We went out for an hour and did 9 miles (14.5 kms), but that including stopping along the way to take a couple of photos.
We also chatted with another cyclist, a lady who workcamps at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. While we were stopped talking to her (yes, she was on the opposite side of the road!) I took some photos of some nearby deer...
There have been a lot of exotic species imported into Texas game ranches, and over the years some have escaped and now naturally exist in the wild here.
Sherman has another minor problem he needs to have repaired. He has a leaking rear wheel cylinder. It's not bad, and if I top up the brake master cylinder every day he'll get us up to Amarillo just fine. We know a mechanic there that we have been happy with in the past, so hopefully we can get that done once we get there.
We headed into the nearby town of Fredericksburg. Stopped at the Walmart, and it was not busy. Ruth went in to pick up some groceries, but they didn't have any yeast for making bread. We decided to head over to the H.E.B because they had the cheapest gas in town at $1.62 USD per gallon ($0.59 CAD per liter). I put in half a tank and that will get us up north to where gas is even cheaper.
Ruth went into the H.E.B. while I was getting gas, and it turned out they didn't have any yeast either. I guess everybody is at home baking bread!
Field of poppies.
Fredericksburg.
The main drag in Fredericksburg.
We headed north out of Fredericksburg towards Llano. Several readers had told us of a scenic drive off our route called the Willow City Loop. So we took that turn off onto a narrow paved road.
The Willow City Loop.
Texas bluebonnets.
Old western style boots decorate the fence posts.
I have read that this scenic drive can get very busy. In fact, on weekends it can be bumper to bumper. So glad we didn't try it on Sunday! Yes, it was nice and scenic but it would not have been fun with any more cars that we had yesterday. As it was, there were lots of people out for a drive to enjoy the beautiful day. And the road actually takes you through private land ranches and there are a lot of signs advertising private property and no trespassing. And there isn't anywhere to stop and get out to take pictures, although we saw people doing just that. It would be a real zoo on the weekends.
No, you don't see any people or cars in the following photos. I weeded them out!
The flowers back on the main highway are actually nicer than on the loop.
Beautiful wildflowers.
We made our way into the city of Llano (pop 3,200) where we got parked up overlooking the river. We had read about this free camping spot, and it's perfect, even with free WiFi coming from the nearby library.
We went for a short walk around town, but will go out and explore a little more this morning.
Good use of a dead tree!
Ha... even with antlers!
The courthouse in Llano.
Somebody has a sense of humor!
Back view of the courthouse.
This is the view we have from where we are parked.
A lesser goldfinch.
View out our window at dusk.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
50L Hiking Backpack. Take 40% off at checkout using coupon code JMMRZD5C Code works on red, orange, and green only.
And in Canada...
We love this part of Texas ~ excellent pictures, so pretty this time of year...
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely a very beautiful part of Texas! It would be easy to stay in this area for a while under normal circumstances, there certainly looks to be a lot to see and do here.
DeleteWe have done that drive looking at the bluebonnets and other wildflowers twice. One of our favorite things to do in TX. Llano has some really great BBQ as well - don't know if it would be open. Enjoy it for us. Thanks for the photos.
ReplyDeleteWe love driving down the quiet back roads here in Texas looking at all the beautiful wildflowers.
DeleteIt looks like the BBQ places are still open but only for take-out (curbside) and delivery for a few of them. We did not try out any of these methods, at the moment with the exchange rate, it would end up being very expensive for us.
A very nice area to put on our list of places to visit. Great Pictures.
ReplyDeleteBe Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
We highly recommend a visit to this part of Texas, there would certainly be a lot to see and do in the area under normal circumstances and the scenery, especially with the springtime wildflower is very very pretty.
DeleteWow! Amazing how you can find beautiful spots and nice scenery in a State that I've never seen like that before! I love following you every day and seeing (thanks for the pictures) how you're making your way up North through these small roads and scenic drives! Enjoy your ride and be safe!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for following along with us, we are just sorry that we can't show you even more of this beautiful area but with circumstances being anything but normal there are many places that we would love to visit but are closed at the moment. Hopefully though we are doing a good enough job enticing you to come and visit the area when things have calmed down and returned to normal.
DeleteNo yeast here in Canada either. At least in our area.
ReplyDeleteI guess there are a lot of people out there making their own bread. I should maybe have bought some when I was in Mexico before crossing the border but who knew!
DeleteYup, yeast shortage here in Winnipeg too, everybody is indeed baking bread!
ReplyDeleteIt had never occurred to us that there would be a yeast shortage. I guess we will just stick to eating corn torillas.
DeleteFlour, yeast, rice and beans along with pork salt were the first things I bought at the end of February well before the panic buying. There was plenty back then and the stores were well stocked. We followed the out break beginning January and being a pessimist, I decided I should get things in order now. I bought in larger quantities than my normal once a month grocery shopping so my grocery bill was a tad higher. I'm soooo glad I did. My pantry is well stocked...over flowing with dried soup mixes, large peanut butter and jellies, as well as syrup and pancake mixes. I even bought packages of cookie and cake mixes and frostings...extra large sugar. I also bulk shop at Costco once a month so I did that also...got toilet paper for self and daughter, hand sanitizers, bleach, wipes, laundry soaps, dog treat..extra bags, butter, dry drink mixes, canned meats, big blocks of cheese, etc. I split some up with my daughter who works and lives about 10 miles from me. Lucky she has a big refrig/freezer that came with the house when she bought in December. We were able to store food in her freezer i.e. turkey, ham, hamburger, pork, chicken, hot dogs and other freezer type foods i.e. stir fry veggies, fruits. We've hardly had to go to store...in fact only once to get bread, soda. I've been making tortilla, frybread, yeast rolls/bread, muffins at home. We've only baked one package of cookies and one pan of brownies. I forgot to get nuts so that's on my list for next month's shopping.
ReplyDeleteI so envy you out in the open countryside. Although I live across the street from a small neighborhood park, I still feel confined. I walk most afternoon the same route and it's getting old. I do enjoy sitting in my back yard though in warm sun. I hope Sherman recovers from his ailment once in Amorello, TX Oh, I had the best steak in there, huge ribeye and less than $20!!! Safe travels.
The only thing that we are having a hard time getting is the yeast, everything else that we buy and use doesn't seem to be in short supply. I have noticed that pasta, pasta sauces, canned meals such as chili, Chef Boyardee, some soups and such seem to have more or less bare shelves but we don't buy that so it isn't a worry to us. There is plenty of meat, fruits and vegetables, milk and cheese so we are perfectly happy.
DeleteThat is why we are staying way out in the middle of nowhere, so that we can get out and walk and not feel confined and be well away from other people.
I was looking for yeast also at HEB Mexico here by the house. None. I wasn't convinced and asked someone to help me. They also stock it in the bakery where they sell pan dulce. Check it out next time. It's cool here for the next few days so I'll be baking bread.
ReplyDeleteYep, who would have thought that yeast would be in such short supply. I will try looking in the bakery area next time but I did ask a store employee and they said they were sold out. :-(
DeleteFredericksburg is a pretty German town. We camped there twice for a week each time and used it as a base to tour the area and visit the day state parks. Pretty country. Thanks again for the pictures.
ReplyDeleteOne day we will return to Fredericksburg and explore it and the area properly. It really did look like a nice little town. Glad that you and Paul were able to enjoy the area when things were normal in the world.
DeleteAs others have mentioned yeast and flour are becoming harder to find in Canada also. If you come across these staples buy some. Another option for lwck of yeast is use the sour dough option. Safe travels. You now have to have a set quaratine plan on your return to Canada where your going this where your staying etc and will be followed up by RCMP. I am sure you are aware of this new development but thought I would just give a heads up just in case. Stay safe.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with flour at the moment because I bought quite a bit of gluten free flour with me when we left Canada because in Mexico it is a very hard thing to fine, it is only the yeast that seems to be causing us a problem. I guess we will just have to continue using corn tortillas instead of bread, at least corn tortillas are easy enough to find, especially in Texas.
DeleteWe are totally aware of the current quarantine rules for entering Canada. We are always staying abreast of all the news both in Canada and in the US and even what states we may have to quarantine in if any as we travel north but thank you for mentioning it.
I would love to do that scenic drive on my road bike! I have heard about yeast shortages. We have it on our grocery list as well so sure hope we can nab some when we next venture out to a store. We couldn't find whole wheat flour for awhile either but eventually did.
ReplyDeleteAt least in some places and for a short time, there were even some shortages of dried beans. Everyone seems to be getting back to the pioneer basics!
We think that road would have been fantastic on a bicycle as well providing it wasn't a weekend when lots of cars would have been on it.
DeleteWho would ever have thought that yeast would be such a hot commodity! We will continue to keep our eyes open for it but we aren't about to stop at each and every store looking for it. We try to keep our grocery outings to once a week or longer if possible. The less we are out in the public the better. Yes, it definitely seems like everyone is getting back to the basics of cooking again, maybe it is because they all of a sudden have time on their hands.