Biking in the Texas Hill Country

I went to San Antonio on Feb. 7 for a conference. The hotel was right downtown, with the Alamo directly across the street. The weather during the conference was very nice in the 50's and 60's, needing just a light jacket in the evening. Unfortunately, it was a skills conference, which meant that there wasn't even the option of considering whether to miss a session during the day.

The conference ended at 1:00 on Wednesday. The Texans in attendance were all leaving early because of the ice pellets which were being predicted. The temperature was in the high 30s or low 40s. I went to pick up my bike. The bike shop guy was surprised I showed up and asked if I had heard about the weather.

I drove north of San Antonio up I35 toward Austin until I saw signs for "recreational area" and found my way on to the Texas Hill Country Trail, which actually had signs saying "watch for bikers." I found a hotel, but it was about 5 p.m. by the time I checked in, so didn't get to bike with the ice pellets.

The next day, Thursday, it was in the 30s when I got up and drizzling. I decided to wait to see if it would clear up. At about 1:00 it was pouring rain, though it had warmed up to the low 40s with a wind chill of 30. I decided I didn't need to revisit the Ironman in Texas.

Friday, I went out to get my bike ready at 9, and my hands were getting numb so I took the bike inside and got it set up. I hit the road at about 9:45. The people at the check-out desk thought I was nuts, but they thought that already as soon as they heard I live in Minnesota. Fortunately, I had brought some cooler weather clothes. I headed west which was into the wind. There were some nice hills and long inclines. After about 2 hours I reached a café, and needed to get my feet warm. So I stopped for lunch. Cafes in rural areas are apparently the same everywhere, as I listened to people talk about how it was too wet to get into the fields, the price of hogs, and the challenge of shipping hogs to California.

Heading back was much easier with the wind at my back, so I made good time, and took a detour to add some more miles. I noted that cattle in Texas must not be used to bikers as they actually looked at me as I passed by. There were cactus along the way, and the buzzards that did not look up as cars passed by all flew up from what ever carcass they were eating when my bike passed. Normally, not a big deal, but 25 of these large birds flying up at once is a bit disconcerting. I stopped to take a picture of a cactus, (not to catch my breath--which I could see) and within minutes a sheriff's car had pulled to a stop across the highway. I got back on the bike, and he turned around and left.

Lots of good hills, some deer, and about 40 miles. There was one dead armadillo along the side of the road. All in all it made me wish I had one more day to bike again. As I drove my route to track the miles, I passed the only other biker I saw the entire trip. The day I left it got up to the 60s.

It was a nice location to ride, I highly recommend the Texas Hill Country, though would do it in March rather than February.