Crossing the Guadalupe River on Edge Falls Road

“Really!?!  C’mon!”

That’s what I shouted as the road ahead once again climbed skyward.  I was amazed at how much time I spent spinning, spinning, spinning at a speed of between 3-5mph.  The hills were taking me to school and reminding me that my calculation of a 10mph average speed was a foolhardy gesture.

Somehow by the grace of God and the engineering of Rohloff, I survived the 85-mile roundtrip, overnight bicycle tour to Blanco, TX with some shreds of dignity intact.

Now that you know how I REALLY feel about those hills, I should reveal the fact that this quick overnight bicycle tour – Tour #7 to be exact – was quite enjoyable.  Several factors contributed to this including:

  • It was my first tour on my new CoMotion Americano touring bicycle and new Arkel touring bags – both performed splendidly
  • The Blanco County Inn and it’s owners Ralph & Deborah de Leon were simply amazing - the room was super clean, the nice quilt on the bed had that “you’re home” feel and the moment I arrived they offered to let me put my bicycle in one of their vacant rooms to give me more space.  Wow.  That’s what I call a “bicycle friendly” and “cyclist friendly” establishment!  I of course declined having my bicycle in a separate room since I had yet to pay homage to it for getting me over all those hills (I know, I’m mentioning the hills…again)
  • Blanco, TX was a charming destination – everyone I met was friendly and welcoming
  • Live Music with local musician Stan Gillespie at the Redbud Cafe was a really nice way to end a long day of cycling (and a bottle of Corona helped, too!)
  • The Buffalo Enchiladas at the Zocalo Eclectic Cafe sent my taste buds to high heaven
  • The church fund raiser in Kendalia – which happens once a year - saved my life when I discovered they were selling BBQ sandwiches at a time when I’d run out of the nonexistent snacks I’d packed and found myself hungry and tired
  • I ran into Brian & Pat Garnett – real bicycle tourists – heading east as they complete an AZ to FL cross-country tour along the famous Southern Tier route.

I created a photo gallery to capture the essence of this tour in pictures and my route while presenting some vertical challenges (a total elevation gain of about 4,600 feet)  proved to be relatively car free.  Tour #7 will go down in the books as one of my most physically challenging overnighters but also as one of my most enjoyable!