Thursday, March 13, 2003                       Botines, TX to Seguin, TX
I awoke around 6 AM after four hours of sleep. Thursday morning was gray. I drove northwest  through Eagle Pass to Del Rio in order to collect a few more border counties.
I loved the slogan for Eagle Pass: " Where Yee-Hah Meets Olé." |
Between Eagle Pass and Del Rio, I saw this herd of goats. |
From Del Rio, I headed back east toward Texas Hill Country. There were a lot of Border Patrol vehicles on Ranch Road 674 some fifty miles from the border. In fact, they had their own dirt roads parallel to the highway. By the time I reached Rocksprings, the sun was shining. I parked near the Edwards County Courthouse and looked through my books for a nearby ride. I found a route in 25 Bicycle Tours in the Texas Hill Country and West Texas  that began about an hour away in Leakey (pronounced LAY-key). Since it was already afternoon, I couldn't do the entire ride that day, but it sounded like I could hit the best part in an out-and-back ride along the West Frio River.
This was the Edwards County Courthouse in Rocksprings. |
Like many old courthouses, this one had a matching jail. |
I headed down SR 55 toward Leakey. There was a picnic area along the way (very common in Texas), so I stopped there to change into my cycling clothes. At Camp Wood, I turned onto  FM 337. There were steep hills, blind curves and several groups of bicyclists.  While it would have been a fun road to ride, the poor visibility would have made me feel vulnerable. I hoped that the road I was planning to ride would have less traffic.
Click here for the West Frio River Ride
My original plan was to stay in Texas Hill Country for a few days, and I could have used a good night's sleep. Instead, my wanderlust (or was it countylust?) got the best of me and I drove another 250 miles. After reaching Yoakum (Lavaca County), I backtracked to Seguin, where I checked into a Super 8 around 11 PM.
Artist of the Day: Lyle Lovett - Although I haven't enjoyed his recent work  as much, I thought his first four albums were great. Lovett started as a country artist, but he has woven many other genres into his music since, including big band, folk, blues, jazz  and gospel.  When Lovett  toured with his Large Band, I went to see him at the beautiful Rialto Theatre in Joliet, IL. There I bought one of my favorite concert T-shirts, based on his wistful " If I Had A Boat" :
My Lyle Lovett shirt is now part of a T-shirt quilt. |
Honorable Mentions: Steve Miller - Although he formed the Steve Miller Band in San Francisco, Miller grew up in Texas, as did his  former bandmate Boz Scaggs. Miller  is famous for a string of big hits in the seventies including  " The Joker," " Rock'n Me," " Fly Like An Eagle" and " Jet Airliner." For another side of his music,  check out his earlier, more bluesy and psychedelic albums. While Anthology is a fine overview,  Sailor is a forgotten  masterpiece.
Return to Texas 2003: Day By Day
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