Day 29 - Half Way!
- hutchisonalanj
- Apr 4, 2023
- 2 min read
Vanderpool to Kerrville
47.2 miles 2,489 ft. Climb
What a day! It was a great ride and we crossed the half way point!
The trip is all a blur. San Diego seems like a million years ago. Texas hill country is beautiful, especially after West Texas. We are definitely out of the desert. This morning our tents had dew on them. We have crossed the 100th meridian which is typically considered the line between the dry desert and the humidity we will be running into. (Some sources say that the line has moved 150 miles east due to global warming). The terrain is rolling for the most part and is a very lush green.
Below on the left is Harris. He is from Florida and has been cold the whole trip. At 89 degrees today, he is down to 3 layers. On the right are postcards that our leaders provided.
One observation is that the colors of the pickup trucks have changed. In the desert white seemed to be the dominant color, now the pickups tend toward grey and black and have grill guards. We have also seen an increase in road kill. Mostly deer, but we also saw a wild boar and a variety of flattened smaller animals.
We were forewarned about the "wall of death" a five mile incline with up to 11% grade. We have spent a month climbing mountains and at the top of the climb, James and I looked at each other and said, "this is it"? I wanted to scream. "I spit on your grave wall of death," but I didn't want to anger the climb gods. I wondered if there was more climb, but there wasn't. The day was through lush, green countryside and rolling terrain. The hills were steeper, but shorter climbs. There was nothing but a gentle breeze and it was a great day to be on a bike.
At about 40 miles we hit Hunt, TX and we have officially ridden 1,500 miles (half of our ride). We are having chicken burritos tonight and we bought the best Texas wine Hunt Texas had to offer. At the campground we celebrated by doing laundry and swimming in that order. It is currently 89 degrees in Kerrville, and the pool water was cold, but refreshing. Another day conquered!
Congrats -- you are half way there. I hope you are making memories every day!