In the morning, we again prevailed upon my loving bride to be our driver and make the trip back to Canyon Lake. Thank goodness she is such a good sport! We arrived early, well fed, and rested; ready to take on the day ahead!
From Canyon Lake, we again cross FM-32 and started down Mail Route Road. However, this time, we knew the route (having traveled back this way on day two). I must say, the route we selected was a real treat(once found). Lots of wildlife and only the occasional car. About eight miles into the ride, we began the steep downhill towards the low water crossing on the Blanco river. Forewarned, I stayed on the brakes, and, with a little effort, we stopped at the bottom of the hill just before the “bridge”.
While we unloaded the low riding gear on the bike, a small sports car made its way across the still flooded bridge. As he crossed, the car was washed towards the downstream side of the bridge and would have gone over the side if it had not been for the submerged cement curb of the bridge (an interesting moment to say the least). As I gathered the last of out gear for the portage across the river, I looked up the hill where the sports car was parked, water streaming out of his, now open, driver’s side door. I believe the water was a bit deeper then the driver thought.
Safely on the other side, we took a few minutes to play in the cold and invigorating water before repacking our gear and staring out on the rest of the trip. Refreshed and revived, we mounted up and began the climb out of the river bed. No more then 100 yards into our climb, there was a bit of a pop, and the pedals began to spin freely. We quickly lost all forward motion and dismounted. It didn’t take long for us to figure out that we now had a rear wheel that would freewheel forward just as easily as it would backward.
Now what do we do? Behind us, 8 miles back to where we started. Ahead, 8 miles to the town of Wimberley. We knew that Canyon Lake had nothing (other then a phone) to help us on our way. Wimberley was at least going in the right direction and there may be a bike shop, or thrift shop, or hardware store where we could get the parts to continue on. We decided to press on.
We sat on the bike and coasted when we could, but we walked a lot. Sometimes he pushed the bike, sometimes I did, and sometimes it required the both of us. Our timetable shot and our bike was broke, we had suffered another setback. And, we were having the time of our lives! I don’t remember ever having such fun or laughing so much. We laughed at ourselves and we laughed at each other, but most of all, we laughed at our luck. We had found the enjoyment we were looking for on that long walk towards Wimberley.
Once we made it to town, we pushed the bike to the local hardware store where we searched for a replacement wheel with no luck. However, someone there knew of a thrift store down the road a bit (actually, about a mile back on the road we walked in on) So off we went. We repeated our search with the same result – no tire, but a lead on a place that might be able to help. It seems there is a bike shop “downtown”. So, for the third time that day, we pushed the bike along the same stretch of road. We found the shop. By the looks of it, a custom frame builder. There, in the center of an otherwise bare room, we could see a single frame displayed in a bike stand. But, the shop was locked and no other parts were in evidence.
Again, we started walking. This time our search was more basic. We needed food and a place to sit and rest for a spell. It was clear that we would be “hanging around” the small town of Wimberley until we could be rescued (yet again). After lunch, I was able to call my wife and she agreed to come and get us (AGAIN?) after work. So, I gave her directions on where to find us, and we slowly made our way to the pickup point.
Back in town (San Antonio), we were just able to make it to the local bike shop before closing (Action Bikes – Universal City, TX) and Howard, the owner, went out of his way to get us back on the road again. (Howard – If you ever see this, Thank you so very much. You helped my son and I have a trip we will never forget!) With the bike repaired, we are able to resume our trip. But, from where?