Texas Hell Week: Day 7, Blanco

Today it is Dave, Steve, Bill, and I on a ride that is not one of the scheduled rides. I am afraid of the wind as the prediction is for 15-25 mph. winds all day and I have no cue sheet, but I trust the men I am with not to leave me behind. Once we cross Highway 290, the endless hills begin, but the sweeping vistas with their mixtures of green and brown are a sight. If I had to pick the three most scenic rides, it would be this ride, Windows on Dos, and the Death Ride. Again and again the hills assault my legs, and again and again my eyes reassure them that it is worth it. I think that it reminds me of PBP, this endless going up or going down with no flat land. Interestingly, Dave later says he had the same thought.

I am amazed at how quickly this week has slipped through my fingers and it feels as if we have just arrived, but my legs tell me differently. I am sad, but I also am beginning to be homesick for the familiar.

Before lunch, a dog jumps the fence and runs out after us. I am amazed at how much strength there are in the old legs after all. The guys laugh at me and ask me what was the rush. At lunch, I opt for the special and not the cheeseburger. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as a cheeseburger would have been. Next year, I am eating like the guys and damn the consequences;-) After lunch, we don't stop to see the dinosaur footprints in the creek bed that Bill is sure are not real. Teasing him, I point out that it says they are real in a book. This really gets him going and he makes me laugh and laugh.

At the last store, Dave says he is not feeling so well and is going to finish slowly. Later, when he is pulling at about 20 mph, I tell him I am darned glad he decided not to finish at a fast pace. We all slow up for the rest of the trip in. We pass the peach trees again who blush pink at our passing. At the hotel, I begin to pack for the long trip home. Texas, until next year.