When touring by bike one needs patience and the hope the birds will come to you. Additionally as Molly is not a birder, my time for “bird stops” is limited. Thankfully over the past 24 hours 3 cool species of birds were very cooperative. We have now completed 457 miles after 11 days of touring … which includes a short day ride at my relative’s farm.

Scissor Tailed Flycatcher at Sunset

Crested Caracara at the Roadkill Cafe

Today’s Wildflower Photo … Still tens and tens of thousands of wildflowers along the roadside!

Suntan lotion going on …

Cattle Egrets … with and without cows … apparently touring cyclists are scary.

Molly and I at the monument for the location where the first shots were fired in the Texas War of Independence against Mexico … just happened to be along our route and we needed a break.

Sit back, young buck, and let me regale you with tales of the Texas Hill Country. This region is noted for hills, and in the spring, when the time is right … wildflowers! (see prior post) The characters in our fine story are two love birds from northern Minnesota who escaped the late winter to enjoy some Texas hospitality with a capital “T”.

Last night they stayed an an oil workers lodge. Now you might think this would be an odd place to spend a night, but you would be wrong. The staff and other guests loved their northern biker crowd (i.e. us). We talked long after supper with the manager’s children. We scared them with tales of the Northland where ice reigns supreme in mid April!

While cycling, our couple watched Crested Caracaras courting. In addition, as we tired, Black Vultures watched over our northern cyclists. Would they survive the Texas Heat and their 50+ mile rides?

Local cyclists stopped and talked with our northern couple. Who was this strange team with 25 pounds of gear on their bikes? A fantastic retired couple in Kerrville even hosted Rich and Molly one night … providing excellent food, wine and conversation. Yes … cycling tours means good stories. One meets and sees America, and discovers our land and its people are wonderful.

Oh … and should you lose some of your gear … remember Amazon delivers all over the country … even to lockers located at gas stations right along the highway. Life is good.

Oh my … we have been cycling through an explosion of color. Everyone talks about Texas Blue Bonnets, and we have seen tons of these flowers, but the variety of wildflowers is amazing. Even the cactus are blooming! If you include our short shake down cruise / ride near my brother-in-law’s farm, we have now cycled 417 miles and are staying overnight in Stockdale, Texas. Access my daily bike diary via this link

With out further adieu … Texas Wildflowers by the hundreds of thousands!

Yours truly … Wildflower Immersion Therapy

Blue Bonnets

Blooming Cactus … Red and Yellow

A Wild Variety of Color!

Our Route Through the Hill Country