Saturday March 14, 2015

We were up early (7:00 am) Fred and Janice were up and we could smell the coffee brewing. By the time we were showered and starting to pack-up breakfast was on the table, scrambled eggs and venison sausage! The coffee was lovely, so was the venison sausage.

We had an interesting discussion on religion, it is quite amazing that early in the morning and we are chatting about theology!

Janice had told us about a replica Stonehenge located not far from their house on our route.

We couldn\’t get close to the original, but here is Ralf standing in front of the 2/3 the size replica.

Today’s ride was once again hilly. As we have cycled along in different countries, I have often compared where we are cycling with other places we have been. For instance there were places in New Zealand that reminded me of England. As I was cycling today I was trying to compare Hill Country Texas with other places and I have come to the conclusion that Hill Country Texas is unique.

The hills and valley are made up of limestone and the trees are primarily pecans. The ranches are big and are primarily cattle ranches, but are nothing like what I had imagined them to be. I imagined big wide open spaces. Hill Country is rugged, big rolling hills, with the Quadalupe River flowing through the valleys. It was a very pretty ride.

However, we have seen boot and shoe fences before.

After all the hills, it was nice to come down a wonderful hill to the park.

We arrived at Lost Maples State Park at about 2:30, I was tired. The park website stated that it was full, Ralf said use your best “English”, I went into the office and asked if they had any spots for a very small tent. Apparently someone had not turned up, so we could have that site.

As I came out with the good news, two guys were chatting to Ralf about our ride. They were roadies and had seen touring cyclists but had never had the opportunity to chat to any of them. We were inundated with questions. When we told them we only planned about two days ahead, they were gobsmacked “Say What”, the look on his face was a picture.

When we arrived at our pitch, the next pitch was full of people sitting around their picnic bench. They watched us arrive on our bikes and as usual were very friendly. One of the guys asked where my accent was from and when I told him Nottingham, he said he knew the area. His first wife lives in Nottinghamshire, we had a chat about Nottingham and told us if we needed anything we only needed to ask. They offered us some fruit, which we readily accepted. Later when another car arrived, they asked us if they could use our parking space. They bribed us with two bananas and two oranges – how easily we can be bought.

The shower was hot and I didn’t have to keep pressing a button for the water to continue, it just kept coming out of the shower head. We have a picnic table, things are looking good for camping in the US. The State Parks are a little expensive, as you have to pay to enter the park (per person) and pay for the tent spot.

The weather started to cool down and we were in bed by 8:30. I listened to the neighbours chatting, country music playing and the final songs from the birds, before I drifted of to sleep.