Friday 3/18/11

Today was easily our best in terms of weather and scenery.  The temperatures were in the high 60s as we left the house, and warmed to the high 70s by the end of the ride.  However, the wind that has challenged our progress each day this week continued.  We (Jim, Kelley, Karen, Cam) chose the 70 mile Willow City Loop for some incredible views of trees, cliffs, ranches, and rolling countryside. The first 35 miles we rolled along easily with the wind at our backs.  But, as we reached the distal terminus of our loop and began the trek back toward Fredericksburg, we were hammered by a headwind that made the second half of our ride feel like it was uphill all the way home.  We strained against our pedals to the 45 mile marker on our route sheets which placed us at Enchanted Rock.  Since we hiked this site yesterday, we did not desire entry to the park, but we were all out of water, hungry, and needing a little break after the pummeling the wind was giving us.  Like yesterday when we were leaving the park, there were hundreds of cars awaiting entry to Enchanted Rock.  We rode our bikes past the crowds to access the water faucet at the entrance station, but were stopped by the ranger who said we had to go to the end of the line of cars and wait our turn.  He seemed to turn a deaf ear to our explaination that we had no interest in entering the park, only in filling our water bottles outside the entrance. Finally, after repeated pleas he relented, and told us that he would allow one of us to take all of the bottles to be filled while the others waited with the bicycles on the access road.  Cam filled the bottles, we refueled with the peanut butter/jelly sandwiches and protein bars we were carrying in our pockets, then continued the remaining 25 mile march home against the wind.  All of us enjoyed today's outing for the beautiful scenery and for the opportunity to ride together, but we were very grateful to arrive back at the Blue Cottage for showers, a short rest, and a late lunch.

Checking out the view on the Willow City Loop

Making some friends along the way

Karen and Kelley taking in the scenery

It is a LOT steeper than it looks in the photo!

Kelley had prepared a home made spaghetti sauce.  We boiled some whole wheat pasta, made a large garden salad, and had a great meal together which recharged our batteries.  Jim and Kelley still had not seen Luckenbach.  So, we called David and Ann (from last night) to meet us in the town of country western fame for an evening of free, live music performed by local musicians. 

From the Texas State Historical Society regarding the history of Luckenbach:
"CROUCH, JOHN RUSSELL [HONDO] (1916–1976). John Russell (Hondo) Crouch, humorist, writer, and owner and self-proclaimed mayor of Luckenbach, Texas, was born on December 4, 1916, in Hondo, Texas. Hondo Crouch was an All-American swimmer at the University of Texas. After training as a navigator in the Air Corps at Garner Field in 1942, he settled down to raise sheep, goats, and cattle near Fredericksburg. He was swimming coach at various Texas children's camps from the 1930s until the 1970s. In 1964 he was president of the Hall of Fame for UT athletes and in 1975 was influential in persuading the university to build the Texas Swim Center. From 1963 to 1975, under the pen name Peter Cedarstacker, Crouch wrote about 600 "Cedar Creek Clippings" for the Comfort News. Through his characters from the mythical town of Cedar Creek he satirized politics, government, ecology, deer hunters, social life, and everyday country problems and celebrations. In 1971 he bought Luckenbach, a small community established as an Indian trading post by German immigrant Albert Luckenbach in 1849. There Crouch presided as mayor over a population of three plus a single parking meter. As "clown prince" he brought to life the town's motto, "Everybody's Somebody in Luckenbach." He held zany celebrations, such as the Luckenbach World's Fair, the first Texas "women only" chili cook-off, Return of the Mud Daubers, and no-talent contests. Crouch participated in a Folklife Festival for Texas at the Smithsonian Institution in 1964. On July 4, 1976, Luckenbach received national attention for celebrating the Non-Buy Centennial, protesting the commercialization of the bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence. Crouch was married for thirty years to Helen Ruth (Shatzie) Stieler, daughter of the 1945 "Goat King of the World," Adolf Stieler of Comfort, and they had four children. Crouch died of a heart attack on September 27, 1976, in Blanco."

The local musicians played a mix of original and popular tunes on various stringed instruments and were accompanied by a casual mix of singers who would wander randomly on and off of the improvised stage, with a trio of tree-traveling roosters crowing constantly throughout the concert.  We each kept a careful eye on the fowl occupying the massive branches of the live oaks over our heads, ready to change tables as the chickens settled too directly overhead.  There was a parade of characters throughout our evening in a variety of boots and belts and cowboy hats, and even a handle-bar mustached cowboy riding a saddled Texas Longhorn.  As the sun was setting, we had planned to move to the Luckenbach dance hall for a little 2-stepping on the hard wood floor, but the windy miles from this morning's ride left us more inclined to bid farewell to David and Ann (thanks for making the 1.5 hour drive to spend a little extra time with us in Luckenbach - we love being with you guys and hope we see you again soon), and to return to the Blue Cottage for a good night of sleep.