2017 10-12 Camp Wood to Lost Maples State Park (41.4 miles)

The ride was not long at only 41 miles but had a ton of climbing!  Not long climbs, but steep!  And you know what?  We hardly noticed as the scenery totally removed any pain of pushing hard up the hills.  The climbs came in three distinct sections of up a wall and down the other side.  Getting dizzy?  In between the steep climbs there were a series of rolling ups and down. The sky was overcast most of the time we were riding, making the temperature very bearable.  If the sun were as bright as it has been on many other days this ride would not have been so pleasant.  This is one of the best days of cycling!

Stopping at Leakey, the first of two stops on route today, we bought some groceries for tonight’s dinner.  The stop was short.  Within 5 minutes of leaving Leakey we came to an abrupt stop.  A perfect picture spot!  A grove of Cyprus trees reflecting in a stream.  The stream ran under the road and presented another view on the other side just as spectacular.  What a delightful sight!

The second stop was at a small convenience store to purchase the remainder of this night’s dinner.  All riders had to stop in order to help carry the groceries to camp.  Chris and Rich, the two fastest riders, had to wait over two hours for the shoppers to arrive.  Chris got hungry so he took out his camp stove and heated up two cans of chili for a small ‘snack’.

The Lost Maples State Park, our camp ground for tonight, was a very nice, clean and pleasant place to stay.  There was plenty of space for our tents and the grass was well maintained.  This was a fitting end to a perfect day.

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