April 7

Today was a great ride. It started out overcast and cold so I had lots of shirts on. Out of Bastrop, we entered Bastrop State Park. Oh my God, the road was like a roller coaster. On some of the downhills I had enough momentum to get up the next hill. On about three, I had to push. This park had been hit by a forest fire a couple of years ago and acre upon acre of black, burnt trees are standing there as a reminder. As we rode out of the park, we met the park supervisor who told us that 1/3 of the area has already been replanted. The sun came out so I started shedding my clothes. There were still lots of ups and downs, but all pretty manageable. And guess what I saw, guys. Real Texas longhorn cattle. Yes, Ma'am. I'll upload the picture when I get upstairs. Helen and I took a million pictures, not only of the cattle but of the beautiful flowers. We really took our time today. When we rolled into LaGrange, we immediately went to the town square for lunch. It is really a quaint little town. We found the others at a café called the Bodega so we joined them. The others had left and we were still eating, so the owner sat down with us and told us all about the town and its history. We then went to visit the old jail. Afterwards Helen went back to the motel but I rode down the road a bit to Monument Bluff State Park. It offered a stunning view of the Colorado River. Also, there were the ruins of an old brewery built by a German immigrant, Heinrich Kreische, in the 1880s. The history of German immigrants to this area is amazing. Anyway, I got back at about 4:45, showered and went down to dinner. Tomorrow is going to be 70 miles, so I won't be able to do much sightseeing. We are heading to Navasota, where we will have a day of rest. It was a nice day.__________________Es war ein schoener Tag. Anfangs bewoelkt, nachher angenehm. Wir haben die Kuehe mit den ganz langen Hoerner gesehen. Bild folgt. Das Dorf Zentrum ist sehr schoen und geschichtlich gesehen, sehr interessant. NAch dem Mittagessen in einem Restaurant am Dorfplatz, bin ich zum alten Gefaengnis gefahren und dann zu einem anderen PArk, wo ich einen wunderschoenen Blick auf dem Colorado Fluss hat. Kam dann ins Motel, habe geduscht und gegessen. Ist noch sehr frueh am Abend, aber ich gehe wieder gleich ins Bett. Morgen fahren wir 70 Meilen. Fotos folgen in 10 Minuten.