Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1162341
September 2019 9 A er a 10-hour drive from Dallas, we found out that our prayers had been answered. The house was everything the owner said it was and it really did have rocking chairs on the upper-deck front porch. On the first night there, we watched deer grazing in the adjacent pasture and hummingbirds buzzing around. Wow, almost too good to be true. Over the years I've lowered my expecta ons and stayed in some gnarly places, but this place was as good as it gets. As hunger set in, the snacks we brought were nice, but I was ready for some serious FOOD! You've got to build up those carbs, you know! Serious riding means some serious ea ng. Our first exploratory trip into Cloudcro late that first a ernoon to find a place to eat landed us at Big Daddy's Diner. Excel- lent food, excellent service, so we ended up ea ng breakfast and dinner there every single day of our trip. They didn't get red of seeing us because we always remember to p well. But now it's D-DAY and me to twist the throt- tle. We just had our breakfast and it was me to ride. The temp was in the lower 40s, even though it was mid-August. I no ced my 70-year- old lungs taking an extra breath every now and then, bringing the realiza on that the al tude of Cloudcro was around 8,600 feet above sea level. Oh well, an extra "gasp" or two every now and then will be good for me! The crisp morning made all four of us put on at least a light jacket for the first 30 minutes of our ride. A few minutes ride back into town and out the other side landed us at the ranger's sta on. By then the temperature had risen to the high 40's, but it was s ll chilly, making a jacket necessary. The park rangers were great and provided us with free maps, and a few minutes later, we were heading back out. I suppose it was a mile or two before we saw the sign for the beginning of the RIM TRAIL.