hwy 90 for 30 more miles to Bracketville, TX. The terrain became green with trees and wild flowers which made for a nice ride.

From the Captain: The good side of jamming the chain yesterday....our legs really enjoyed the short day and the winds died today when we went back to Comstock to pick up the route. We made the 30 miles to Del Rio in under 2 hours.

We made it to Bracketville, a small town whose main attraction is Fort Clark. It was established in 1852 to provide protection for the route to El Paso and was a training base for many generals including George Patton. It was closed in 1946 and turned into a recreation facility.

The barracks have become private homes. The association boasts the 3rd largest pool in Texas which is spring fed and stays at 68 degrees year round. They have golf courses, hiking, riding, trails, and a fresh creek that flows through the property. Fish abound and no license is required. Several golf courses that are free, plenty of wildlife (we had 2 deer by our camper while eating dinner).

The campground is very nice and could be a winter destination with Del Rio and Amistad Recreation Area only 30 miles away.

Having trouble sending photos. Will try later or send tomorrow.

Day 30 - March 23, 2010 - Coast to Coast

TOTAL MILES BIKED - 1,283

From the Captain: Not a good day! Sunny and warm when we left Langtry and headed immediately into hills and headwinds and could feel the fatigue in our legs. We were doubting that we would make Del Rio 61 miles away. With rest, stretch, and eating stops it took us 4 hours to get us to Comstock 31 miles from Langtry.

Leaving Comstock, which should have started a downhill, we jammed the chain. It was jammed so bad that I couldn't begin to budge it without damaging the frame or sprockets. The only choice we had was to load up the bike and drive to Del Rio for repairs.

Hopefully when we drive back to Comstock to pick up the route, the winds will have changed. The legs are enjoying the rest tonight.

From the Stoker: Not a totally bad day. We did get 31 tough miles out of the way and besides ranch land, we saw wild Evening Primrose flowers along the sides of the road, we crossed the Pecos Rivfuer which was very pretty, and we met another young man today, Bryan Gattis, traveling in our direction. He is riding to raise money for a health clinic that he had worked in in Kenya. AND we ended up finding the Broke Mill RV Park in Del Rio, 830-422-2961. It is a beautiful, clean campground and they were very generous in supporting our cause.

Day 29 - March 22, 2010 - Coast to Coast

TOTAL MILES BIKED - 1,252

From the Captain: We biked 61 miles from Sanderson to Langtry, TX. It was 35 degrees this morning with bright sunshine and a slight tail wind. A beautiful day for riding and we shed clothes as the day warmed. By noon the wind switched around to a strong headwind with gusts at 10-20mph. Along with the wind we started to hit rolling hills. We felt pretty proud of our hill climbing ability since we were able to handle all of them and sometimes without getting into the lasat 2 gears. Good news for us since we heard we are in store for some 10% grades between her and Austin, TX.

From the Stoker: We are still traveling on Hwy 90 with little traffic. There wasn't much to see most of the way but open ranch land. As we got closer to Langtry, the terrain turned rocky with cliffs and buttes to give us a little scenery.

We met a young man named Keith Jackson traveling east to west across the U.S. He is biking to raise money for Aplastic Anemia. He had the tailwind so hoped to bike 120 miles today. Oh, to be young. It's really enjoyable to talk to other bikers and we all stop and do just that when we see each other.

We pulled into a full hookup RV park in Langtry for $15.00. This town is 2 blocks long and is the home of the Judge Roy Bean Museum. He was known as "the law west of the Pecos". The owner came to collect the fee and Carol asked where we could go eat so I wouldn't have to cook. He said we could order barbecue sandwiches and have them delivered. Anything not to have to cook. Actually, they were pretty good. I'll send pictures of this top notch campground and of the owners to pets.

Day 28 - March 21, 2010

TOTAL MILES BIKED: 1,190

From the Stoker: A perfect day for a bike ride. Sunny, cool (almost cold), morning but the sun warmed us up by noon. We biked 54 miles from Marathon to Sanderson, TX with a slight climb out of Marathon but a nice northwest breeze that made the day easy. Our miles are a little restricted by camping spots. The next camping spot is 61 miles from here and that is even dry camping.

We biked through mainly open ranch land on a two lane road (Hwy. 90) with a good shoulder and very little traffic. As we neared Sanderson, the land became rocky with cliffs rather than open land. We met 3 young men heading west from Florida to San Diego and camping along the way (poor guys, thank you Carol). We also met a father and son traveling west from FL and mote ling it more than camping. The father is 68 and hadn't been on a bike for years. They started the trip in January and plan to be done by May. They all envied us with our support vehicle and I can't blame them.

From the captain: We got stopped for the first time by a Texas Sheriff, no not for speeding! We were biking on a two lane road with a full shoulder and a white line designating the shoulder. He asked if we knew what the Texas law was? We of course told him we were from Mich. and didn't know the law. He told us that we were supposed to ride on the right side of the line and if we crossed it he would write us a ticket. Well Texas has more glass on their roads then we have ever seen in all of our travels. So I had to tell him that I was tired of changing flat tires and that I think they need to do something with their litter if they really expect us to ride on the shoulder. We couldn't wait to get out of that county so that I could go back to riding in the traffic lane and moving over when traffic approached.

Big Bend National Park - March 19,20, 2010

From the Stoker:

For not loving the desert very much, Dick and I loved Big Bend National Park. The ruggedness of the mountains, the rock formations caused by erosion, the glow the setting sun cast on the mountains, the shadows, the beautiful trees and pines that were at the base of the mountains when we climbed to the Chisos Basin, and so much more made our cameras click and click. The Rio Grande River is very dirty and they advise everyone not to swim but it was beautiful running through the Santa Elina Canyon and the Boquillas Canyon. The Santa Elina Canyon was comparable to Zion with canyon walls 2000 ft. high.

I photographed illegal Mexicans crossing the river on horses to sell their walking sticks on the trail through the Boquillas Canyon. There is a sign that says it is illegal for us to buy them but many people ignored the warning.

We will begin biking tomorrow and start clicking off miles. We are praying hard for no rain and winds that help rather than hinder.

I'm sending photos of the past 2 days and may need to send them in a couple different posts.