Horse County Loop

I’m calling this new route the Horse Country Loop, and I’m pleased that I had enough time on Saturday to get out and explore it. Because, with a little advance planning, a new route means new gravel.

I left early and headed southeast to Aubrey, Texas. The forecast called for a stiff wind from the southeast, and I wanted to stretch the mileage a bit. Since winter has eroded my fitness significantly, I knew I’d need a little help on the return.

The first refreshment stop was at the FM 428 Greenbelt Trail access. I parked ol’ Homer by a picnic table and unpacked the goodies.

But the wind had picked up considerably, so I found a spot to enjoy my coffee in peace. As I sat there, I pondered how I preferred 5% climbs with a tailwind over descents with a headwind, and I pondered the crazy whitecaps I saw on stock ponds. Unfortunately it wasn’t time to turn around just yet. I had more wind to face.

There were a few more new gravel roads to explore.

After a cloudy, grey start, the sun finally appeared, and it was tailwind time!

Since I was enjoying the tailwind and scenery so much, I didn’t stop often for horse farm photos, but I will testify that there has been some serious money spent on the horse business in the vicinity of Aubrey, Texas.

I began to lose my energy as I returned to more familiar roads. When I came over a ridge, and finally had Sanger in sight, I spotted a pleasant little hillside for rest stop number two. How pleasant it is to sit back and enjoy warm 75 degree sunshine, refuel, and refresh.

I had just enough in me to finish the route and add the Horse Country Loop to my quiver of excellent north Texas country routes.