7/3 - 7/12 Ride Report

7/3 - Blanco, TX
7/5 - New Berlin, TX
7/7 - Mission Trail
7/8 - Schertz, TX
7/9 - Mission Trail
7/11 - Government Canyon State Natural Area
7/12 - Freiheit, TX

The Blanco ride (7/3) was really nice. I'd never been down the section of FM 3351 from Kendalia to Edge Falls Rd. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable riding there during the day. I did, however, locate the intersection on Edge Falls Rd. where Acker Rd. comes in from Spring Branch Rd. I need to drive that road sometime soon to see if it's suitable to ride from Spring Branch Rd. to Edge Falls Rd. That would be a great connector and allow a trip to Kendalia without having to go on FM 3351 at all. That would be a big win.

The Mission Trail ride in the morning from the house (7/7 and 7/9) is a good way to start the day. I can't wait until later in the year when I'll be able to ride later than 6:30 am. I have to start that early to beat the heat right now and it kills me to wake-up so early.

I finished getting all the GPS data I wanted for Government Canyon (7/11) and I took a few pictures. I'm now ready to do that map. I normally ride the perimeter trails, but this week I rode on the inner trails. Little Windmill and Twin Oaks were both smoother than I remember. Also, I rode up Wildcat Canyon instead of down it. I remembered it as being a lot more rocky and technical than it was. I really like it going uphill.

I've never done the Freiheit ride before (7/12). It's out near New Braunfels, which is farther than I usually go out I-35 for rides. I like the roads, but I wonder how busy they are during the week. They may only be good for early weekend rides. When I get ready to do those maps I'll drive it during the week to get a feel for what to expect.

I'm getting a better feel for the area around New Berlin (7/5). There's a whole quadrant Southeast of San Antonio (south of I-35) that I've not ridden much over the years, mostly because it's flatter than I usually like. With the traffic getting so heavy on the North side of town, I'm spending more time out in that area. I'm finding some really great roads out there, though unfortunately the street signs are few and far between, making navigation a challenge. I've got some good ideas for maps out in the area that I'm going to refine over the next month or two until I'm ready to do the maps.

The ride from Schertz (7/8) was also in the Southeast quadrant and gave me more of an appreciation for how the roads flow between I-35 and I-10. Slowly but surely I'm learning how the roads work over there. Eventually my mental map of that area will allow me to navigate around there without getting lost. I hope.

7/1/09 Mission Trail

It almost wasn't scorching hot this evening. Almost.

6/30/09 New Berlin

I really like the area around New Berlin for riding. It's mostly back roads with light traffic, and the few busy roads are easily avoided. There aren't any hills to speak of, which is actually nice for a change (though I do enjoy hilly terrain). I really want to get to know that area much better.

6/29/09 Government Canyon

I tried out new riser handlebars on my mountain bike today. After renting the 29er and enjoying its more upright seating position, I decided to change my position on my current bike. I ordered a bmx/downhiller handlebar that has three inches of rise. It was great! My back still hurt a bit, but it was MUCH better than it has been. The only downside to the bar is that it's too wide. It's 28 inches wide, while my last one was 23 inches wide. That's not hard to fix with a hacksaw, though. I'll take off two inches to start and try that out. If that doesn't do the trick, I'll continue to take it off in one inch increments until I'm comfortable with the position.

6/28/09 Bullis Park

Hot blah blah blah, dry blah blah blah.

6/27/09 Rebecca Creek

The Guadalupe River is pretty darn dry right now. At the bridge on Spring Branch Road there weren't any really dry spots, but at the bridge on FM 311 there were lots of rocks showing in between the water. The bridge on Rebecca Creek Rd. was totally dry. There were pools of water to each side of it, but not that much. I'm not sure if that's part of the Guadalupe as well, but it feeds it at least. We could sure use some rain.

6/25/09 Loop 410 East

It's amazing to me that the access road for Loop 410 on the southeast side of town has such little traffic on it. I wonder how long that will last?