The good riding to the northwest (i.e. Fulshear, etc.) doesn't really start until I'm over 10 miles from home and out of the subdivisions, so when I wanted to plan a short 20 mile round tripper that was a good match for an unusually busy Sunday, I selected a route that explored the east side of the Brazos, but didn't cross. It turned into a strange one.
The ride started poorly when it took me 20 minutes of searching to find my Garmin Edge 305. I even woke up my spouse and asked if she had seen it. She wasn't happy, and I felt really stupid when I eventually found it -- inside of my one of my cycling shoes. With GPS in place, I hit the road at 6:30a, riding towards Thompson Ferry Road. According to MapMyRide, it would be a 20 mile round trip. I hoped to see an old ferry crossing when I neared the Brazos, and imagined some nice cycling through the shady river bottom.
Initially, my route took me through the sprawling RiverStone subdivision. Riding through gigantic subdivisions, including the one I live in, appears to be the cycling price for living in the Houston area. Once I turned on Thompson Ferry Road, the terrain turned to rural farmland. Cows, horses, pasture land, and hayfields were on both sides of the road. No cars passed me. My legs were at home again on the bike.
10 minutes later, and I saw a dog standing sentry in the middle of the road. If subdivisions are the urban cycling toll, dogs are the rural one. I started spinning faster, and shifted to the big ring in anticipation of standing. The sentinel was joined by 2 of his best friends, and they chased me a hundred yards or so. And right then I ran out of road.
I had to slow quickly as the road turned to gravel. I gingerly rolled a few 100 feet more, then turned around to face the dogs again. They waited patiently for me to return, but the 2nd time around I think they were feeling a little winded, as they didn't chase nearly as long. I rolled on, regretting that I wouldn't see the terminus of Thompson Ferry Road.
To make up the miles, I made a detour on another road that also dead-ended into the river. Again, I didn't see the river, but this time the road was paved until I hit a gated entry to someone's ranch. I turned and headed for home, rolling at a leisurely 18 mph, just steadily burning a few calories, not hammering.
As I neared home, I realized I wouldn't have a full 20 miles. I was at 19.5 as I turned into our subdivision section. I really didn't feel like riding around the block just to say I rode 20, so I sucked it up and made the right turn onto my cul-de-sac. As usual, I gently bunny hopped the 2 inch street-to-driveway lip. My rear tire immediately hissed. My planned 20 miler ended with a flat at 19.6 miles, included a gravelly dead end, and a double dog chase. In hindsight, at least I didn't fall.
It wasn't the Brazos River's fault that the ride was an odd one, complete with missing GPS, dogs, and a last minute flat. That doesn't change my frustration with not being able to easily cross the muddy river. I'll be doing some near term reconnaisance and research, looking for some routes that will provide good southwesterly riding. But I know that even if I find them, dogs will still chase and flats will still happen.
P.S. If you want a detailed route map and stats, check it out here.
