Camp Wood - Ingram, TX
Daily Route
Daily Elevation
I woke up around 5 AM in the tent to the sound of rain and thunder. The good news is that we don't have to wake for another 2 hours, so hopefully this is blow over by then. When the alarm went off at 7:15 AM the rain had stopped although we knew there was a chance of rain throughout the day. When we were ready to leave at 9 AM, I dressed as I usually do (shorts and no sleeves), and Mel dressed as she usually does (bundled up like she is going skiing).
Dressed for the morning
Today is going to be a challenging day. There is over 2,000 feet of climbing and there is a strong head / cross-wind the entire day. The temperature however is perfect for cycling. It is overcast and in the mid to high 60s. Perfect.
 |  Cross winds! BLAH |
Roadside follies
The first good climb occurred around mile 11 and lasted 2.5 miles. We climbed from the valley and had a great view at the top and took a short break.
Top of the climb
It wound up that it wasn't exactly the top, but after one more hump we were into rollers and then we had a long downhill that eventually ended in Leakey, our first break, 25 miles in. We were going to stop at a mercantile, but as we entered the town, I noticed a motorcycle stop that looked like a nice place to take a break.
Bicycle stop at a motorcycle stop
After the break we headed out and came to our second hard climb of the day. I made it to the top first, followed by Mary and then we waited for the others to arrive. It took a while when because Jackie got a flat tire. Luckily where Mary and I stopped had some nice rocks to sit on and wait.
We continued on until we got to our next break location, on the side of the road. As usual, we made the most of it.
We continued on until we got to our next break location, on the side of the road. As usual, we made the most of it.
Roadside break
More hills and more wind. By the way, this area of Texas is called Hill Country:
Hill Country living up to its name
We now had 35 miles to Ingram, our overnight town, but only 20 or so miles till we meet Patrick. Todays ride was actually one of my favorite days. The wind we could have done without, but the scenery was beautiful and the rolling hills were fun.
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Cool T-Rex
We met Patrick for a break and we how had 23 miles to go.
Another Patrick roadside break
We were now headed straight into the wind and there were many steep rolling hills. Because of the wind, we were pedaling down the hills and I had to shift to my smallest gear to make it to the top of the next hill. It was hard, but a lot of fun. The scenery then changed with a river along the side of the road and trees close to the road. What a nice ride.
Beautiful scenery
Then we came to Boot Ranch with a fence decorated with cowboy boots:
Way cool fence
We finally arrived in Ingram just before 6 PM. For some reason, this town has a "Stonehenge II". Of course we had to visit it.
Stonehenge II
Oh, did I mention that we are staying in a motel tonight? There is suppose to be strong winds and thundershowers, so we cancelled our tent reservations and made motel reservation. Anyway, when we checked in, the owner suggested a restaurant to go to for dinner. Everyone agreed, and Patrick picked us up at the hotel at 7:30 PM and we drove to The Lakehouse and had a really good dinner.
Awaiting some great food
We got back to the room around 9 PM. I had time to finally catch up on the blog and enjoy a bed versus a tent. Tomorrow morning Patrick is going to come by at 7:45 AM to get our gear and then we will ride the 2 miles to the campground to start the day. 7:45 AM doesn't sound too bad except that "Goodfellas" came on HBO, and I haven't seen that movie in a long time.. I watched till midnight and knew I better get some sleep. Until tomorrow...
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