Into the Heart of Hill Country

After a great night’s rest, Brad took us to his office to use the plumbing. He then went and got us delicious breakfast burritos as only Texas can make them. Once we finished breakfast, Brad graciously drove us up to Monument Hill, which gave us a spectacular view of the Texas Colorado River and the town of La Grange. We also got to see the nearly 200 year old Mier Oak Tree. A bit of trivia about La Grange- it is in Fayette County, and is named for the Marquis De LaFayette’s home in France. Soon we were on our way and the hills with with us from the start. Brad advised us to take the busy 4 lane road with the good shoulder to avoid cycling through the hilly Bastrop State Park. The park had been devastated by the worst wildfire in Texas history in 2011. We could still see it from the 4 lane, but at least we didn’t cycle through it. A digression: We have found that long distance all day cycling really engenders a sense of gratitude for simple pleasures and magnifies your patience. After suffering constant hills, broken pavement, unsafe drivers, and equipment breakdowns, just a rest and a icy Coke makes you almost ecstatic! And with constant aggravation’s like snarling dogs, loose equipment, flat tires, chains coming off, etc., you learn that it is just part of life and the journey and should be endured with magnanimity. Also, anyone with an inflated sense of self should NOT become a bicycle nomad. You quickly learn not to care what people think as you scoot your bike down the road with one leg like a kid, trying to get enough momentum to start pedaling your heavy rig again, or sit on the ground at a gas station guzzling a Coke and scarfing Fritos as gawkers stroll by. We quickly felt strongly that we are all in this together, just trying to get through each day. We had lunch in Bastrop and rode through the town checking out the many historic buildings. Bastrop has more buildings on the historic register than any other Texas town. The remainder of the ride was somewhat unpleasant, including a 7 mile stretch on Pearce Rd., which had no shoulder...during rush hour. We finished the ride to McKinney Falls State Park in the dark. Total cycling mileage: 74 Total hiking mileage: 4