Day Twenty Eight: off I-10, texas hill country, craig

By the end of the day yesterday I was considering taking a rest day today. I'm pretty worn out, and it's about time to take a day off. However, I decided to ride one more day, because a day off in Fredericksburg, a resort town, sounds better than a day off in Junction. Not that Cooper's "You Can't Beat Our Meat" BBQ isn't great, but I've been to Fredericksburg and know it's a great place to hang out.

So... I woke up early and packed quickly. After a brief stop at the convenience store for some powdered donuts and water for breakfast (chocolate milk wasn't available - they're changing vendors), I was off.

Again, there's no place along the way to buy food for lunch so I stuffed some things into my bags.

After riding only a couple of miles out of town, Ken passed me. He honked lightly and tapped his brakes a couple of times to say hello. I gave him a big wave.

Am I having fun?

From Mark on a Bike 08 2

You bet!!!

This part of the state has long uphills, then long downhills. The top of each peak is cut through the rock.

From Mark on a Bike 08 2

Twenty two miles later, after 281 miles of pedaling alongside semis and over debris-strewn shoulders, I finally left I-10. On 290 it became quieter almost immediately. I had forgotten how quiet pedaling normally is.

The huge trucks, although wonderful to help push you along, are loud. The traffic was sparse in West Texas, but it became more congested the farther East I traveled.

290 has a really wide shoulder. Since there aren't many cars, it has very little debris.

This is "The Hill Country" of Texas. There are groves of oak trees, and the scenery is becoming prettier with each passing mile.

From Mark on a Bike 08 2

Just before lunch I passed a guy sitting on the side of the road. He was resting under an oak tree, in the grass, and had his push mower beside him. Just as my slowly-processing brain realized, "Why would a guy have a push mower way out here? There is NOTHING around here," I took another look. He was actually another bike tourer. By the time I realized THAT, I was already well past him.

A couple of miles down the road I pulled over at a rest stop to eat lunch and waited for him to show up while I ate, but he never did.

Lunch today is a peanut butter and honey sandwich, accompanied by a large can of tea and some cookies for dessert. I also had some beef jerky. It felt like a real picnic!

From Mark on a Bike 08 2

From Mark on a Bike 08 2

The barbed wire is still everywhere.

From Mark on a Bike 08 2

While at the rest stop I made some calls to a few of the hotels in Fredericksburg. I've been staying in the cheapest hotel I could find in each city, and decided to splurge a little on my Fredericksburg hotel.

From Mark on a Bike 08 2

They even folded my bathrobe into an elephant.

From Mark on a Bike 08 2

After checking in I started taking my bags upstairs. They wouldn't let me take my bike into the room and I had to keep it in a locked storage area. Apparently they've had problems in the past with grease stains.

While waiting for the elevator, a man asked a few of the frequently-asked questions and we began talking.

His name is Craig Zablocki, and he is a motivational speaker. For the next couple of days he'll be talking to some of the region's school superintendents. He uses humor to positively motivate his listeners to be better at their jobs.

Craig is planning on going to New Zealand with his son in the next few weeks and, although he usually hikes, has been considering taking or renting bikes to tour the country. We talked about bike stuff for a while, then he had to go prepare for his evening meeting. He invited me to come listen.

I was really interested in having a nice meal this evening, and asked Shirley and Pat at the front desk where the best places in town are.

The Nest is within walking distance so I made a reservation, took a shower, then strolled down the street for the best meal I've had since I've been on the road.

On the way back, I checked the time and realized that Craig's meeting had started about fifteen minutes ago. I decided to sneak in the back.

I slipped in and was hardly noticed, except, of course, by Craig.

Craig is quite a dynamic speaker.... not too surprising since he does this for a living. He forces the audience to participate, and the forty or so people there seemed to be enjoying themselves.

From Mark on a Bike 08 2

At the end of his presentation, he introduced me and told everyone what I was doing. I was an example of "You can do this if you want to," which is something I really believe.

From Mark on a Bike 08 2

Back in my room I did some catching up on my blog (aren't I always?!?!) before calling it a night.

64.60 miles
11.9 average speed
28.6 maximum speed
5:23:02 time on bike
1390.3 total miles