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Monday, November 5, 2001 - Guadalupe River Valley
50 miles. Lost Maples State Park, TX to Kerrvill-Schreiner State Park,
Kerrville, TX
We thanked the Cornhuskers for saving our bacon the
previous evening and were on our way. There was an immediate 500 foot VERY steep
climb and then we were on a broad ridge line for 15 miles. The ranches (it is
all ranch land here) started to look a bit more upscale and game ranches have
come into prominence. Turning onto T-39 we proceeded down the South Fork of the
Guadalupe River.
This must be the beginning of the real Texas Hill
country because instead of miniature mountains the terrain is actually rolling
hills with occasional steep climbs, "tactical riding" territory as I
like to call it. The land is heavily forested along the river with pecan, oak,
juniper, and cedar with bald cypress along the river bank. In places the trees
form an overarching canopy of the road and it was very scenic.
Here for the first time we saw what it was that
attracted the first settlers to Texas. After ten miles the ranches stop and the
roadside becomes dotted with upscale Texas summer homes and cottages. Most are
built with a stone that is probably quarried locally and reminded us of the
stone used for construction in the Cotswold's of England.
Traffic was light but it was easy to imagine it being
very dense on the summer weekends which is clearly the season here. This area
has water and shade and that is a big draw in the summer. Cruising down the
river's downward gradient brought us to Kerrville (pop. 20,000) and several
"dream" grocery stores. We also took the opportunity to replace one of
my shifting cables, which was fraying, at the local bike store. Total distance
ridden was 50 miles on a cool, mostly cloudy day with only a normal but light
headwind. We expect our daily headwind now but it isn't a problem if they are no
stronger than today's was. Total distance climbed was 1,000 to 1,500 feet.
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