06 April 2014
Montell to Lost Maples State Recreation Area, TX
46 miles (Total Miles = 1,396)

It’s misting and we’ve stopped to don our rain gear but for probably the first time ever, we don’t care so much that it’s a little bit wet out because finally (finally!) there is no wind (no wind!) howling in our faces and the scenery (the scenery!) has started to drastically improve and the roads (the roads!) have gotten smaller and quieter and I can hear birds twirping (twirping!) instead of semi’s and hemi’s growling. We are in Texas Hill Country and yes, it’s hilly but oh, what a relief to change saddle positions every now and then and to look at the beautiful greenery around us instead of the back-end of the riding partner in front of us who we’ve been using as a wind-block since I can’t remember when.

Sure, there was a moment early on in the day that nearly spawned a morning melt-down, when a very nice woman pulled up alongside us, asked if we were headed to Leakey (we were) and proceeded to tell us to be careful because it was pouring rain there and the road in was steep and curvy. You can imagine how well-received that news was. But here’s the hidden benefit of riding slow – by the time we got close to Leakey, there was no need to worry about any rain, for the clouds had lifted, revealing a fabulously scenic countryside.

The other good news of the day was the mileage, being low enough to allow us to arrive at camp early. This is not to relax – oh, heavens no – but instead to allow for Gina to thoroughly shake out and scrub down every bit of camping gear that had last been touched in Seminole State Park, known to Gina as the sand capital of Texas. We’ve probably now altered the entire ecosystem of this beautiful recreation area, but at least our sleeping bags are grit-free.