hurronnicane

Back home. Nine rides in seven days. I’ve been there several times around Spring Break and a couple times around Thanksgiving. First trip I’ve been there when it didn’t rain!

A little fun in Northwest Arkansas. Today should be the last warm day here for the remainder of my trip. It has been warm and muggy but also crazy beautiful! Dogwoods and columbines are blooming.

Damianita and Annual Pennyroyal for those keeping score at home.

After riding yesterday we got back to our campsite and I promptly locked the bikes to a picnic table before realizing that I didn’t have the keys with me. Fortunately the camp host texted the LCRA maintenance guy that night and he came by camp the following morning as I was finishing my second cup of coffee with his new bolt cutters and cut the padlock for me. It is always a little disturbing to see how easily a lock can be removed.

Another great year for bluebonnets at Muleshoe!

Meanwhile back at the ranch, the madrones are in bloom!

Still in Patzcuaro, Mexico. Yesterday’s ride was 10.2 miles with 1,510´ of climbing.

Patzcuaro, Mexico. Yesterday was my fourth ride in five days here. All of them have involved some amount of urban riding which has been a great way to see the town and a dizzying amount of visual, audio and olfactory experiences. All the roads are cobblestone and our hosts bikes that we are using are hardtails. And we are at 7000 feet and the rides have taken us up to around 8000 feet so plenty of huffing and puffing!

Patzcuaro, Mexico

I looked up and January is almost over and I’ve barely been on my bike. Uncool. So today I rode.

Today’s ride was quite a bit chillier. Friday was Lindsey Park and today was Tyler State Park.

It is always fun to ride in East Texas.

A buddy of mine used to ride with a machete in a scabbard strapped to the main triangle. His style of trail work was done while still straddling the bike. We eventually had to go back and cut flush all of the punji sticks he left behind.

Unexpected sights yesterday…

I would second that. He stood right next to us shooting a pistol in the air while we got our bikes ready. Then he told us to watch out for the rattlesnakes and claimed to have seen hundreds out there. Finally as we were riding out of the parking lot he told us to be careful because they would be firing the cannon later.

Of the two, I enjoyed Lindsey Park more. Definitely more topography and a longer ride. Faulkner has some fun stuff too though.

For me it was the Barton Creek Greenbelt in 1988. I started my riding days in Wimberley on trails that my friends and I made so it was eye opening to see real trails and see riders other than ourselves. I’ve always gone back there some but it has not been my main trail system.

If anyone needs firewood I have quite a bit available due to the ice storm of 2020. It is all oak (almost entirely Live Oak), generally 18” and shorter in length, because that is the length that will fit in our wood-burning stove. I cannot deliver but will be happy to help you load it. I could sell you almost any amount. Though there is a range of diameters, there is no split wood in this offering. The vast majority of trees and limbs that were damaged in the storm were six inches and less in diameter. I’m open to negotiate on price though I have consulted the internet to see what going price is. Let me know if you are interested or have any questions.

This morning was my first ride in Central Texas in two and a half months! Finished the ride right as the temperature reached 80 degrees. More of that please!

The vast majority of my rides are Ride to the Ride. That is mostly because I have a personal trail network on a neighbor’s property that is a ten minute ride away. We live west of Dripping Springs and there are no other trail systems that are very rideable from our house, though I have ridden to Pedernales Falls State Park a time or two. One was with my 8-year old daughter towing a BOB trailer for two nights of camping. The other was a training ride for my one and only Enchilada Buffet. As the traffic on our county roads gets busier and busier it feels pretty sketch anymore.