Day 27, 62 wonderful miles (1599), rode from Ingram to Leakey TX on a raw overcast day and had a fabulous ride. Since the weather was cool and blustery, and I had a lot of climbing and descending to do in the heart of Hill Country, I followed Ben's suggestion about temperature regulation in cold weather. The key is to exert yourself sufficiently to stay warm but not so much that sweat starts to build up and wet your clothing. This is always a challenge for me in hilly country, by drenching myself in sweat on the climb I guarantee an unpleasant and chilly descent. So I climbed all the big hills in my granny gear and enjoyed wonderful full speed descents tucked up tight in my nice and dry riding gear. Thanks Ben.
The day's ride was exceptional for two reasons, first the scenery is just like home, almost. If I was dropped here without a map, I would guess I was somewhere along the Shasta River between Mt Lassen and Mt Shasta.........the trees, rock formations, smell, and general look are the same. The second reason that the ride was so memorable was the locals. My waving quotient shot up to almost one (if no one waves back, the quotient is zero, if half the passing motorists wave its .5, if everyone waves it is 1.0........I give extra credit for motorists who wave before I wave to them). I gave a lot of extra credit for waving on this segment of the ride. Too many of the days leading up to today the wave quotient hovered right at zero.
Rain caught me at the sweet little town of Leakey (locally it is pronounced Lakey, just to throw visitors off, I imagine) so I decided to spend the night. The camping promised by my map was unavailable so I snagged one of the last rooms available in the only motel in town (spring break started this weekend, this is a weekend get away for city folks, so I was lucky to get a room). I was pleasantly surprised to find it run by a youngish American couple who clearly are in the middle of renovating the aging facility, most of the older motels I stop at are run by East Indian families, often multi-generational, who have always provided a decent room at a rate far below the newer motels. But whenever I check in I wonder why always Indian families? I know it must be hard work, very long hours, with small margins, but is there some secret organization taking over our cheaper motels in this country? So I was heartened to see a local couple making a go of it.
I wish I could spend more time here in Texas Hill Country; the friendly, rural nature of the area is a nice balm after the hectic miles getting through the more populated areas. This just reminds me that I am personally more comfortable in a setting where open space and a friendly wave mean more than big houses, plentiful shopping opportunities and a hectic pace. To each his own......
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