Author Archives: dcreamer

By David Freeze

  The most fun day of the whole trip!

  Last night, I really needed to sleep and the girl in the next room had different guys in with a lot of loud talking, plus dog barking in a motel with no pets allowed. I finally got to sleep at close to 2am this morning. The best things about the Hill Country Inn were the  big screen TV and Dairy Queen across the road, and not much else.

    I still left out early this morning in the drizzle headed toward Henly and Dripping Springs. There was lots of doable climbing early, then oddly the road shoulder decreased and the climbing lessened as I neared Austin. Adventure Cycling always wants to avoid any central route through town and had this elaborate round the world plan that I didn’t follow. I went right through town rather easily in a city with 800,000. Drivers were courteous and oddly the city gave me two options. The route was on US 290/71 East and you could do it on the freeway or on a frontage road next to it. I did some of both.

    The routes split and I stayed with US 71 through Montopolis, Garfield and on into Bastrop, my home for the evening. Bastrop has about a half dozen motels and I called them all. Last night they all had high prices, but I checked again when I got near the town and the Google Assistant found the Budget Inn. I called and got a price of $72, tax included while all the others were over $100. The Budget Inn is perfect, with all the comfortable things I need. A great convenience store at a long block away in a historic neighborhood. The motel has great WiFi and ice, two of my big needs and it is very quiet here. I’ll make up that sleep tonight if that holds.

    Now for the highlight of the day. Just before I reached Garfield, I spotted a Sheriff’s Department car and stopped to confirm my directions. I have met some great officers so far, but Senior Deputy Jonathan Barrientes had the best conversation yet. There was no real human contact until that point and we hit it off. I promised to keep him updated, especially because he knew a lot about the areas I have traveled so far. Later in the afternoon, he beeped his siren to me as he also headed home to Bastrop.

    I got to the motel at about 5:30pm, intent on finding food and getting my daily update in. The owner showed me where to find the best convenience store and another resident here struck up a conversation about my trip. Mark is from Fresno, and asked about everything. He mentioned that he didn’t have anything to eat, so while I was gone, I picked him up a few things too. Mark seems a good guy, and at least for this evening isn’t hungry. Also, I keep finding good prices on bananas at the convenience stores. Remember that I am trying to visit them all across America.

    In another highlight of the day, the Y Service Club at the South Y donated $50 toward my ice cream fund. I bought two pints of Cherry Vanilla and Strawberry Blue Bell ice cream to get started on their contribution.
    And finally, I got 77 good miles in today on another mostly cloudy day. Very pleasant riding. I’m not sure of my goal for tomorrow yet but will work on it as the ice cream gets eaten. At this point, I will be happy with another productive day!

  Keep the questions and comments coming. I love them all! See you tomorrow!

By David Freeze

  First Dairy Queen milkshake and bike repair

  Leaving Kerrville, my only thought was to be in Fredericksburg by 10am when Hill Country Bicycles opened. I envisioned a one hour repair and a continuance of the trip east.

  On the way into Fredericksburg, I saw a policeman driving toward me and then putting his turn signal on. I knew then that he was going to stop me and he did. The officer pulled up beside me and asked me to come up to his side window. He asked if I was Taylor, and when I gave my name, he smiled big and said he was looking for him and to have a great day.

    I did make it the bike shop before it opened. Lisa, the owner and only staff member currently, showed up a few minutes late. We quickly had a disagreement about expectations, Lisa assuring me that she would work on the bike but that she would have to handle customers and phones calls too. So I told her what I thought the bike needed and did my best to be patient while customer after customer came and went. Over two hours later, I left with the bike in fantastic shape. I had sat outside most of the time, planning the next few days the best I could.

    The chain wasn’t stretched, but she found the hub was loose and fixed that. It shifted better than it had in a long time. The metal had been in the tire but was now gone. The tube in the tire had a small hole and she replaced it with a new one. Plus she put a new covering over the top of the spokes on the inside of the rim, stating that it was wearing and would soon cause trouble. We had an enjoyable conversation at the end, during which she told me that she had completed a 3 year trip around the world on a bike.

    After fueling up, I was over 2 1/2 hours past the point I arrived. I got on US 290 right away as after some up and down to get out of town, the riding was much more enjoyable. After Fredericksburg, which has a dramatic German heritage, I rode through Blumenthal, Stonewall, Hye and then into Johnson City. It reminded me of a segment of Route 66, with lots going on. There were miles of wineries, lots of unusual older vehicles and even a big castle on a bluff. One of the tall men from Route 66, labeled as “Howard Huge” was even on hand. The riding was so much fun!

  Johnson City is the home of Lyndon Baines Johnson, former US President. I stopped at a state park that centers around his ranch and toured the visitor center. There is another National Historic Park here in Johnson City. Lady Bird, his wife, had a park in Fredericksburg.

    So, other than the long wait for the repair, it was a fun day, although short on miles at 55. I am at the Hill Country Inn, right beside one of the first Dairy Queen’s I have seen. My first pineapple milkshake was great! And a great convenience store is next door. The low budget motel room has a cheap price but the biggest screen TV I have ever had in a room, perfect for watching the Yanks/ Red Sox as I write this.

  Tomorrow, I hope to get through Austin and maybe as far as Bastrop, which would leave me less than 100 miles from the end of this map section. If the bike keeps running well and I make the right choices, I will stay pretty close to the planned time frame.

  Thanks again to the Post and all the readers and sponsors for making this trip happen! I completed what I think is the last big climb this morning and we should be dropping below 1400 feet from now on. The bike is good and I feel strong, so send prayers for safe riding.

    See you tomorrow!

By David Freeze

  A day of uncertainty

  I loved the room last night in Leakey. All went really well until I got up this morning and checked the back tire. Flat again! I could have stayed there this morning and put my last tube in it, or reinflate it and deal with it on the road. I chose the latter!

    Out with the first light, my goal was to get a jump on the climbing today. I rode north on US 83 and had only one severe climb, then turned on US 39 toward Hunt. Lots of rollers, up and down, trying to manage the gears and grab momentum on the downhill enough to help get up the other side. Supposedly, this is the Texas Hill Country. That is the sign for the series of roads and the area I am in now. Glad it is no longer Texas Mountain Country.

    The climbing was horrendous when I got to to the start of the Guadalupe River. I found out later that early settlers in the area had the road cross the river about a dozen times to slow down the river in high water situations. Over and over I raced down the hill and struggled up the other side. Finally, I reached a high end resort area with lots of inns, lodges and homes along the river. The road became much calmer as it stayed on one side of the river and a canopy of trees made the riding much nicer.

    I added air to the tire about 2pm, just after the small settlement of Hunt. No population given, but The Store had a cafe, convenience items, gas, winery and a meat market, plus a bank. I got a huge brownie and ice there to fuel my ride into Ingram and on into Kerrville.

    I had been watching a huge storm building off to the north, and the bottom fell out just as I entered the Kerrville city limits. Still nearly six miles from my motel for the night, the Lone Star Inn, I waited for 30 minutes under a BBQ joint’s cooking area. Still raining, but tolerable, I hit the road and found the motel. I am on the Kerrville/ Fredericksburg Road or US 16 after 65 challenging miles today.

    The significance of being on the way to Fredericksburg and the tire issue, hopefully will play out into a happy ending tomorrow. I must have a piece of metal in the tire that I can’t find and there is supposedly an open bike shop in Fredericksburg. No one answered the phone today, or for the one in Kernersville. Bike shops usually open later, so if I can get the same result out of the back tire tomorrow and the shop is open, I will get it fixed. If not, I will ride back to Kerrville. Other things that need attention on the bike are a chain that I think has been stretched with all the climbing, a water bottle holder that vibrated off with all the rocky roads and a couple other possibilities. Fredericksburg is about 23 miles east by car. Worst case scenario is that I end up back here tomorrow night, just to get the bike fixed. Usually about halfway is time to get the bike some professional attention.

    It has been pouring again since I got in the room. I did get some bananas and my ice cream plus microwave pizza to refuel after another day of Texas hills.

    Austin, Texas is coming up quickly as I continue to head east. It was a beautiful day today, again not too hot.
    Join me tomorrow for the continuing saga of the tire. My elevation diagram says only one more mountain taller than 2,000 feet and it just happens to be tomorrow.

      David Post has joined the journey as a sponsor again. Two more anonymous ones have also joined. Thanks to them and all the other sponsors who are making this adventure happen! Time to get to the ice cream! See you tomorrow!

By David Freeze

  Dreading the next map segment

  Last night, I spoke to two of the Comstock locals just before going into my motel. Both assured me that there would be only a couple of examples of climbing today, an “easy day”. I didn’t believe it for a minute.

      I left Comstock after devouring a microwave breakfast biscuit. Right away, I found the road shoulder to be terribly rough. I kept trying to ride in the lane but couldn’t stay there long. It was the beginning of a slow day,  more of which are coming.

    The bigger town that I saw today was Del Rio, another border town, with about 35,000 residents. It seemed that I began climbing in earnest just before Del Rio as I passed the first huge body of water on the trip. The Amistad National Recreation Area had a nice reservoir and apparently a lot of recreational activity. It was the first time in a pcouple of weeks where both sides of the road were busy for miles. I rode into Del Rio looking for the bike shop, needing a few things, especially since I am nearing halfway on the trip. I found Lakeside Sports closed, even though they are usually open on Saturdays.

  Getting warmer, I fueled up for the 35 mile ride to Brackettville. A gradual uphill all the way, every single bit of it with rough shoulders. The road wasn’t much better. I had just enough water to make the ride, just sips to spare. Along the way, I saw a couple of freight trains right beside US 90. I also stopped at the entrance to Laughlin Air Force Base. The entrance is just a rock’s throw from US 90. The base is historically famous for training the B-26 Marauder bomber crews from World War ll.

  There wasn’t much else to see, except a lot of speeding traffic. I kept jumping on the main road because it was much smoother. The ride totaled 65 miles, but it was well earned. There will short totals the next few days because I will be on small roads that are jammed with hills. I’m not thrilled.

    Having not done my planning as usual, I got to Brackettville, and tried to call the Fort Clark Motel. Three locals told me it was open, but no one answered the number. I stopped at a Stripes convenience store and was told to go to the guard gate and ask. I did and found out the whole motel was rented for a family reunion.

  But the guard told me to call the Alibi Hill Bar and Grill, that they had large and nice rooms. That was an understatement. I have a small apartment with a full kitchen and plenty of room. My only other experience at spending the night at a bar was in Alma, Colorado. It didn’t turn out well but I think this one will be OK.

    I have some things to do on the bike tonight and hope to get to bed early again. Then I will just make the best of tomorrow. Accommodations and towns will be limited. Comstock from yesterday has about 150 residents and Brackettville boasts about 1500. That will likely be more than all the towns added up in the next couple of days.

  My legs are very tired, but I will endure all the climbing coming up, just hoping for nice scenery. I did get radio reception today and cellphone coverage too. But I bet both are leaving again tomorrow. The cool days are gone, the headwind remains and there is plenty of roadkill. Armadillos and deer, among other things and the heat makes them really smell.

  If I get time tomorrow, I will see where we stand exactly on mileage. I believe we are almost halfway and the second half should get a lot easier.

    Stay with me, keep praying and I will keep the updates coming! See you tomorrow!

By David Freeze

  Had more than I wanted today!

    Last night in Sanderson, I went for a bike ride down the Main Street of town, just to see what the town was like. I had ridden into town against a stiff headwind, and it was still going last night. The wind pushed my bike back up the hill toward the motel. I began to worry that the same wind might be in place today.

    My goal for today was a 90 mile ride, only because there was no supply points listed and no motels until Comstock. There was only one other town on the long route today, the town of Langtry.

    I left Sanderson about 5:45am, riding by flashlight in the pitch dark. Without the wind, I had 13 miles by 7am. The wind began to pick up, and so did the hills. The route was listed as a moderate downhill, but in fact the climbing was brutal with more than 50 large rollers. Some were a quarter to half mile long, and it seemed I was always climbing. By noon, the headwind was full speed in my face. This was the first significant headwind of the trip, and it made everything hard. Water consumption was way up.

      The temperature was warm too, so I stopped in Langtry where a small convenience store was open. I was told yesterday that it might be. I went in, could find no one, and picked out some waters and a Diet Coke. I paid at the counter with no one around, noting that someone else had done the same. I went back to get two more waters and the owner came in. Nice guy, very interested in my trip, but wanted me to hang around until the sun went down some. Couldn’t do it.

  Langtry also has a very nice tourist center and a museum of sorts on Judge Roy Bean, billed as the “Law West of the Pecos”. Six dioramas tell his story. I was pressed for time and the wind was getting stronger, so I didn’t hang around. Bean was famous in the late 1800’s.

  Immediately out of Langtry, the serious climbing began. Over and over, big rollers
had to be conquered. Later than I hoped, I ended up at the Comstock Motel after 91 miles.

    Hoping the headwind is gone tomorrow, I will head for Del Rio and the end of another map segment. Late morning, I will start map 4 of 7 and will follow the suggested route. Essentially, that map segment will also be hiily. At the end of it, I will move into Louisiana where there will be no elevation facts. Glad for that!

    I am going to get a shower and turn in early. The headwind and early departure beat me down. Borders agents are around quit a bit as the Rio Grande and Mexico on the other side are very close again.

    Join me again tomorrow, we’ll begin to experience Texas hill country, right after we have spent nearly 3 weeks celebrating everybody’s mountains!