Texas Hill Country

First signs of Spring - Sheared Sheep

From Brackettville we continued east and then north into the Texas Hill Country.  As we headed east the vegetation became greener and the trees taller although outside the towns the trees were still maybe twenty feet.  There were ranches on both side of the road for miles.  The ranches with cattle were fenced with barbed wire  three or four feet high.   However many the ranches are for hunting and these have a mesh fencing six to eight feet high.  On the road from Brackettville to Camp Wood we saw a flock of six turkeys.   We have also seen numerous white tailed deer and a number of Axis deer, which were imported from India by some of the hunting ranches.  The Axis deer are about the same size as a white tail but have tan fur with white spotted markings, similar to a fawn.  We also saw two signs of spring, a flock of recently sheared sheep and a flowering tree.

First Signs of Spring - Flowering Tree

Nueces River

From Camp Wood we rode 21 miles to Leaky, walking a number of the steeper hills.  These hills may be great for riding singles but with the tandem loaded with 60 lbs of gear, we have been doing a lot of walking.  Our hotel was reserved for motorcyclists (and bicyclists) only.

D Rose Inn - Motorcyclists Only

Foxfire Cabin in Vanderpool

Thunderstorms were predicted for Wednesday so we arranged for a pickup truck to take us to Vanderpool, only to wake up Wednesday morning with no predictions of rain.  We canceled the pickup truck and rode (and walked) the 18 miles to Vanderpool where we rented a cabin for two nights.  The cabin was beside the river and we could listen to the water flow from the deck. 

Sabinal River Just Below Our Cabin in Vanderpool Tx

Thursday was our day off and we enjoyed the view from the deck, listening to the river and took a short walk, at the end of which we saw a flock of 14 turkeys.

Flock of Turkeys Near our Cabin in Vanderpool

Friday we left Vanderpool, climbing (on foot) up a steep canyon and then riding along the ridge toward Ingram.  Again we saw a number of deer and a flock of about 20 turkeys.  As we descended into Ingram we rode along the Guadalupe River through several picturesque resort communities.   

  

Guadalupe River

Saturday we had a short, 26 mile ride from Ingram to Comfort, continuing to descend along the Guadalupe River.  For the past month as we have travelled across Arizona, New Mexico and Texas we have been overhearing conversations in the restaurants at breakfast and dinner about the expected ban on assault rifles.  In one restaurant we saw a cartoon of "Deer Hunting after the Obama Ban" showing a deer staring at a giant mouse trap.  We frankly don't understand the concern but to the locals see this as a big violation of their rights.  The photo below typifies there feelings

Gun shop in Kerrville, Tx

Sister Creek Winery, Sisterdale, Tx

Sunday we had a relatively hard ride from Comfort to Blanco, with a number of difficult hill climbs along the way.  We stopped briefly in Sisterdale to visit a winery and again at a motorcycle hangout west of Blanco.  The Texas hill country is very popular with bicyclist and motorcyclists.