By the River RV Park, Kerrville TX

 Today was an 86 mile ride featuring 4 big climbs. My knee did fine the first one, stopping for ice tea after fast downhill into Leakey at mile 26. No cell reception, even in a real town, seemed strange. Then up and down the next two, stopping for lunch at campground convenience store about mile 42 or so. Still no reception. Then up the final climb (about 5000 ft overall elevation gain today) and up on to plateau, still no reception. By then my sore knee was saying no mas, with my hamstrings beginning to hurt. So much for calling for a pickup by leader Donna in the van if my knee faded. So onward, slowly, changing the mechanics of my pedalling to accommodate one knee, making everything else start to hurt. Down to intersection at mile 55, and see a guy checking the load in his pickup. Mark is friendly and agrees to give me a ride 14 miles up the road to his house. He moved here from Colorado about 10 years ago, doing construction, then working on some of the ritzy exotic game ranches, but now working with his brother building or renovating houses. 

After that it's an easy 6 miles biking along the green flowing Guadalupe River, very picturesque, with lots of moneyed ranches, golf courses and the like into Hunt TX. Rolling by the United Methodist Church I see a sign "Vaccination clinic 3-5" -- I say why not, stop in and sure enough they have Pfizer vaccine, thanks to the local Walgreens pharmacist, and they are happy to give me my booster shot.

And then ride on to the Hunt store, the more or less official halfway point of this transcontinental journey.

Drink my ice tea, and then out on road at 4:45 intending to ride the final 7 miles when Donna and the van roles by and stops for me. She had gone back to pick up co-leader Beth Ann, who had had enough 10 miles back. Take the lift to our campground, literally next to the river, with beer and ice for my hamstrings.

Really enjoyed the scenery and hill riding today, despite sore knee. These are the last real hills we'll see:  it's all downhill (ha!) from here. 

I will take tomorrow off (only 35 miles to Fredericksburg) and rest up. See if the booster shot hurts, too. Then another easy day (42 miles -- may or may not ride, depending) the next day to Johnson City. Then a 58 mile day into Austin and finally a day off. So plenty of opportunities to ease up and stay off the knee.