Sunday, October 24, 2010

I BOUGHT THE SHOES THAT WALKED OUT ON ME




On Saturday 10-23-10, when we left Fredericksburg, it was a blustery overcast morning with a powerful wind blowing from the direction we were headed. We shifted up to the bigger cogs in the rear and the lower in the front, put our heads down, and spun on toward Kerrville. The wind didn't allow the luxury of much looking around or stopping to enjoy the vistas. At one brief stop, it blew Ann's bike over, about 77 lbs. loaded. It took us 3 1/2 hours to bike 28 miles. When we arrived, we visited the Hill Country Bike Shop and later checked in at the Y.O. Resort Ranch Motel. Ann had difficulty finding a room on the weekend and had this pictured as somewhat like a YMCA. Nice surprise! Later that afternoon, a thunderstorm swept through and we were informed that hail and 60mph winds assaulted the area we left this am. We dodged a big bullet today. Although our hotel fronts Hwy 16, it is still a part of the Y.O. Ranch. Since 1880, the Y.O. has been the oldest family owned working ranch in Texas and comprises 40,000 acres. The entrance for the working part of the ranch is about 30 miles from the hotel. The ranch has longhorn cattle, as well as exotic wildlife, and facilitates photography tours, trail drives, and retreats. The hotel has a lot of western art, several large branding iron chandeliers, and a western themed saloon. When we walked into the saloon, there were lots of boots, big buckles, and cowboy hats bellied up to the bar. We played a game of pool while listening to the juke box moan "I bought the shoes that walked out on me." This is an interesting place jumping with an Elks convention this weekend. Joshua Brown is credited with the founding of Kerrville. He discovered giant cypress trees near the upper Guadalupe River which led to the development of a shingle-making camp that is today the location of this town.

1 comment:

Kelly said...

I love the cowboy hats! They fit your outfits perfect. Glad to hear that you missed the storm and didn't have to ride through the weather.