TUES MAY 7—We’ve crossed into some new territory today, and I think its safe to say that we’re officially out of the Texas Hill Country. Over the course of 50 miles the land began to flatten out, trees greatly diminished in quantity, the ground got much dustier, and the cattle + sheep started looking bony, scraggly. The sky o p e n e d up. The ride was easy and fast, even with a very shifty wind we were able to make good time—a nice break from several days of wicked winding climbs that left my legs trembling with exhaustion at times. The hills are hard, but totally doable--what’s tricky is planning around them. You plan on doing 70 miles, but its time to stop at mile 50 because some mountains ate up all your time; its 6pm and you’re DAMN TIRED. If there’s a place to sleep you take it and adjust the schedule, make the calls if you have service, re-figure the route. Tonight we’ve found a little campground in Bracketville, TX which is on the site of an old cavalry fort called Fort Clark. The air is dry as a bone and the pool is closed due to the drought but we’ve got a nice cold shower and a spot in a grove of Live Oak Trees.
