Hills, Bumps, and Dehydration
Written by Jon on 29 March 2010
We got dropped off in Sabinal at about 9:30am. There was a store closed nearby with a shelter so we assembled the bikes there. We first checked for damage. The rims had some slight kinks and wobbles they didn’t have when we left, but nothing too serious. I had some scratches on my new frame, but I am sure I will scratch it up even worse on the tour. Our derailleurs were also out of adjustment. At this point I was just happy to see the bikes in one piece and in front of us. We got them assembled and everything packed up in about an hour. A small town Sheriff kept a close eye on us the entire time. The situation did look a little weird. As we were about to leave a truck pulled up and the Texan asked what we were up to. I told him we were putting our bikes together and asked if he was the owner. He responded, “I have a small interest in it.” I take it that means he was just being nosy. He then said, “To get done with our business and get on out of here.” I didn’t think it was a good idea to get into it with a guy with a big truck, big dog in the passenger seat, and likely a shotgun behind the seat. We just finished up and headed out. Uvalde was 21 miles away and we needed to get to a Walmart. Andrew needed some boxer briefs and I needed a new cable for my iPhone. I was having serious internet withdrawals. As we pedaled along we both looked for the X in the road where I was hit, but it was never found. I was pretty nervous as you can imagine riding through this stretch and was continually checking my rear. My panniers seemed to be loaded unequally. Whenever I looked back the bike wanted to fall. The more I rode, the more comfortable I became with the passing cars. The shoulder was very wide in most parts so I am really wondering how far off the road the guy had to have been last January to hit me. He tried to tell the cop that we were out in the road. My recollection had been bad, but now I know we couldn’t have been, because we would have never wasted a shoulder as safe as that. We got into Uvalde about 2 hours later and were happy to see a Walmart. Andrew got his boxers and a screwdriver to adjust the deraillers. I got my iphone cable and quickly got it charged. We chatted with a nice older lady and her granddaughter a few minutes and got on our way. I called the Fort Springs campsite in Brackettville and a man told me we could arrive anytime before 10pm. As were were riding through town we passed the motel Aaron and I stayed at on the previous trip when I got transported to Uvalde by ambulance. As we rolled out of town the signs said the next town was Brackettville 43 miles away. At this point I unconsciously thought there would be gas stations or rest stops in between. The temperature was about 80 degrees and we filled up our Camelbaks before we left. We both started having some pain about 10 miles in. About 20 miles in we were both about out of water with still no signs of where to get some. At 25 miles in I was completely out of water and feeling very dehydrated. My lips were chapped before we even started the trip so I may have already been partially dehydrated. At 30 miles in I felt like I was close to a heat stroke and Andrew seemed about out of gas. Andrew pulled over and cooked an MRE for us. At this point I was ready to drink out of a creek, but a drop of water was nowhere to be found on the ground. I literally started praying for water. I thought I was seeing an oasis as a Sheriff was parked in the middle of nowhere ahead. We rolled up to him and he asked what we were up to. We told him the story and asked if he had any water. He gave us two bottles and told us there was a rest stop 5 miles ahead with a water faucet. We chugged the water and rolled on. We made it to the rest stop and there was no water. For the first time on this journey I literally thought I wouldn’t make it to the next town. Another blessing came about a mile later as the Sheriff pulled back up, said he had checked the rest stop, and also found out there was no water. He handed us two cold liters of water. In my mind they had been sent from heaven. My prayers had literally been answered. We pedaled on slowly to the next town and found a gas station that served hot food. We each ordered a footlong sub and piece of pizza. It was one of the best subs I had ever had, but of course that could have just been my hunger talking. We headed over to the campsite and the guard at the security gate told us the tent camping was about a mile back and he had already told the lady who runs it we were on our way. It was like a state park and very historical. They have a retirement community built into it, RV camping, and tent camping. When we pulled up the lady was waiting outside and started yelling at me for riding through the grass. I am not sure what grass she was talking about. All I saw was some brown dirt. When we got inside she said we were late. We said the security guard had told us we could come until 10pm and she said her rules are before 6pm. She charged us $20 to camp and told us the showers were cold water and there were no electrical hookups. I thought it was overpriced. We got the tents set up. I got an internet connection through my cell phone and checked messages on facebook. I left the rain cover off and star gazed through the mesh on the tent. The temperature dropped from 80 degrees to 40 degrees throughout the night. My off brand Field and Stream mummy sack kept me warm the entire night.