Del Rio to Austin

December 27 to January 3, 2016

Garmin Info with Maps

Del Rio to Brackettville

Brackettville to Uvalde

Uvalde to Hondo

Old tires

We ended up staying a couple of extra days in Del Rio to wait out a terrible storm. There were actually flurries in Del Rio and, wow, was it cold. The locals said it had been more than 10 years since the last snow. The winds were also crazy strong blowing at least 30 mph. Funny enough, Maryann did see a touring cyclist ride by. The wind was at his back but there was so much debris blowing I wouldn't have felt safe. Maybe he was camping and the tent was blowing too hard to stay put? We didn't need to go and so we didn't go. 

Maryann replacing my rear tire

There were a few restaurants close by. Every morning we headed over the IHOP to get something off the senior menu. We could have cooked in the room but wanted to get out. The Motel 6 was very close to a big mall with a movie theater. On Christmas, we went to see the new Star Wars movie and that was a lot of fun. The restaurants around the motel weren't very good and our best meal was at a Chinese buffet. One night we tried a pizza buffet that was really terrible and another night we went to a mediocre Mexican place. Our 4th night in Del Rio saw us back at the Chinese buffet.  

Once I had my new tires, Maryann helped me put them on. It wasn't too hard just time consuming. I was able to reuse the left front and rear tubes since they didn't have any patches. The right front tube had 4 patches and I threw on a new one. Another reason we stayed an extra day was to get our trikes looked over. After my unfortunate mistake of locking up the gears going into too high a cog for the length of my chain, I wanted to make sure I hadn't caused any unforeseen damage.  Jesus at the bike shop was such a nice guy. He made sure our brakes and gears were adjusted perfectly. He worked on both trikes charging us only $8.  Once the trikes were looked over I felt confident about riding on. 

The truck tire patch held up just fine

I found a pencil bag to secure my Luci Lantern at Walmart - $.89

Getting to Del Rio is like coming out of the desert. From here on, towns are much closer together and there are real grocery stores. There was one thing I wasn't able to take care of and that was getting a prescription refilled because there isn't a Walgreens in Del Rio. With the Christmas holiday, getting the prescription transferred to CVS was going to be complicated. The CVS pharmacist said Walgreens is so busy this time of year it's hard to get them to answer the phone. Looking ahead, the next town with a Walgreens is Kerrville or about 6 days riding on the Southern Tier route. It would be close but I should be able to make it there before running out of my pills.

Ranch gate

We finally got back on the road Monday morning after stopping at an HEB market for ride snacks. Maryann was gone before I even finished shopping.  I had been talking to her about not waiting for me in the morning. I was thinking if she made her own breakfast she could start much earlier instead of always waiting for me. We'll see...  The ride on Hwy 90 was easy. There is some traffic but the shoulder is very wide. It's pretty amazing to see some of the wide loads that come down the highways. Sometimes there's a lead car but mostly a giant truck simply attaches a 'wide load' banner to display on the back. I try to stay on the right side of the shoulder and have been surprised on many occasions with loads so wide they cross well into the shoulder. Today's ride was easy and I arrived in the early afternoon at Fort Clark Springs. Maryann was already settled in a room. This is a big place with a rich history dating back to 1852 and the Mexican-American war. There is RV parking and a motel. The motel is in 2 buildings. Maryann and I had rooms in different buildings. Once I got settled I went over to Maryann's room to check it out. She had been looking at the map and noticed there was a Walgreen's in Uvalde where I could get my prescription filled. Uvalde is only a day's ride off the Southern Tier route and I thought that was a really good idea. I went back to my room and called in the prescription. I quickly got an email saying it had been filled. Later when Maryann and I rode into town for dinner she told me she wasn't going to ride with me to Uvalde and would continue solo on the Southern Tier to Camp Wood. I was surprised she hadn't talk to me about this earlier but I wasn't surprised she wanted to ride on solo. Maryann had purchased the maps for the bike route to Florida and had them delivered to a post office back in Marfa. When she didn't share them I figured she bought them to ride solo. We really haven't been riding together for many weeks now and I thought it was a good idea that if she really wanted to try riding solo she should get that opportunity. The next few day's ride into Austin would be very hilly but there are plenty of places to stay and get supplies. There are also many Warm Shower hosts along the way. Maryann could get in many more miles everyday riding on her own. I feel like Maryann has spent this whole tour waiting for me. She waited for me to get up in the morning and waited for me at the end of the day's ride, everyday. I imagine she was completely bored with waiting and totally understood that she wanted to ride on.  Being such a slow rider, it certainly isn't the first time I've encountered this dynamic. As hard as it is to wait, it's also uncomfortable being the slow person. I think we were both ready to ride at our own pace and our own time. We toasted our ride with a shot of whiskey before going to bed.

Windy ride to Brackettville

Extra wide load

Coming into Brackettville

In the morning, I looked out the door at 7:30 and Maryann was already gone. It was light out but the sun doesn't come up until after 8:00. I had a leisurely breakfast before starting back down Hwy 90. The day started chilly and windy. The shoulder was wide and the road surface was very rough. I had one bridge to cross where the shoulder narrowed that was somewhat uncomfortable because cars and trucks went by much too fast. But it was just one bridge. Then there was a border check-point. The guys were very nice and seem to get a kick out of questioning me. Once in Uvalde, my first stop was at the Walgreens where my prescription was waiting. Then I continued on to a cheap motel. 

Crossing a narrow bridge to Uvalde

Oversized? You don't say.

Border patrol psa

Border Patrol stop on the way to Uvalde

At the hotel I spent some time working on my blog and plotting a route into Austin. Being further east I had a few options to choose from. I could ride straight north and pick up the Southern Tier route or continue east on Hwy 90. What always determines my route are places to stay. My next day's ride would be fine in either direction but I was running into a problem finding a reasonable rate for New Year's eve. Looking at the map, there were places to stay in Hondo and then Bandera which had lots of motels. Luckily I called to find out if they were open and the rate. Bandera is a tourist town and was completely booked for New Year's eve. The guy I talked to suggested going to motels along I-10. I called a Motel 6 in Boerne and the rate was $115. Ouch! I think it's crazy to pay that kind of money for a low end room and I'd have to be around a lot of drunk people too. Bah! Then I tried Warm Shower hosts and was turned down 3 times. Hhhhmmm.... There's a triking friend I know from Facebook that has been following my journeys for many years and repeatedly invited me to stay when I get to Buda which is southeast of Austin. I wondered if it would be too much to ask him for a ride to his house. Since he rides a trike, I knew he would have a vehicle big enough. All I could do is ask. Gary was great about it and very generously came to my rescue without hesitation. I figured I could ride to Boerne on I-10 but he offered to pick me up from Hondo at the end of my next ride. Wow!!! This not only saved me another hotel expense but I would have a fun person to spend New Year's with.  Fantastic!!

Farm road out of Uvalde

In the morning, I started out to Hondo to meet up with Gary. I took a side road through farm and ranch land. It was a beautiful ride on a quiet road. I saw a strange sight when I passed a pile of dead pigs. There were probably 5-7 pigs and I couldn't understand what they were doing on the road. A mile further I saw a farmer working on some fencing and I stopped to chat after he gave me an enthusiastic hello.  He explained that ranchers lease out their land to hunters. They don't want the hunters to leave any kill on the property and so the hunters often leave the dead animals on the road. He said it happens quite frequently but the buzzards usually clean it up quickly. Very interesting!

Great scenic road out of Uvalde

Trikers stop to say 'hi'

Scene from the road.

As I was riding Gary and I texted our progress. He texted to let me know he was on his way and I texted back giving him ride updates. Hwy 90 continued to have a wide shoulder and the farther east I went the better the road surface became. Some people with trikes on a rack stopped to say hello which was fun. They are full-time RVing and were out for a day ride to enjoy a local path at a state park. The day was, again, windy but mostly in my favor. Just a few miles outside of Hondo Gary called to say he was in town. I gave him landmarks to look for and soon he pulled over to pick me up. We had been conversing over many years and it was great to finally meet him. We quickly got everything loaded and were on our way. He drove through San Antonio which I never expected to see on this trip. Gary really went out of his way to help me and I was super grateful. It took over an hour to get to his ranch in Buda. He designed and built his house and it is really beautiful. 

Just a few onion rings at Gristmill

Amazing bbq at Salt Lick in Driftwood

Cheers to you, Gary!

I spent three very fun days with Gary. He took me to a couple of fantastic restaurants including the very famous Salt Lick and the Gristmill. Both were amazing quintessential Texas experiences. The Salt Lick makes bbq to die for and they just kept refilling our plates with brisket, pork ribs and sausage. At the Gristmill, we ordered onion rings for the appetizer. The plate that arrived was piled so high it made me laugh. The area around the Gristmill is really cute and we walked around to explore. Gary showed me all around the area and it was fun to share New Year's with him.  After a fun-filled 3 days, Gary drove me into Austin where I had arranged to stay with another friend. My friend Walt wasn't around but he let me stay in a rental property right downtown. I met up with friends, Kathryn and Charlie, for dinner who I know from Portland. I also enjoyed the movie The Big Short and did a pilgrimage to REI and Whole Foods. Mostly I walked around town and enjoyed the funky vibe. 

Gary hamming it up

Gruene town

Austin Christmas decoration

The last week has been really great and just what I needed. Now it is time to get back on the road.

Mellow Johnny's bike shop