Day 24- Sanderson Texas

This was supposed to be an easy 56 mile day, but after Texas’s is drunken brawl with us yesterday, she was a little hungover. It was dry but cool and it never did warm up much. And despite our best hopes, there were head wins. Again.

We started out through flat cattle fields. I expected this to be the view of the day, but no. The mountains rose on both sides and changed from green covered peaks to sharp rock cliffs. There was even one place where the road cut through the hill and showed vertical striations. I’ve never seen this before. I don’t think I’m interested in rocks, but the force that caused this to happen makes me curious.

Route 91 went east forever and thank God for podcasts. We all rolled into town within half an hour of each other, all complaining about having to pedal downhill.

Once here we sit out on foot to explore the town. First stop was Ferguson Motor Coffee, an eclectic coffee shop with tons of memorabilia. We enjoyed chatting with the owners.

Next was a trip through the hardware store next-door. I think it was called Kerr’s. It had narrow tunnels of shelving throughout and lots of metal work for yard art. If they don’t have it, you don’t need it.

What’s most interesting about this place is what people are willing to live with in order to be here. The school has 138 kids in grades pre-K through 12. The closest grocery store is 64 miles away. And yet it is a thriving little town with people who want to stay.

We went back to the church where the pastors wife Kelly had prepared a delicious taco dinner for us. They are hosting us overnight. She ate with us and told us about the town. The largest employer is the border patrol. Her church sponsors Bike group several times a year.

Long day tomorrow. 81 miles. Praying for no wind!

Things I learned today:

Lattes are best served with cookies.

Comments

Day 1- Ocean Beach to Alpine

Day 1 is in the books! Great day that started at Dog Beach and a back wheel dip in the Pacific. Tad, Kathy, and Charlotte met me down there. It was great to see them as we headed out. The ride was flat for the first 25 miles or so, but hot! Temps were in the 90s with blazing sun and clear blue skies. We separated out early into smaller groups. I found good peddling with Sue and Ann. We also crossed paths with Adam and Kelly, the tandem riders. Our route took us to through Mission Gorge regional park which was absolutely gorgeous. A nice pass that cut through the mountains and made it possible for us to miss an incredible climb. No worries; there are plenty more ahead of us. At 30 miles we made sure we were fully loaded with water and electrolytes. I’m not sure if I’ve ever consumed this much fluid in a single day. Then the climb began. On the map it looked evil, almost straight up. In reality it was less steep than it was long. It was 6 miles at about three or 4% grade. It d...

Day 45- Poplarville MS- Rest Day

Today was our first day of rest after 12 days of riding, so of course I woke up at 1:30 AM. I was absolutely sure it was 6:30 AM and I was ready for the day. I love all these perks of getting older. As luck would have it, there was a lunar eclipse starting right around this time. I was, of course, wide awake for it. I peeked out of the tent, took a look at the moon, read for a while, peeked at the moon again, and decided I was hungry. I snuck out to my bike to grab a bar, there being no milk and cookies readily available like there are when this happens at home. I finally called it a night again around three. 630 finally came around for real and I was ready. The Snowflake Donut and Taco store. Beckoned and a bunch of us that off for coffee. The tacos looked pretty good but I held out for brunch back at the campground. After brunch, most of us loaded into the van and headed into New Orleans. We parked in the French quarter and headed right to café Dumond, will became im...

Day 46- Gautier MS

It was a perfect day for an 80 mile ride. We got up really early, planning to get on the road quickly since it was going to be dark by five and we had so far to go. This was no mean feet for me as sleep was hard to come by last night. My bladder woke me at one and four, at which time I was treated to Matt singing the song of his people. And I didn’t need my alarm because the water dripping from the condensation On my tent onto my face was hard to sleep through. Kelly and Adam were on the road by 615. We followed far behind, rolling out an hour later. The roads were awesome right from the beginning. Great pavement and low traffic throughout. Mississippi offered up some treats and some oddities. The first was as we headed into McHenry. On a one and a half mile stretch of road, I counted eight old fire hydrants. And hardly any houses. This roused my curiosity. I passed a man walking a dog and asked him about it. He looked exactly like I expected a rural Mississippian to look, except the d...

Search This Blog