Days 29 & 30: Blanco, Lockhart, La Grange, Texas

I have had some recent misadventures with blogging.  Yesterday I wrote a very long whiny post replete with bad attitudes-- so bad that I decided not to publish it.  Here is the short version:  food (lack of), environment (wrecking of), Texas state parks (bad design of) and Texas politics (idiocy of).  Today, with cheerful attitude restored, I wrote another long piece and then accidentally deleted it.  So here am I, after an excellent Easter Dinner (Eggplant Parmesan for me) giving it another go.

After a few days of riding in the wonderful Texas Hill Country, we are now in a slightly flatter but still lovely part of central Texas.  The west Texas towns like Sierra Blanca were so dreadful that I was prepared to declare the entire state a wasteland but there is actually a lot to like about the small towns we have ridden through more recently.  Comfort, Wimberly, Lockhart, LaGrange-- all nice old towns with carefully restored and maintained historic districts, lots going on, shady streets and lovely courthouses (Texas is famous for courthouses, I have learned).  We have been on better and worse roads but today was almost entirely back roads with light traffic.  We have finally seen real Texas longhorn cattle. The wildflowers continue to be spectacular.  But best of all, and entirely by chance, I had the opportunity today to tour the Texas Quilt Museum.

The ride was only 60 miles and when we reached LaGrange John suggested that we ride around the center of town.  Everything was closed up tight because of Easter Sunday but very quickly we stumbled upon the TQM.  Amazingly it was open, so smelly and sweaty as we were, in we went.  Did I mention that it has been really HOT!  Despite our condition, we were graciously welcomed by the museum ladies-- one of whom was Carrie ?, the founder of the museum and one of the main organizers of the Houston Quilt Show.  It is a fabulous museum with perhaps fifty very stunning and high quality quilts.  When I told her where I was from, Carrie mentioned that she knew of both Dianne Hire and Sarah Ann Smith-- two of our renowned Maine quilters.

A ninety mile ride tomorrow-- then a rest day.