Training the Best

When I first arrived here, one of the things on my list to do was stop by the local bike shop and get the scoop on road biking groups, routes, and mountain biking trails. I had been dissapointed with the trails in Pensacola, but I was hoping that there would be a good mountain biking trail hiding somewhere here in Corpus Christi.

I wasn't pleased by what I heard.
"Mountain biking? No, there's no trails anywhere around here. I heard about one up near
Austin."

I hoped that maybe he just didn't know what he was talking about, but a check of the internet gave me pretty much the same results. There were a few trails listed in San Antonio, but the reviews didn't excite me and I've learned that unless the review is absolutely gushing, I am going to be dissapointed. Maybe it's because I started riding on one of the top 20 trails in the country and have ridden one of the top 10 (both in North Carolina.) Maybe it's because the people who wrote these reviews don't really know what a good trail should be like (a "big climb" in Pensacola almost inspired fits of laughter when I finally saw it in person). Whatever the case, unless I see some awesome reviews I'm not driving the two hours to San Antonio to ride it.

The Rocky Hill Ranch in Smithville, Texas got some pretty good reviews so I decided to make the three and a half hour drive to check it out. I wanted to go ride it two weeks ago, but just didn't muster up the energy to make it happen. This weekend Aaron wanted to go too so there was no backing out this time.

Aaron Bomar is a Navy lieutenant (0-3) who did some time in the Army as an infantry officer before deciding that he wanted to give Naval Aviation a try. He's a pretty cool guy and we have a lot of the same interests so we hang out quite a bit. He's also a Duke fan but I don't hold that against him.

We started out at 0600 on Saturday for the trail. The trip didn't start well; about thirty miles into the drive Aaron realized that he forgot his helmet. I didn't want to turn around, it would mean losing an hour and a half of driving time and I hate backtracking. Thankfully, before I could find an exit to turn around he decided that he would just buy a new helmet at a sports store along the way. Phew.

Then, about an hour and a half into the drive the skies started to darken. I realized that I hadn't bothered to check the weather forecast for Smithville. Crap. As we got closer it only got worse; a drop here and there developed into a slight mist and by the time we got to the trail it was fully raining. I was highly pissed because in North Carolina this kind of rain meant the trail would be closed and I was pretty sure that would be the case on this day.

When we walked into the trailhead/bike repair shack the guy not only told us that the trail was open, but he would waive the $8 fee on that day because the weather was crappy. He explained that once you got through the first mile the soil was on high ground and was a sandy/rocky mix that would not form mud like most soil. They gave us directions to ride the trail a little backwards at the start to avoid the muddy parts and even loaned Aaron a helmet. Things were looking up.

We unloaded the bikes in a light rain and I wasn't really feeling good about the ride. Riding in the mud always sucks. Even if you can keep your tires, drivetrain, and brakes clear, the trail is very slippery and slow. We also got the directions wrong and started off in the direction of the worst mud. Within a half mile both of our bikes were so bogged down in mud that we couldn't even move. Two or three times we repeated the cycle of riding until we couldn't ride anymore, getting off, clearing the mud as best we could, and trying again. I was furious.

Aaron and I reached a water/map stop on the trail and determined a different way back to the car which might have less mud. We did encounter less mud and when we got to the car, Aaron suggested that we had ridden in the wrong way the first time and maybe we should give the trail another try.

Our second try worked out a lot better. The trail was still wet and the mud that was already in the drivetrain made it shift like crap, but I was mountain biking and I was happy. We rode the majority of the trail until our legs just couldn't take anymore and I felt pretty good about that. None of the trail was spectacular, there were some interesting parts with come cool drops, some fast sections, and more than a few tight pinches. There were more than a few places in which I wasn't sure that my handlebars would fit. That can be a little scary when you're moving along at speed.

All in all, I would rate the trail a 7 on a 10 point scale. Not as good as Catawba Riverfront trail and certainly not anywhere near Tsali, but worth an hour drive I guess. Not three, so I probably won't be going back, but I'm glad I went.

After the ride we stopped in Lockhart to eat at a pretty cool barbeque restaraunt called Smitty's that Aaron had eaten at before and was crazy about. It is one of three in the town that have all been operating since 1900.

You walk into the front door and directly into the smokehouse, which I thought was pretty cool. You walk up to a counter in front of the barbecue pit and order by the pound what you want; pork ribs, fat brisket, pork chops, many more choices than I can remember. The cook slices off a couple hunks, places them on brown wax paper and you continue on into the restaraunt. The whole thing has a rustic feel to it without trying. It's as if they decided a long time ago that this was the simplest way to do things and there's no sense in dressing it up.

Once inside you pick up your drinks, cole slaw, avacados, whatever you desire and continue to long wooden tables. Unfold your papers and chow down. Very simple, but very good food. The ribs were great and the brisket even better. If it wasn't three hours away I'd definitely go
back.

I think the theme of this post is that there are some great things in Texas, but they are too damn far apart! Makes me miss the east coast, where everything you want is within a couple minutes.