Deadlines and disruptions have limited my riding, so I was excited to set out on a March century -- I even chose the touring bike to add some extra saddle time. The forecast was ~60-70°F, but with near full overcast and morning showers; the rain wasn't going to stop me (but it might have slowed me down). Wanting some elevation, I set a route into the hill country.
45 miles into the ride, I found myself in Dripping Springs. I stopped to stage a photo in front of the parkway (which offers a very pleasant few miles), then circled town to find my favorite type of lunch: apple fritters, custard-filled long johns, and coffee!
After lunch, it was back the way I came -- it really is a great route. There are plenty of hills (and overall elevation gain), but the typical grades are manageable; best of all, there is hardly any other traffic on the backroads.
Of course, once you get to Wimberley and the Blanco River valley, you have to climb out of the valley to get back home -- the road can be seen off in the distance: it sustains 17-19% grades for far too long. (I also managed to aggravate some fire-ants for the picture, which added just a bit of extra discomfort for the already challenging climb).
All told, it was a very satisfying day out on the bike. Unfortunately, the rain did make a mess of things, so I had some cleaning to do before I could hang up my hat.
