The Old Guy Bicycle Blog

I bought my little Jayco Hummingbird 10RK for one main reason: I wanted it to take my bicycle to places I might otherwise never ride. I’m not really interested in camping just so I can sit around a campground all day. My idea is to use campgrounds as cycling hubs. I can tow the Hummingbird somewhere interesting, set it up, spend the night, and then get up the next morning and explore the surrounding area on my bicycle.

Funny thing, I took lots of pictures on my first trip with my Hummingbird but I forgot to take one of it set up in the park. I promise to take a picture on my next weekend trip at the end of the month.

My first real test of that idea was a weekend at Caprock Canyons State Park in the Texas Panhandle. I went there with one ride planned, but by Saturday evening I already knew I wasn’t going to ride it.

First, I Drove the Road I Planned to Ride

I arrived at Caprock Canyons State Park on Saturday and got the Hummingbird set up. Since I had never ridden the road I was planning to tackle Sunday morning, I decided to drive it in my truck first. I’m glad I did.

The road was beautiful. It twisted through the canyon with some spectacular scenery, and it was exactly the kind of road that makes a cyclist want to get out of the truck and onto the bicycle. It was also brutally steep. One hill reached about a 16% grade, with quite a few other short climbs in the 10% to 12% range.

The hills didn’t necessarily scare me away. They were short, and I was actually looking forward to seeing how I would handle them. Then I encountered the bison.

The Bison Changed Everything

Caprock Canyons State Park is home to a large bison herd, and a game warden told me there were more than 500 bison in the park. I knew before I went that I would probably see some. What I didn’t expect was to find so many of them standing on and beside the exact road I planned to ride.

At one point, a large bison was standing directly in the roadway and had absolutely no interest in moving. I was in my truck, and even then I approached very slowly. Eventually I eased behind him and worked my way around. He barely seemed to care that I was there.

That was interesting from inside a truck. On a bicycle, it would have been a completely different situation. Farther along the road, there were bison everywhere. Some were beside the road and others were actually standing on it.

Then I watched two enormous bulls start fighting. These were huge animals, probably close to 2,000 pounds each. One pushed the other across the road, and a little later one of them turned and began jogging back toward the pavement. That pretty much settled it.

Visitors are supposed to keep a substantial distance from the bison, and there simply wasn’t a way to do that on a bicycle when the animals themselves were occupying the road. I also knew there had recently been a fatal bison encounter in the park involving someone who got too close. I imagined coming around a corner Sunday morning on my bicycle and finding one of those animals standing in front of me.

Nope.

The ride I had planned was over before it started.

So Where Do I Ride Now?

This is where the Hummingbird idea started to make sense. I wasn’t locked into one bicycle route. I had a campground, a bicycle and miles of roads around me that I had never ridden.

About five miles from Caprock Canyons State Park is Quitaque, Texas, and another 10 miles beyond Quitaque is Turkey, Texas. That sounded like a ride. So on Sunday morning, instead of heading into the steep hills and the bison, I pointed my bicycle toward Quitaque.

Five Rough Miles to Quitaque

The ride from Caprock Canyons State Park to Quitaque was fairly uneventful except for the pavement. It was rough. Very rough. Then I reached Quitaque and almost immediately the pavement became smooth.

If you’ve never seen the name Quitaque before, you probably aren’t going to pronounce it correctly. It’s spelled Q-U-I-T-A-Q-U-E, but it’s pronounced roughly “Kitty-quay.” Welcome to Texas.

A Quiet Sunday Morning in Quitaque

Quitaque has a population of only a few hundred people, and downtown was extremely quiet when I rode through. But it was also Sunday morning. I’ve ridden through downtown Lubbock on Sunday mornings when hardly anybody was around, so I wasn’t going to judge a town of 342 people based solely on empty streets early on a Sunday.

Still, there were clearly a lot of old and empty buildings. That’s something I enjoy about traveling through small towns on a bicycle. At 12 or 15 miles per hour, you notice things you would probably never see through the windshield of a car. You notice old storefronts, old signs, houses and schools. You start wondering what life was like there 30, 50 or 75 years ago.

I could have turned around in Quitaque, but instead I kept going toward Turkey. That turned out to be my favorite part of the ride.

A Fast Ride Toward Turkey

The highway between Quitaque and Turkey was much better for cycling. There was a wide shoulder for much of the route, separated from the traffic lane by rumble strips. With so little traffic, I spent most of the ride in the traffic lane rather than on the shoulder. I was comfortable doing that because I could keep track of the occasional vehicle approaching from behind with my Garmin Varia radar and my Take-A-Look mirror. I’ve come to really like using the two together—the Varia alerts me that something is coming, while the mirror lets me see exactly where the vehicle is and what it’s doing. Here is a post I wrote about these 2 items: Two Cycling Safety Tools I Trust

I was moving fast. The road trends slightly downhill toward Turkey, and I had approximately a 20 mph tailwind. That is a wonderful combination on a bicycle. Of course, after more than 50 years of cycling, I knew exactly what that meant. Every mile that wind pushed me toward Turkey was a mile I would eventually have to ride back into it. I decided to worry about that later. 

Turkey, Texas

Turkey is another tiny Texas town, but I immediately found it interesting. Like Quitaque, it was very quiet. Again, this was Sunday morning, so that wasn’t surprising. There were plenty of empty buildings, but Turkey seemed to have more businesses than Quitaque.

The town is closely associated with Bob Wills, one of the biggest names in Western swing music, and Turkey makes sure visitors know it. There are Bob Wills signs, murals and reminders throughout town. There is also Hotel Turkey.

I liked the contrast. Some buildings are reminders of businesses and organizations that are gone, while others have found a way to remain alive.

The Old Theater

One of the things that caught my attention was the old theater. At some point, people came here for entertainment. It was a business. People bought tickets, met friends there and probably brought their kids. Now that business is gone, and the old structure holds an advertisement for Hotel Turkey.

I love seeing things like that on a bicycle because they make me stop and imagine what the place looked like when it was full of life.

The Old School

Turkey also has its old school building. Today, students from Turkey and Quitaque attend Valley School, located almost exactly halfway between the two communities.

Valley School — Right in the Middle

I thought the location was interesting: two tiny towns separated by about 10 miles, with their school sitting right between them. One sign outside the school also definitely got my attention.

The sign warns that school staff are armed and prepared to protect the students and staff. I’m not going to turn this bicycle ride into a political discussion. I just thought the sign was interesting, so I took a picture and kept riding.

Mid Way Between Almost Everywhere

Another thing that made me stop was the Mid Way sign. It says, Between Turkey & Quitaque — New York & L.A. I have no idea whether New York and Los Angeles are geographically exact. I didn’t care. It was cool.

This is exactly the kind of thing I love finding on a bicycle.

An Old House and the People Who Once Lived There

I also passed an old abandoned house. I love finding places like this when I ride because I always wonder what they looked like when they were full of life. Was there once a family sitting around a table inside? Were kids running through the yard? Was somebody standing at one of those windows looking out at the same road I was riding?

At some point, this wasn’t an abandoned house. It was somebody’s home. You can drive past something like that at 60 mph and barely notice it. On a bicycle, you have time to wonder.

A Fence Full of Old Bicycles

One of my favorite discoveries wasn't in Quitaque or Turkey. It was on the road between Quitaque and Caprock Canyons State Park. Along a fence was a long collection of old bicycles.

There were old road bikes, children’s bikes and bicycles that looked like they hadn’t been ridden in years. I don’t know the story behind them. I just thought they were really cool. And after a lifetime of riding bicycles, there was no chance I was going to pass a fence full of old bikes without stopping.

Time to Pay for That Tailwind

Eventually I had to turn toward Caprock Canyons State Park. Remember that approximately 20 mph wind that had been pushing me toward Turkey? Now it was coming straight at me, and that slightly downhill road going toward Turkey was now slightly uphill.

That’s cycling. You rarely get something for nothing.

The return ride was considerably slower and considerably harder, but the traffic remained light, the road gave me plenty of room, and I settled into a pace I could maintain. I eventually made it back through Quitaque and onto those final rough miles toward the state park. By then, my little Hummingbird was sounding pretty good.

The Bison Were Waiting for Me

About half a mile before I reached my campsite, I saw the bison again. This time, instead of standing in the middle of the road I wanted to ride, they were gathered around the water below me.

I stopped and looked. My campsite was just down the road. My bicycle had taken me through two tiny Texas towns, past old storefronts, an abandoned house, a historic school, a working school, a Bob Wills town, an old theater, a strange roadside sign and a fence covered with forgotten bicycles. And now I was finishing the ride with bison.

Not bad for a ride I hadn’t planned to do.

I Think I Found a New Kind of Cycling

For much of my cycling life, distance was often part of the adventure. How far could I ride? Could I cross another state? Could I ride 100 miles or 200 miles? I still enjoy long rides, but I think I'm beginning to enjoy something else just as much: exploring.

I’m starting to think of this as campground hub cycling. I tow the Hummingbird to a campground and make it my temporary home. Then I get on the bicycle and explore whatever is around me. If I stay another night, I can ride another direction the next morning.

The goal doesn’t have to be 70 or 80 miles. The goal is to see something I haven’t seen before. This ride was only 30 miles total but it wasn't about the mileage. It was riding somewhere I never would have rode before.

Caprock Canyons State Park was my first attempt at it, and ironically, the ride I went there to do never happened. The bison changed my plans. I’m glad they did.

Instead, I found Quitaque. I found Turkey. I found an abandoned house that made me wonder who once lived there. I found anoʻ old theater, a tiny school shared by two towns and a fence lined with old bicycles. And less than half a mile from my little trailer, I found the bison waiting for me again, only this time they were a safe distance away.

I think this little Hummingbird is going to change the way I ride my bicycle.

The Cycling Gear I Personally Trust

If you have been reading The Old Guy Bicycle Blog for very long, you know how important safety, visibility, and health are to me. My goal is not simply to ride farther. It is to stay healthy and safe enough to continue riding for as many years as possible.

The products listed below are not random recommendations or products I selected simply because they are available on Amazon. They are products I personally use on my own rides and have trusted through thousands of miles of cycling.

Some of the exact models have changed over the years, but my approach has remained the same: make myself easy for drivers to see, protect myself from the sun, watch the traffic approaching from behind, and use equipment that helps me return home safely.

Bright Cycling Helmet

A brightly colored helmet places visibility at the highest point on my body, making it easier for drivers to see me above parked vehicles, roadside vegetation, and other obstacles.

View a bright cycling helmet on Amazon

Colorful High-Visibility Cycling Jersey

I prefer colorful jerseys that stand out against the road and surrounding landscape. A cyclist wearing bright colors is much easier for a driver to notice than someone dressed entirely in black or dark gray. I buy Bergrisar because I like the length. Not all jerseys have the length that this one does. I also like the reflective strip along the back bottom of the jersey.

View my colorful cycling jersey on Amazon

Garmin Varia Rear Radar

The Garmin Varia alerts me when vehicles are approaching from behind. It is especially helpful on rural roads, where I may not hear an approaching vehicle because of wind noise or road conditions. There are updated choices, including one with a camera, but the link below is to the one I own.

View the Garmin Varia rear radar on Amazon

Take A Look Rearview Mirror

My Take A Look mirror works together with the Garmin Varia. The radar alerts me that something is approaching, and the mirror allows me to see the vehicle and judge its position on the road.

View the Take A Look cycling mirror on Amazon

Cateye Front Safety Light

I use a flashing front light during the day, not only when riding at night. A daytime light can help drivers notice a cyclist sooner, particularly at intersections or when a vehicle is preparing to turn across the cyclist's path. There are lots of choices, but I have had mine since 2014 and it is still reliable.

View the Cateye front light I use on Amazon

UV-Protective Arm Sleeves

After spending decades riding beneath the West Texas sun, I take sun protection seriously. UV sleeves protect my arms without requiring me to continually reapply sunscreen during a long ride. The ones I use are long enough to cover from my armpits to my gloves. Not all arm sleeves are long enough.

View my UV-protective arm sleeves on Amazon

Bright Cycling Socks

Bright socks may seem like a small detail, but the constant motion of a cyclist's feet can attract a driver's attention. I consider them another useful part of my overall visibility system.

View the bright cycling socks I wear on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. I only recommend cycling products that I personally use or have firsthand experience with. Thank you for reading and for supporting The Old Guy Bicycle Blog.