TD Training Entry #9: Government Canyon Scorcher!

There is a malicious monstrosity tyrannizing me.  A pitiless beast of prey, whose talons sear my flesh, and whose smelting grasp incinerates my will.  It aims to devour my soul, or, failing that, to keep me from training for the Tour Divide.

It is (cue evil music) the evil South Texas Summer.

Since I am consumed with my training efforts, I try to turn every spare moment into an opportunity to ride, including family vacations.  This past weekend was my brood’s annual trip to New Braunfels to float the river…why we choose the most skin-scalding time of year to lay nearly naked on a black tube drinking beer for hours on end is another story.  This year, the Misses and I brought our bikes along so we could sneak away to Government Canyon State Natural Area in nearby San Antonio, where I could take advantage of climbing opportunities that I just can’t get in the flatlands of Houston.

The problem is that it was 8 jillion degrees outside.  Not 6 or 7…..I tell you it was 8 jillion degrees if it was 1.  Seriously, when we made it to the Canyon at 8:45 a.m, it was already 89 degrees.  A few hours later, it was 104 with a heat index of 114.  In fact, we are in the midst of quite a severe drought down here, as evidenced by the acres upon acres of devastated crop fields we drove past to get to New Braunfels.  Such is the way of the south Texas summer…it makes every torturous day miserable.  It makes you want to quit before you even start.  I usually spend my summers here indoors as much as possible for this reason, but I have never had a quest as mighty as the Tour Divide to conquer.  This year, I must brave it. 

This year….I ride.

Having read a few reviews about the Canyon online, I knew that it featured a frontcountry with lots of flat trails, and a backcountry with much more challenging trails.  And judging by the contour lines of the map I printed up, the backcountry had plenty of what I was after….nasty climbing! 

When we pulled up to the entry gate, the attendant looked at our hardtails in the truck bed and said, “Um, if you’re going to ride in the backcountry, we do recommend dual suspension,” to which I replied, “Dear lad, the only dual suspension I’ve ever had was back in high school when I got suspended twice for administering swirlies to two weenies like you.”  Heh heh, I didn’t really say that, or do that in high school.  I’m a very nice guy.  But I did look at the guy as if to say, “Dude, whatever.”

Well he was right.  It didn’t take long after setting out on Joe Johnston’s route for our skulls to start rattling around.  This place was ultra-rocky, just crazy gnarly rocky, and I’m not talking about smoothed over stones of riverbeds past.  These rocks were jutting, jagged, pock-marked, and vicious!   Everywhere we rode, it was a slow going test of will and fortitude, and even the downhills were highly technical and demanded pedaling and forethought.  And if you screwed up, there was always a giant cactus bush besides the trail, waiting eagerly to make you pay!  Sitting here now thinking about it, I am pretty amazed that neither of us endo’ed or popped a tire, especially on the ridiculous Caroline’s Loop.  I think my phrase of the day was this, which I uttered every time I turned a corner to see an impossible, rock-riddled climb staring me in the face: “Oh you gotta be kiddin’ me!!”    Throw in 100+ degree heat and this was byfar my most brutal training workout ever! 

Ususally I follow a statement like that with “But it was also a lot of fun!”  This time, I will say only that the scenery, at times, was pretty awesome.  Ancient canyon walls and long silent riverbeds were a very nice change of pace from the flatlands of southeast Houston.  And the moss forest we went through felt quite mystical, like a crew of Tolkein’s Treebeards lined the path allowing us passage.  And what was the deal with “The Zizelmann House?”  This was a boarded up old house right in the heart of the backcountry, which, I found out later, had been there since the 1880′s.  Not much else is known about it, apparently.

 My wife was a real trooper.  Although not nearly trained up as me, she never said the word “quit.”  She said the word “rest” quite a few times, but never “quit.”  Me, I found that I was quite happy with how my fitness level has progressed.  As always, I was wearing my backpack loaded with 20 pounds to help simulate  the extra weight I’ll be carrying on the Tour Divide.  I’ve pretty much reached the point to where it seems as if its not even there.  My legs never burned on any of the climbs, which was an unexpected first, and I feel myself recovering more quickly after full exertion.  It really feels as if all my hard work in the gym and in the saddle is paying off nicely, and that is massively gratifying.  I really wanted to do more, but with the sun beating down unmercifully and only getting hotter, we were forced to leave the Canyon around noon.  

Now on to the pics!

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And more pics!

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