Saturday October 22, 2011, 43 miles (69 km) – Total so far: 1,499 miles (2,412 km)

Yesterday we took my bike to the Blue Star Bicycling Company near downtown San Antonio for a cleaning and tune-up since the chain has been dropping off the chainwheel. We left it there and had a nice walk back to the downtown area via the River Walk. The San Antonio River twists and turns throughout the downtown area. Overlooking the river are many hotels, restaurants, and condos. The river is navigated by open tourist boats. It really is beautiful and so different from anything I have ever seen in a city. We had lunch riverside then went back to the hotel to remove and send home more stuff. We packed up and mailed home another 11 pounds! Chris – the shoes I brought are on their way home! Once again you were right. Chris is my neighbor who has many miles and coasts under his belt. Before I packed he came over and looked at all my stuff and kept saying ‘What this for?’ He snickered and walked away. Of course I was ‘I gotta have it’. By the time we reach San Diego I will be an expert in packing light. After touring the very moving Alamo we went and chilled at a movie. We then had another bite to eat and were back at the hotel in bed at 8:30. This city is alive at night but we are not party animals and we treasure any sleep especially in a nice hotel. This morning we lounged and napped before we checked out and went to Blue Star bike shop. I haven’t been pleased with the tires that came on Jocelyn’s Surly Long Haul Trucker. The shop had in stock Panaracer Crosstowns that have much more tread and thickness. We had them change these out. And good thing too as the old ones were already falling apart with numerous cuts. I was really surprised since they only had about 1500 miles on them. My Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tours have almost 4000 miles on them and look great. My Raleigh was cleaned and adjusted and is riding much better now. I want to thank Jimmy and Fern for the excellent service and turnaround. We then had lunch at the next door Blue Star Brewing Company – another excellent choice.

We finally left San Antonio after 3:30 with the town of Hondo, Texas our goal. After a harrowing start for the first 6 miles along busy I-10 and Hwy 90 the traffic finally was reduced to a standard 2 lane with shoulder (4 lane total). We moved well and for the first time I actually enjoyed the hills. We climbed to around 900 feet with stiff crosswinds. The bike worked well and so did I. We pulled into a motel in Hondo right at sunset. It was a very satisfying 43 miles. Another 100 to Del Rio!