Day 27, Post 25: Ever heard of Kerrville, TX? I hadn't. It seems to be a reasonably large town, all things considered. West of it is Hunt, TX - a prosperous town surrounded by large ranches, which reminds me somewhat of the small towns in the coastal mountains of the South Bay in California. Odd to come on that from the west where the distances are so vast, traffic is so light, and amenities are so few.
We had our toughest hill yet starting out about 8 am this morning, straight up for about 3 miles at about a 10% grade. Because I wasn't exhausted yet, I rode it at the merry clip of about 3.5 mph. Guess how long it took me to get to the top? That's right, about 50 minutes of hard, hard work. Stopping seemed imprudent- how would I ever start again? So I persisted. The hills continued and then finally mellowed out for the day at the Guadalupe River. Unfortunately I was moving so fast and enjoying myself so much I failed to take enough pictures along the river basin as I approached and cycled past Hunt into Kerrville. It reminded me a lot of the Delaware River basin country in Pennsylvania. Isn't it annoying how we make comparisons wherever we go? Why can't each place be unique, since, in reality, it is.... ? Ok, there's nothing like the Guadalupe River Basin and it's beautiful!
I just worked out a plan for spending several days in New Orleans with my friend Carolyn in two weeks. Three blissful days wandering around New Orleans! It'll be magic! But first I have to get myself to Fredericksburg, then Austin and around Houston. The next ACA "Southern Tier" map doesn't even have an elevation profile. But first, eastern Texas. Then, swamps. And swampland is flat! Except for the alligators on the road.
Btw, my poet friend Rafael Gonzales pointed out that I should have called a county park I mentioned a few days ago "beloved" instead of "infamous." He's right, of course. And a family member mentioned to me a while back that I was mixing up its and it's. At the time I wrote this, but never found the right time to post it....
"All my life I have been surrounded by English teachers, an awful affliction for those who - like me - care a little about good grammar but not, ...well, enough. Precision is the expectation, and one is destined to disappoint. Digital spellcheck makes things worse. Even though I know the difference, my computer and/or phone occasionally gets "your" and "you're" wrong. I'm proud to say, however, that I almost always get my pronouns right - "I understand the distinction in use between "I" and "me", and I cringe when I hear "myself" used instead of "me", a very common mistake these days... But it's and its? Well, Thats another story. But for a moment let's assume I'm an it. If that were true, then it's its problem, is it not? And whoever thought of naming that famous San Francisco ice cream cookie sandwich an "it's it"? Or is it an "its it"? Explain that to me, English teachers".
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1632929572
Pic 1, Looking down at the hill I climbed first thing this morning. That's a 10% grade!
Pic 2, Hill country shrouded in fog - the way each morning seems to start.
Pic 3, The Guadalupe River.
More to come,
Michael