A Texas Sized Adventure!

The last time we set out on the Fredericksburg route, it was the inaugural ride and we had butterflies not knowing what to expect. This time, we were well prepared and doing it during March hopefully meant that we would have some tail winds and cooler weather than last time. One thing that stood out from doing it last time, in late April and early May, was the headwinds. We had 320 miles of head or cross headwind.

     We headed out on the route towards Colorado City State Park with a cold front blowing in. This time the winds looked favorable the first few days at least and we were cautiously optimistic about a long day Sunday with a good tailwind in the forecast. We had a leisurely ride down Old Colorado City Highway to the lake and a stop at the truck stop for a rest and to grab food before camp. With the cold front blowing in, we made camp quickly at the state park and settled in for the night. 

      Day 2 started with very cold North winds blowing and freezing temps. We took our time breaking camp waiting for sunshine and warmer temperatures. We headed out at about 10 a.m. and the wind and temps were tolerable heading out on our 64 mile day to Oak Creek Lake. It was a great day on the bike with a nice stop under a shade tree on a back gravel road and we ended up in camp way before sunset and the temps were perfect. We were planning on eating at a cafe that ended up being closed, but got lucky when a trail angel gave us some leftover food from a local wedding reception that we just happened upon!

     Day 3 started out even colder, right at 29 degrees, but no wind. We left camp by 8:30 headed toward Ballinger and wanted to stop in Bronte for breakfast. The food didn't disappoint. It was like a gourmet meal, actually almost every meal on this route was 5 star! We ended up at camp right before sunset at the city park in Ballinger right on the little lake. They have a really nice tent site for people.

     Day 4 started with a nice beautiful morning. We had a little headwind that day, but not a ton and it was pleasant riding. This was the longest day of the trip at 78 miles and we had nice gravel roads most of the time with light traffic heading to Brady. We did all run low on water and ended up finding a cattle trough to filter water out of. Jesse didn't see it and kept going while Joe and I filled up all of our bottles so we would all have enough to get to town. It was hot that day, like around 90 degrees. Brady is our hotel night and we enjoyed hanging out eating Pizza and doing laundry. This is a much needed break during the trip.

     Day 5 was to a beautiful little campground right on the Llano River called Dos Rios RV Park. If you ever get a chance, you need to stay there. Campsites are overlooking the river and it is a site to see! We stopped in mason and ended up eating at Nachos Mexican Cafe, another 5 star meal. After a late lunch, we headed out for the last 8 miles to camp and the wind had started blowing in Texas fashion. Camp was a welcome sight after all of the wind and rollers. We did have to endure the sand blowing at camp in our tents, filling them with blow sand until the sun set. 

     Our final day finally arrived, it always sneaks up on me. I never really expect it to end I guess, or at least hope it doesn't. We knew that the day was going to be tough as we were heading to Fredericksburg. The route on this day is beautiful on the back dirt roads. We travel through ranch land and even cross the James River in the water! As the day progressed, so did the size and frequency of the hills. We stopped for lunch at Doss before our final 20 miles to Fredericksburg. The food was amazing and we knew we needed the energy for the monster hills ahead. The hills didn't disappoint! They were brutal with loaded bikes, but slow and steady is the only way to do it, or hike a bike! We finished a little after 4 p.m. and cleaned up before heading to the Fredericksburg brewery for a celebration meal. A big ride like this always needs a celebration of some sort to mark a big achievement. This was an epic Texas sized adventure!