April 2, 2023: Lockhart to Warda. 75 miles and 4,200 feet of elevation

The past two days were certainly eventful. Yesterday, we cycled from Blanco to Lockhart, (approximately 63 miles) and today, from Lockhart to Warda, which is located just about 15 miles from LaGrange. Yesterday was special, thanks to a planned visit from Debby, Josh, Jessica, Marcus, Benjamin and Annalyn. The ride from Blanco to Lockhart was hilly, but the extra incentive of getting to see family after over 1 month helped fuel me to press forward pretty quickly. Ironically, I arrived at the Texas Pie Company in Kyle at our SAG stop, around 11:00am, and was only there a few minutes before Debby and the crew pulled in. I can’t tell you how nice it was to see everyone, if only for a few hours. We ate at the Pie Company, and then I cycled on to Lockhart, and met them again at the Lockhart State Park. I was able to exchange some things in my bags and consolidate, which hopefully will help as I move forward with the second half of the ride.

Today was difficult, not necessarily because of the mileage or terrain, but separating from family again left me with that family empty feeling I always get when leaving on a trip. It will be slightly less than a month before I see them again, so my focus now will be on staying healthy and keeping the rubber side down. Thanks for hearing me out, as simply talking about this on the blog is therapeutic.

But alas, there are “miles to go before I sleep”, which Robert Frost once said in his poem Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening. It’s pretty obvious that we are slowly moving out of the hill country, as the terrain is starting to get a little flatter, and the hills and valleys a little more rolling. The mileage each day will start to increase, as well, and the flatter terrain will certainly help.

There were some bright spots and funny moments from today. First of all, apparently Lockhart State Park is currently overrun with caterpillars, which appear both on the ground, in the trees, and in the air. You can hardly take a few steps without coming across these sneaky little creatures, and those that stayed in tents last night apparently were up for hours trying to purge the little crawlers from their tent, sleeping bags, and personal items. In fact, I’m hearing a rumor that the cook is planning on serving caterpillar soup for dinner tonight. As I was leaving camp this morning, I felt something “plop” on my helmet, and felt something fall through he grooves on my bike helmet and onto my head. I had to pull over and remove the helmet from my head, in order to free one of the little crawly creatures, who apparently had attempted, (on a dare, I assume), a kamikaze bungee jump from a tree onto the white helmet below him. I’m sure it will be an even he will talk about his feat with his family for years to come.

About mid day, I came upon our second SAG stop, which was located at a “cowboy church” (their official name). Being Sunday, church was in session, but they did have a few “ranch hands” outside, preparing a feast for the worshippers, who were inside welcoming a new pastor who had just taken charge of the church. Unfortunately, we did not have an opportunity to meet Pastor Pecos Pete, however we did interact with a few in his congregation. They asked us a lot of questions about our planned journey, and were “mighty obligin’ to offer us some ranch beans and hotdogs, if we could stay a little longer. I had to unfortunately decline, but did punch a hotdog before I left, since I think that’s what they mean by the phrase, “punch a few doggies”. Like the lady from the animal rehab center a few days ago, they appeared to be thankful when I left.

Speaking of “doggies”, today was full of them. As I was cycling just outside of LaGrange, I went past a house that had four dogs, all behind a fence in the front yard. As is typical, the dogs, a chihuahua, Rottweiler, German Shepard, and a mut ran up to the fence, barking furiously and moving in parallel to my path, with a fence in between us. I tried to offer some soothing words, however they were having none of it, and began to run the perimeter of the fence, parallel to my path on the road. I thought it was a little amusing, until I heard a strange “clang”, and realized that there was a hole in the fence, and dogs were now in hot pursuit. I must have looked like the Pied Piper on 2 wheels, as all four dogs followed me at full sprint, snapping and snarling, and running at quite high speeds. Talk about an incentive to put the “pedal” to the metal”. As I burst into overdrive, I noticed that the chihuahua, who had kept pace admirably for about a quarter of a mile, finally stopped, however the mut, Rottweiler, and German Shepard appeared to still have plenty in the tank. Pedaling now at top speed, (and probably shrieking like a little baby being forced to take a bath), I finally outran the mut and the Rottweiler, and had “only” the German Shepard to beat. We must have run “neck and neck” for nearly a mile, and when I had the nerve to look slightly down and to my right, I looked the dog right in the eye, and realized that this dog meant business. He lunged a few times, but I kept the pace, and finally, after about a mile, he gave up. I’d be surprised if it took me more than a few minutes to complete the mile, but then again, it took me about 30 minutes before my heart rate returned to normal limits.

Thinking that the excitement for the day was over, I slowed back down to my mortal (glacier-like) pace, and pedaled on for another several miles. Believe it or not, in 45 minutes, the same exact thing happened, with yet another German Shepard! All I can guess is that the first German Shepard had called ahead, and warned the second that I was on my way. How these dogs dial phone numbers and hold the phone is beyond me!

Finally, I made it to our camp in Warda, which is farm that was converted into an off-road mountain biking camp, just outside of La Grange, TX. Just on the other side of the fence from this camp is a gun range, which helps keep the excitement up to high levels when you hear bursts of gunfire at a relatively close distance. My favorite sight for today was a sign for a beauty parlor right before I turned into the camp, which was named the “Curl up and Dye”. Always appreciative of a good pun, I began to think of a few more good names, such as “Shearlock Combs”, and “Julius Scissor”. If nothing else, perhaps “Anita Haircut” or the “Jack of all Fades”.

A quick note about LaGrange. It is best known for a place called “The Chicken Ranch”, which is the inspiration for the movie “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”. Aside from that, I’m sure that the 4,000+ people who live in the town find it to be an absolutely wonderful place, Chicken Ranch or no Chicken Ranch. Alas, tomorrow, if yet another long day, so I supposed I should close for now. Thanks for reading!