Don't mess with Texas.   At least that's what the anti-littering signs say.  I didn't understand that it had wider meaning and consequences as well.  So as I stood at the junction of TX 39 and TX 187, I thought friends back home would appreciate seeing what qualified as a 70 mph speed limit road in Texas. TX 187 is a narrow two lane road with warning signs about possible water on the road way,  right next to the speed limit sign.  Nice.  So I snapped my photo to share.  That's when Texas decided to mess with me.  Psssssst flub flub flub.  The unmistakable sounds of a flat just as I remounted my bike.  There stuck in the rear tire was a nice sized sandbur.   We'd been warned, but had not had any trouble until I thought I'd poke a little fun at Texas. Texas has no sense of humor and ways to retaliate.

If you referred to my blog post a few day ago, you're probably aware that we had some big climbs today, besides doing a total of 46 miles.  If the climbs looked big on paper, trust me that they did not disappoint in fact, either.  The first big climb of the day began almost immediately as we left the River Inn resort.

It was blessedly cool this morning after the cold front passed last night.  We didn't get any storms where we were,  though Fredericksburg apparently had thunderstorms.

In the cool morning air, we made the first climb of the day with some effort, then spent the rest of the morning in rolling hills with generally less steep grades.

We stopped at the convenience store outside Vanderpool for lunch.  The girl at the counter just rolled her eyes when we did we were headed for Leakey.  She obviously knew what was waiting for us.

Not half a mile from the convenience store the road rose at a 10 % grade for about a mile.  We work hard enough on such a grade that we're reduced to stopping just to catch our breath and let our pulse return to merely high.  But you really know it's steep when you have difficulty getting started pedaling again.  Finally we had to simply get off and push our bikes up about half the steepest part of the climb.  Whew!

At the top, there was a picnic table under a shelter where we gladly sought some rest and a chance to chat with motorcyclists who favor the twisting roads for their entertainment.

These cyclists indicated that the next climb wasn't as steep as the one we'd just complete.  So we left on a downhill run tempered  with almost constant braking because of the unfamiliar roads.

The next climb started almost immediately on reaching the bottom of the downhill.  It was less steep initially, but we soon found ourselves on a grade similar to the first climb, with a similar pedestrian result.  We eschewed an offer of a ride to the top and did make it under our own power.

The downhill that followed was again taken cautiously until we were off the steepest part. It looked like a pretty clean slightly downhill run into Leakey from there, but we're challenged with one more short steep climb two miles from town.

When we finally arrived our legs were pretty much toast.

Last night Barb called and made arrangements to camp at a private place called The Hog Pen.  As Iowa natives, all we could think of was what kind of wallow we'd be camping in.  With all the motorcycles around, we should have known what to expect.  The Hog Pen is a favorite hangout for the touring motorcyclists.   Their motto "where BBQ, beer, and friends meet".

So we'very been with the other cycling crowd, enjoyed a few beers, and some fine BBQ.  We're now camped on a wooden deck behind the place.  Toilets are open all night and the place will close sometime after dark, and then presumably the loud speakers playing vintage rock will go silent.

We're well, tired and have one more big climb tomorrow.