Day 31: Comstock to Dryden, TX

Distance today: 70 miles
Total distance: 1,981
Temperature: supposedly 96, my cyclometer said 111 and I'd believe it.

I finally did it! I finally pedaled myself into heat exhaustion. I was wondering when that was going to happen.

I left Comstock at 7:30, with a lofty goal of riding the 90 miles to Sanderson. No dice! The day started out lovely, sending me rolling up and down desert hills and across the beautiful Pecos River. I was making good time and had covered the 30 miles to Langtry by a little past 9:30. Temperatures were in the high 70s then.


In Langtry I bought a giant Gatorade and topped off on water to cover the next 41 miles of barren desert until Dryden. I also had the privilege of visiting the Judge Roy Bean museum to brush up on my history of the "law west of the Pecos." how neat! I am proud to say Mr. Bean was a Kentucky native. His rule over west Texas was a mixture of his own brand of law, humor, and corruption. You can't help but love the man. Plus, despite his reputation as a little noose-happy, there's actually no proof he hanged anyone.


Judge Bean's pistol

Aside from being a judge, he also ran a saloon, yeah, in the same building as the courthouse, which was also his home. The original building is on the original site, which I found really neat. It's nothing more than a two-room cabin a stone's throw from the Rio Grande. It is said he named the town after his idol, English actress Lilly Langtry, whom he corresponded with over the years but never met in person. But others claim it was after the engineer who designed the railroad bridge across the Pecos. Regardless, it is undisputed that he named his saloon after her.

His brand of justice went something like this: in spite of assurances from the Texas Rangers that gun control was best, Judge Bean thought every man should have the right to bear arms. When a man was brought before him on the charge of carrying a concealed weapon, Judge Bean used the following logic to throw out the case: "that charge won't stick. If he was standing still when he was arrested then he wasn't carrying weapons because he wasn't going no place. And if he wasn't standing still, then he was traveling, and it's legal for travelers to carry weapons.....case dismissed."

As much as I wanted to stick around and learn more about this colorful character, I had to move on before it got hot.

Mission: failed. The next 41 miles to Dryden, my next water stop, were rough. It got hot fast. There were times when it felt like I was wrapped in a blanket of heat and someone was pointing a blow dryer into my face. It was enough to take my breath away. My cyclometer thermometer hovered around 110 for most of the afternoon. I pretty much gathered right away that I wasn't going to make it 90 miles today.

Around about 2:30 was when I started feeling faint. I thought I had been drinking plenty of water but I guess it wasn't enough. I kept forgetting the name of the town I was riding towards. I wanted to fall asleep on the bike.

Finally, salvation!! I stumbled into Dryden, a town that consists pretty much entirely of a grocery store/post office/restaurant. I pulled in and bought a Gatorade and a bottle of water and chugged them both. I had been drinking hot water for the last two hours. There's a tv inside the store with a table next to it. I figured I'd sit down for a spell and take a good rest before I decided to try and tackle the last 20 miles. I fell asleep in my chair watching some lifetime movie. Darn that heat.

After it became apparent I couldn't go on any farther, Tina, the owner/postwoman/cook, offered up the store as a camping spot for the night. I gladly accepted. And then she cooked a delicious spaghetti dinner and invited me to join in. I was more than happy to oblige. Sure beats the heck out of tortillas and peanut butter, always a miserable plan B.

And now It's gettin about time for the sun to go down. A man named Stewart just came into the store. Talk of the town, like the rest of the country, is the imminent government shutdown which is apparently being held up by a debate on abortion. Stewart was quick to point out the real problem lies with our tax money going to fund NPR's liberal, off the edge agenda. I couldn't help but think of Ira Glass's children going hungry. No more Click and Clack? A tragedy! Did I mention Stewart is a federal bankruptcy attorney? Anyway, I wonder if I will still have a job on Monday. Any word on how the Forest Service will fair?

Aye carumba. Another long and hot day ahead tomorrow. I'm gonna try and hit the road way early, maybe 6 or 6:30, and see if I can't knock out the 74 miles by 1 or 2 when it really starts to heat up. I only pass through one town, Sanderson, which is 20 mikes from here, so I will have to carry 55 miles worth of water. Bring it on. Actually, on second thought, don't. Nighty night. Hopefully America still exists when I wake up tomorrow.

Love,
Jess

P.S. I keep forgetting to do this. Thanks so much to Mr. Orin Pierson for donating!! He is a fine gentleman.

Days 29 and 30: Leakey to Bracketville to Comstock, TX

Oh man. What a long and hot couple of days.

Yesterday Tessa cooked us a delicious egg breakfast with the leftover bean soup from the night before and it was amazing. We said adieu and parted ways around 9:20. She was about to climb her last hills while mine have just begun. I'm a little jealous. It's kind of like starting this tour all over again, legs straining and getting used to a new kind of riding.

I rode the 70 miles from Leakey to Bracketville through an increasingly dry landscape, a tough day in heat I am not used to. I pretty much ran out of water when I was still 10 miles out, a lesson I am glad to have learned in such close proximity to a town. In a couple of days I might not have been so lucky. I'm about to cross barren stretches where it's 55 miles between towns and temperatures are hovering right around 100 degrees. Time to get more water bottles!



The posts in this fence were covered with boots for a long way




I finally rolled into Bracketville around 5 and made a beeline to one of the few restaurants, Crazy Chicken Cafe. Only, I didn't have any cash, they didn't accept cards and my card didn't work in any of the ATM machines near by, so I had to settle for gas station food for the time being.

I was hanging out charging up my phone before I started making my way over to the Church of Christ to camp in the back yard when Ray Melton came and sat down at my table. I liked him right away. He started asking me questions about my bike tour and when he found out I'm from Kentucky, he started telling me stories about the Hatfields and McCoys and his time on the Tug river in his youth. You wouldn't think it by looking at him, but Ray is a walking history lesson. And it's way more interesting than any history class. Because he is such a natural story teller, his accounts of historical events make you feel like he was really there, almost like it could've happened the day before yesterday. I couldn't believe I was so on the edge of my seat to hear about the Buffalo soldiers stationed right there in Bracketville at Fort Clark (which he and his wife took me to see before second dinner) and how they were the ones who fought back the native Americans in Texas. Before I knew it, I was back on my bike riding towards their 50 acres right outside of town to have a shower, a root beer, and a real bed to sleep in! With air conditioning!!

After I showered, ray's wife, Sharon, came in and we chatted for a while until Ray got home from church. Oh yeah, turns out he is the pastor at the church I was going to sleep behind. Small world. Or maybe just a small town. Anyway, they hadn't eaten yet so we went back to crazy chicken and got salads. Yum! Several members of the congregation were there too and they were all very interested in my trip. It was lovely to chat with them about it.

Afterwards, we headed back to the house and Ray told me stories about ranching and ranching politics in Texas. Very interesting! Ray and Sharon have a 6,000 acre ranch about 25 miles north of town but they lease out most of it. Sharon takes care of their ranch almost full-time and also substitute teaches at the school. Ray works on another ranch doing rangeland restoration work. It actually sounds like a job I would love to have someday. He basically cuts down cedar trees and encourages the growth of native grasses. He told me, "there's two things I hate: Plastic bags and invasives." Amen.

And then I slept wonderfully.

I was sad to leave these two beautiful and kind people but there is much distance to be covered in the next few days. Sharon cooked us a wonderful breakfast of farm fresh eggs, sausage, and toast and then headed back to the ranch. Ray had some business in town so he stuck around a little later when I left, which was around 8. When I went to put my shoes on, I found 50 dollars inside. Sharon Must've stashed it on her way out. Thanks so much to these wonderful people!!

The ride today was mostly down hill for the first 30 miles and the wind was also at my back so I was cruising. I was in Del Rio, halfway done, by 10 am. On my way into town, I rode past Laughlin Air Force Base, where fighter jets were landing over top of my head. It was awesome!! I swung by the bike shop and got another new pump. The one I had picked up in Bastrop just wasn't cutting it. Then I had lunch in the shade just outside of town.

I rode across the Amistad resevoir, when the wind started blowing in my face. Whaaaat? It was supposed to be out of the south and I was riding northwest. But wind does weird things around water.


The water is out there somewhere!

The last 30 miles went by rather quickly. With about 6 miles left, I ran across another rider heading east. His name is Don and, get this, he is 71 years old. But you wouldn't guess it. His wife is also following along in an RV so he doesn't have to carry any gear. Must be nice!! He told me I have another 1,200 miles. Believe it or not, that doesn't seem that far to me. It's only 17 riding days if I stick with 70 miles a day. But I will most certainly need some rest days in there somewhere.

About a mile down the road I had to go through an immigration checkpoint because the Rio Grande is only about five miles south of here. I also figured out the reason our government is broke: I saw more border patrol cars than civilian cars. I was passed by one about every five minutes it seemed. But it's actually pretty nice to have them around. This is the only stretch of the trip I was concerned about, as far as safety goes, with all the border talk in the last few months. But it's well-patrolled, I can assure you. It was pretty weird to go through an immigration checkpoint in my own country, even though it was really laid back. I basically just chatted with two very interested patrolmen about my trip and then they suddenly and hurriedly asked me the required questions: "are you a citizen of the united states?" And "where were you born?"
I couldn't help but feel a little ridiculous since we had just talked about how I am from Kentucky. But I went along with it and was back on my way.

Comstock is a little dot on the map and that's about it. I got a cheeseburger and fries at the only restaurant in town and hit up the accommodations across the road, which is actually a very, very nice motel room, with the 50 dollars I found in my shoe. Thanks again Sharon!

Long day tomorrow to Sanderson: 86 miles. My cold is waning, thank goodness. But my legs are sore. Brennan McOlive is coming to ride along for 10 days on the 11th. It's gonna be awesome. Can't wait! But until then I gotta hustle through west Texas and get as close to New Mexico as possible. I'm about ready to get out of this state. 400 more miles to El Paso and the end of chip seal roads!!! And that, friends, will be something to celebrate. Nighty night.

Jess

Day 28: Kerrville to Leakey, TX

A little perspective is always a good thing. I've gotten a lot of it over the past couple of days. Today I rode into a 15-20 mph south wind for much of the afternoon. Normally, I might have considered having a little fit at some point, especially with all the climbing and being sick. But after yesterday, it just seemed like a summer breeze. And hills. Oh, man. I got spoiled riding across the lush flatlands of the southeast for two and a half weeks. The climbs today were tough. The big one right after Vanderpool (15 miles from Leakey) really took a lot of energy. It was steep. It took me half an hour. I went down the other side at 40 mph. It's been a while since I've had to focus and push through something that was that physically difficult. And then there was another. I think it took about the same amount of time but somehow seemed less difficult.


View from the top

This morning seems like it was days ago. I left Kerrville on an empty stomach and with almost no food in my bags. Mistake número uno. But you know how I get in a rush to get on the road. Right when I was starting to get really hungry, a man in one of those drive across America RVs suddenly pulled off on the opposite shoulder and waived me over. I didn't know what to think until I realized he was the support vehicle for two riders heading east. Right on!! John, Dave, and Matt are from England and are riding cross-country raising money for three different charities. John chatted with me for a while until Dave and Matt caught up with the rig. It was so great to get to talk with them for a bit. They gave me some cliff bars and two spoonfuls of New Zealand honey for my cold. So sweet of them, no pun intended. Ok, maybe intended a little. I am always excited to meet other riders but I was really excited to meet these guys since they are from another country. But I'm always exited to meet people from other countries. I am also very jealous of their support vehicle, as Ida has been feeling like somewhat of a tank lately. We exchanged blogs (can't wait to read theirs) and the usual "what's up ahead?" stories and then it was time to mosey on, no matter how much I wanted to crawl up into the rv bunk and sleep for the rest of the day...or three. It was great to meet y'all!

The weather today was absolutely beautiful. The cold front did ye old cyclist a solid and cooled things down into the mid 70s. I can't imagine climbing those hills in 90 degree weather. I already felt the urge to vomit, but that might've been from the Mexican coke and snickers ice cream bar I indulged in right before I started climbing. Such a delicious mistake number two!





So refreshing, so bad for you

I finally arrived in Leakey, totally exhausted of course, and sat down on a bench to rest. Then I saw a sign for beer and got myself a nice tall can of Busch and some DayQuil, a match made in heaven. While I was savoring this tasty beverage, another rider rolled up...another solo female rider. Whoa! Tessa lives in Seattle and is riding east. She suggested teaming up on dinner and I, of course, couldn't refuse. Her stove still works. How I miss mine so. So I got some veggies and we headed over to the church and set up camp, where she cooked up some delicious bean soup. There's some left over- we're gonna throw some eggs in it in the morning. Yum.



Hey, it's a steep climb!

It's been really neat to share our experiences as solo female riders. A lot of people ask is if we are afraid. I get that question just about every day. And my answer is always the same: not a bit. People have been great and, yeah, one crazy person could ruin it all, but I can't dwell on that. Meeting people has been one of the unexpected great things about this trip. And I think being alone has caused me to really reach out for that experience when I normally wouldn't because normally I would tell you I don't like people. But now I know that's not really true. I love love love being in the wilderness by myself but I also love, crave, even, meaningful interactions. Kind of a recent development I guess, over the past few years. Anyway, the people on this trip have been great.

Battery warns it is time to wrap things up. Love to you all!!

Until tomorrow I will repeat this part of an irish blessing over and over until it is certain to come true:
May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back

Cheers,
Jess

P.S. I have some sweet photos from today but the network is slow so look for them later!!

Day 27: Comfort to Kerrville, yeah, still Texas

Hey-o. Today was nothing short of misery, if you must know. My tent: so lovely, so comforting. I should have never left it. Ok, not true. I will complain about the events that followed for some time to come. But for now I will only say this: I was only able to ride 20 miles to Kerrville. 20 blustery, insert your own miserable adjective here miles before I gave up and let the 35 mph headwinds win. There was no way I was about to even try and climb the hills that are to come in that kind of wind. Soooo I got a really, really cheap room and stayed in bed all day. Awesome! Also, tv is weird.

One kind of cool thing about this circumstance is Kerrville just happens to be the unofficial halfway point on this trip. Yeah!! I celebrated with pizza and beer and extra sleep. And watched the worst NCAA championship game I think has ever been played. Poor Butler.

That's all I've got. Here's to the wind being at my back tomorrow(?).

Cheers,
Jess

Day 26: Wimberley to Comfort, TX

I don't even wanna be writing this right now. I just want to sleep. But the people want words! And words I will give you.

Holy jumping Jehovas, the climbing has kicked it up a notch. Or seven. I slept in this morning until 8 (awesome), which gave me a solid 8 hours sleep even with the coughing fit at 4 am. It's. About. Time. Seven hours of sleep in two days was a little brutal.

My camp spot behind the emergency services building last night turned out to be a score. I thought i was just going to find a yard to pitch my tent in. But when I got there, three very friendly EMTs offered me pizza and a shower and played music while I ate. Such a wonderful surprise! I wish I had gone down earlier in the evening. I didn't get there until almost 11 because I was watching UK, sadly, lose. I feel like I missed out on several hours of great company. There was another cyclin couple heading east camping too. But they were already in bed when I arrived.

After stopping for a breakfast croissant this morning I was on the road by about 9:30 and ready to take on the hills. About 15 miles in, I ran across another solo rider heading east. He is covering about 100 miles a day and has already made it halfway in just two weeks. I am jealous. Kind of. We exchanged pleasantries and tales of what is to come and set off on our ways. The only thing I really remember him saying is, "I don't know who graded those roads or how they got away with it, but they did," talking about the hills I am about to climb tomorrow.


Lunch crept up on me quickly. Before I knew it, it was 15 til noon and I had only covered 25 miles. Yikes. These hills are slow. I stopped to further clog my arteries (Texas has been more than willing to help) at the Sunset bar and grill in blanco (pronounced Blank-o), where I ordered the hand battered chicken tenders with fries and Texas toast, and let's not forget the cup of gravy. Everything on that plate was merely a vehicle for that gravy. Yum.

After lunch I ended up on the most ridiculous road surface I have ever seen. Chip seal is the worst idea ever, especially when they use rocks the size of Texas. I may as well have ridden on a gravel road for 10 miles.

On and on, up and down, mostly up. The hours went by but the miles did not. Today was the first day I really used all of my gears. It would be a tragedy if I didn't mention the wind. Most of the time it was a crosswind since it was coming out of the south. But there was a 13 mile stretch where I had to ride directly into it. We are talking about a wind with gusts that I struggled to stand up in while stopped. 6 mph was about the best I could manage unless I was going downhill. BUT....I didn't cry. And that means I am mastering bike touring zen. That's one of the many reasons I just enjoyed the hell out of a Reese's blizzard. Rewards are sweet, no pun intended.

Round about 3:30 I crossed paths with a couple heading east on a tandem, Hob and Deb. They are from Connecticut and are cycling up the Atlantic coast after they get to St. Augustine. Real neat folks. They gave me some very helpful information and even the address of some of their friends in Alpine, TX that I should stay with.

Whew. 25 more miles and I'll tell ya, they were on snail time. But I am learning to be like the tortoise and not the hare. Ok sometimes the hare. Like when I set the new speed record on Ida today! Only, gravity did all the work. But that's just a minor detail and you don't want to hear about that. Noooo, you want to hear how fast I went!! 39.5(ish)! It made all the climbing completely worth it. But climbing is always worth it. Who climbs with toil shall find wings waiting there! Pure joy. I let out the goofiest giggle.

The last 12 miles took FOREVER. So while time was standing still, I took notice of how dramatically the landscape is beginning to change. It's much drier and the trees are stunted and more shrub-like. Prickly pear cactus is showing up. South and east slopes are becoming more sparsely vegetated. Did I mention it's hot? Pushing 90 all day. I drank probably 120 ounces of water today (yay for me!) and was still wanting more.

The gravy had all solidified in my arteries by about 4 so I had to stop and snack in Sisterdale to hold me over until I got to Comfort. I had a chicken salad sandwich and a Gatorade. I was only somewhat disappointed this meal did not contain something deep fried. But I did see this sign:


Aaaa-men.

Comfort, you devil woman, foul temptress. I finally made it! The first thing I did was go to a store and buy the largest can of High Life I believe I have ever seen. I didn't drink it in the parking lot. And I won't tell you how badly I wanted to. Instead, I made my way over to the rv park just north of town and drank my icy cold delicious beverage in the shade. Shower, yesss please and thank you. And that's my story and I'm sticking to it. For now.

Darlings, so sleepy like I am at the beginning of this tour all over again. Can't....type.....more. Peace, love and sprockets.

cheers,
Jess

Days 24 and 25: more Austin- and Wimberly, TX

Shew whee. What a busy day in Austin yesterday. As you may have guessed, I decided to hang out in Austin one more day, mostly because I only slept two hours on Thursday night. And no, I wasn't out drinking. I was coughing in a room full of 15 other sleeping women at the hostel on Lakeshore.

I checked out of the hostel yesterday morning and, in search of better sleeping accommodations, headed downtown to puddle around for the day. Around noon I heard from Steve Peeples and Amy Lewis, two friends from Humboldt spending the weekend in Austin to escape the rains for a moment. Woo hoo! So great to see those guys. We spent the day biking all over Austin, visiting the botanical gardens, the Capitol building, and a few bars.


The Capitol building. We even got to watch the house in session. Soooo boring. No wonder nothing ever gets done in politics. Half of them were sleeping or playing games on their phones.



The rotunda. Ooh. aaah. It looks just like all the others. Just kidding. It was cool.






The beech trees of Asia at the Zilken botanical gardens



Colorado river and Austin skyline.

After all that sight seein it was well past beer thirty, so we stopped at the Jackalope on east 6th street to partake in the delicious IPA, a craving we all shared after a long day in the sun. Three pints and a couple red faces later....."well, I guess we should eat." Amy ordered her first catfish Po'boy, Steve got the pulled pork BBQ and I had a honey jalapeño bacon burger. Muah! I think we all agreed it was pretty much delicious.

Onward! It just so happened that the hot rod round up is this weekend, so the streets of Austin were full of awesome hot rods and they were all gathering next to the Continental club on south congress. We headed out in that direction through a New York style traffic jam, one of the few and glorious times it is faster to travel by bicycle. Yeah, I felt a little high and mighty. But i think i deserve it a little. On our way down 6th street a man got tased by the cops right next to me. I couldn't help but laugh. Sorry bro.
When we got there I suddenly had reservations about locking up my fully loaded bike in a crowd that big, so I hustled back to the hostel and dropped my gear in steve and amy's room lest it be stolen in the huge crowds. I couldn't have possibly predicted how ironic this would be later.

When I came back, the streets were packed. I locked Ida up next to S and A's bikes and set out to find them in the crowd. I got distracted. Oh, hey, live music. OH, HEY....Alejandro Escovedo!!!!!! Totally killer. This is yet another reason I love Austin.

Steve and Amy found him, too. They were stage right. Too bad we didn't mosey on over sooner. But a half hour of Alejandro is better than no Alejandro at all.

After the show, we walked around and checked out the cars while a great number of them were parading down the street, revving their giant engines and showing off all their tricks.








The other side said, "so close yet so far out." I should've snapped that side.

Two hours of sleep were starting to hit me by this point and I started trying to find ways to keep from falling asleep in corners of bars. Not too long after we were all ready to hit the hay. Thankfully, the ride back to the hostel was quick.

I didn't actually have a room reserved so I just pitched my tent in the backyard and called it good. This was around 2 am. Sleep at last!

I woke up around 7 and broke down camp before anyone important noticed. Everything was packed up and sitting next to Ida on the back patio, ready to be loaded. The only thing that remained was to charge this here voodoo box for a while. Not surprisingly, I fell asleep next to it on the couch for about an hour. When I woke up and went back outside, one of my panniers was missing. It took me a minute to realize someone had actually stolen it. Wow. Really? I was upset mainly because my UK shirt was in there, but also all of my street clothes and toiletries.

The hostel desk clerk replayed the security camera footage and we discovered a man on a bicycle (shocking! What a jerk!!) had taken it. We decided it would be best if I walked around and looked for it in case he had tossed it (when he realized it only had my smelly clothes in it) before we called the police. Good call! I thought I spotted it across the street about two blocks down....and I was right! It didn't even look like he had opened it. I can imagine how awkward it would be to carry it on a bike without it being on a rack. It is too heavy for that.

Tragedy narrowly avoided! My handlebar bag, which contains everything valuable I have with me, was sitting right next to that pannier. Had he taken that, he would've scored a wallet and an IPod, and normally my phone, had I not been charging it. I'm always amazed by the things thieves choose to take.

Well, thats about all the exciting stuff for today. So far, anyway. I only made it about 40 miles to Wimberly because I wanted to make sure I could find a place to watch the Kentucky game. I do have priorities, you know. The ride was beautiful. I have officially entered hill country. Although the climbs are difficult, I'm loving it. It really is gorgeous.


Ah, that picture doesn't do it the least bit of justice.

Well, it's a close one between Butler and VCU so I should focus. I'm not sure who I would rather play, not that it matters.

Go Cats!!

Until tomorrow,
Jess

Day 24: LaGrange to Austin...again...kind of

Woo hoo! The biking sick/(kind of) dead has triumphed over a cold and headwind today. 75 miles, take that rhino virus!

I can't say I felt much better today as far as the actual cold symptoms go. But I did have a ton more energy. Three cheers for sleep. Speaking of which, so tired.

It was nice and warm starting out in LaGrange this morning. I closed the door on the "hotel rooms that look like my grandmother's house in 1957" chapter of my life around 9 this morning and headed out into a beautiful and sunny morning.

I rode through rolling hills and ranch country for most of the morning until I reached Bastrop around 1. Fixated on the thought of a delicious lunch, I didn't even think to check the location of the bike shop and unknowingly rode a mile past it....downhill. A really steep one. Oops! But I got that delicious lunch.
I ate at Bastrop BBQ, where I feasted on a brisket sandwich with a side of Cole slaw and an ice cold coke. Yum! I was surprised by how courteous everyone is there. A young man, probably 13 or 14, was outside polishing a saddle when I rode up. As I was getting my things together, I saw him rush over to open the door for a man who had a tray full of bread. The man said, "thank you, sir." and the boy replied, "you're very welcome, sir." it was awesome. I remember thinking, "wow, that's just great. You sure don't see that from kids anymore." and then I felt old. Next thing I knew, the boy was still there holding the door and asking, "excuse me ma'am, will you be needin the door now?"
"yes sir,"I said. "thank you very much."
And then he asked me how long I had been riding. I said about a month. He said, "well, that's just great." and he meant it.

What a great little town. Bastrop, TX. Visit if you get a chance.

After lunch I made my way back up to the bike shop and tried to find myself a new pump and cleats. Scored on a pump. No luck on the cleats. Thus, the return to Austin. My cleats were so worn down they were starting to pop out on the pull. It only takes a few times of hitting your unmentionables on the seat with the full force of gravity before you start actively seeking out new ones.

I took the busy highway 71 all the way to Austin instead of following the adventure cycling alternate out of Bastrop. Today I decided I would rather ride with more traffic on a smooth surface in a shoulder two of me could span than take back roads with no shoulder and a super rough surface for five miles longer. Plus, the highway is graded so the hills were cake.

I made it into Austin right around rush hour, which wasn't actually that bad. I checked into the hostel and then headed downtown for bike parts and food.


"doing your dishes is metal"

Mellow Johnny's had just what I needed. The new cleats looked so thick I was sure they weren't the same ones. But they fit like a glove in my pedals. The old ones were SO thin. I still can't believe they were functioning even a little. I also got some of those powder drink packets the racers use to boost endurance. I figure it will at least make me drink more water cause they taste so darn good. On the way back to the hostel I saw a man dressed up in a pig costume holding a sign saying "lawyers are pigs." I laughed and waved. He thanked me. Then I wondered if he was a lawyer. I do love Austin.

After I came back to the hostel I was able to have a great shower and do laundry. Finally! I installed the new cleats and organized gear again, something I have to do pretty much every day because I am messy. I chatted with a kid from Australia who is basically wandering around the country trying to find reptile farms. Killer accent.
Annnnnd then I got hungry again so I went out in search of food. On the way I saw a nighttime critical mass with probably 300 riders. Sweet! I ended up eating some fabulous Mexican food at Al Pastor. I had four tacos with al pastor, onions, cilantro, lemon, and a spicy guacamole sauce, all washed down with the biggest glass of horchata I have ever seen in my life. So cheap. So good. So full.

Ok kids, I gotta get some sleep. Haven't yet decided if I'm moseying on tomorrow. I think I could kick it here another day. My cold seems to agree. Plus Steve and Amy are in town! And it would be way, way cool to see those guys.
I'm out!

Good night,
Jess

Day 23: Round Top to LaGrange, TX

I must really like Texas. I sure am stretching it out. Only 17 miles today. This illness is really starting to hit me hard.

Last night it stormed on me all night. The wind was blowing so hard I thought my tent was going to sail away. It sounded like what I imagine a skydiver hears coming from his suit as he whips through the atmosphere. It was raining so hard I thought it was hailing. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much. Every time I dozed off another gale force wind would wake me with a start.

When I "woke" up this morning I felt like I hadn't slept at all (close to the truth) and there were horrible noises coming from my chest as I struggled to breathe through the maze of phlegm in my lungs. Cough, cough. "I'm not getting up. No, siree." so I laid there for another hour before I forced myself into action. I figured it would be alright if I just got going. Nah. This bug is here to stay.

Devoid of all energy, I struggled to ride the 2 miles into town, dodging antique show traffic on what I imagine is normally not a busy road. I ate delicious biscuits and gravy at the tavern and forced myself back on the road by 10. I soon realized I wasn't going get very far today.

Traffic finally thinned out just as a shoulder magically appeared and the road surface became smooth. Go figure.

Finally! I was so happy to see LaGrange. A cool older dude stopped to chat with me outside the bank where I was sitting, kind of out of it. You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but he used to race for Schwinn back when they used to make bikes that were actually good. He told me about a mountain, kind of the last big one you climb on this trip, where you can see San Diego on a clear day even though you're still about 100 miles out. I got real excited. I've been needing those little motivational kicks in the butt in the last few days since I've been moving at a snail's pace.


Some government building in downtown LaGrange.

After that I checked into the Oak Motel and I've been in bed pretty much ever since. So awesome.

I came to the realization today (reluctantly) with a little help from Brennan McIrishman (ok a lot of help) that it would be best if I just lay low for a couple of days and wait for this to pass instead of miserably cranking along and being frustrated by my lack of progress. I don't wannna! But I probably should. (But I probably won't). I'll split the difference and play it by ear in the morning.

Ah, morning. It will be here so soon. Sleep....ah, yes. I remember what you are like. Let's do this. Love to you all.

Cheers,
Jess

Day 22: Navasota to Round Top, TX

Distance: 55 miles
Weather: 100% chance it has misted all day
Terrain: rolling and so beautiful
Roads: rough surface, little to no shoulder. Come ON, Texas! You're so cool in many other ways.
Rainy day music of choice: Crooked Jades and Huckleberry Flint
Number of times I wanted to ride to the airport and board a plane home: just once today. Don't even inquire about yesterday

Hey there. Waking up today was hard. Real hard. All I wanted to do was sleep all day again but I dragged my heavy feet down to the continental breakfast at 7:20, where I downed as much orange juice as I could hold while the voodoo box told me more than I wanted to know about people bombing each other in various locations around the world. And then I went back to bed ("just five more minutes!"). After a few pep talks, I did it. I started packing up! I was on the road by a little after 8:30.

I made my way to downtown Navasota and found the post office, where I finally (and this is a big deal for me and my pack rat tendencies) mailed some stuff home, including my golden anvil, the broken stove! Don't worry, I have a new one now. My pump broke this morning.

Ok, now I actually hit the road. It was almost 9. As I wound my way through ranches and up and down and around small hills, a very fine mist began to fall. It was actually really nice. I'll take misty Texas over oppressively hot Texas any day. But that's probably just the Humboldt in me talking.




I rode right through Washington, the birthplace of Texas. It's where they declared independence from Mexico in 1836. I tried to stop in the visitors center but it didn't open for another 30 minutes and, you know me, I hate waiting around when there's still a lot of riding to be done.

Pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal. I started thinking about some funny things, for example, what it would be like if George W. Bush suddenly pulled up along side me and offered to house me on his ranch for a night. I was imagining a lot of mesquite trees for some reason and maybe a bobble head Jesus doll on the dashboard of his truck, and some very poor explanations of how ranching works. I'm not gonna lie to you, I secretly wanted it to happen. There's still a lot more Texas to ride through. Fingers crossed!
About that same time I realized I spend a lot of time smiling when cars pass me going the opposite direction. I decided this probably elicits one of two responses: One, these motorists see me grinning like I've just won the lottery and think to themselves, "oh jeeze, look at that nice girl and how happy she is on that bicycle. Maybe I should get a bike, too!" or, more likely, they think, "that girl is absolutely out of her mind." then they scream at me inside to get a job and get off the road. I prefer the former. But to each his own.

It was getting about that time and granola bars, yet again, were failing to properly fuel me for more than 30 minutes at a time. I stopped to eat at a real cool place called the Pig 'n Whistle in Burton.


I had some fancy chicken and pasta I can't remember the name of and a Bass Ale. It was delicious. There I met Nolan. He's been working there for two months and was nice enough to keep me company while I ate and ask me questions about my tour. He even went outside to meet Ida. (She said he's very handsome!). Thanks for the company, Mr. Nolan! Also, apologies if I spelled your name wrong. Well, it's always hard to leave those kind of places and get back on the road. But I finally pried myself away and got motivated to finish up the day.

I didn't make it too much farther before I started looking for some place to camp. Since I'm still under the weather, I figured I ought not push it. My original plan was a campground in Carmine (pronounced car-mean) but I lacked the proper paper money and the ATM I found didn't like my card. I stopped to look up nearby banks but didn't really find any that weren't far away. While I was stopped, a woodcarver came up and talked to me. His name is Nathan and he did a huge bike tour back in 1981 from Missouri to Nashville and on down through Texas, where he's been ever since. He gave me his card and told me to call him if I got into any trouble and he'd come get me no matter how far. What a nice guy! It's these encounters that have been restoring my faith in mankind throughout this whole trip. He also pointed me toward some camping on down the road. So I pedaled on and ended up in the middle of a gigantic antique fair, which has stretched on for a few miles now. Nolan said it's the largest in the US. Well, there were some RVs behind just about every building I passed and I figured there's no harm in asking, so.....
Yeah, I'm camped out in a field with some RVs behind a building full of old junk for the nominal fee of my driver's license number (in case I leave trash behind). Score! I need quite a few nights of this kind of lodging to make up for last night and my trip to California. But it's supposed to storm kinda hard tonight so we'll see how it works out.


Some old bikes at the antique fair

In other news, aside from being sick, I felt pretty good riding today. I've already gotten used to being alone all day again and am enjoying it. All in all, it was a great day on the bike, even with the steady mist. Texas is great. I'm glad I don't have to worry about it changing on me. Haha. Welp, my battree (say it with an English accent - it's fun!) is low and I'm not sure I can charge it tonight so i best be moving along. Take care!

Stay classy,
Jess

Day 21: College Station to....Navasota, TX

Hello everyone! It's been a while. The busy, busy week off in San Jose/Austin was fun but probably not really what my body needed. Judging/timing those competitions is much harder work than actually competing. I basically worked 14 hour days with no breaks. By the time we left the field, found somewhere to eat, and showered it was about 11 or even later and we had to be up by 5:30 to do it all over again. Did I mention it poured the rain the entire time? Don't be mislead- it was really fun! But exhausting.
Traveling to and from Austin was pretty exhausting too. But on my 3 hour greyhoun layover in Waco i was able to visit the Texas Ranger museum. It was awesome!!








Colt Walker repeating pistol, ca 1846






Texas had way cooler money than the confederacy.




Austin the first time around was pretty cool too. I ate some delicious pizza at the Jackalope on 6th street. And then slept at the airport, which was not very fun.


This kind of looks like a Banksy.

My flight to San Jose was delayed an hour because the pilot somehow discharged the fire extinguisher into one of the engines so we had to switch planes. I was hoping that meant we got a new pilot, too. No such luck. But c'est la vie.

AWFC 2011 rocked. I had a lot of fun and saw some really great competitors.


Men's pole climb



HSU and Berkeley warming up for the double buck. They are about to RAGE!!

Karl Franci from Humboldt State placed 3rd in the Stihl series. He now has the opportunity to be chosen for the wild card pick and move on to the national finals in August and compete for a chance to become a professional. Way to go, Karl!!!

Flying back into Austin on Saturday night was pretty sweet. I was able to meet up with my friend Mike Tozzo's brother, Nick, and his cousin, Zack, and some of their friends. We went downtown to 6th street and checked out the nightlife. Really fun. I can assure you it is alive and well. Thanks guys!

Well, I guess I am still recovering from the vacation from my vacation, as I only made it 20 miles today before I had to stop. Last night I stayed with the Edgar family again. Sara's brother and his family were in town visiting from Minnesota and it was very nice to meet them and hear their funny stories. I was feeling fine when I left their house this morning, though admittedly pretty tired, but that's not really anything new on this tour.
It wasn't until about five miles in that it really started to hit me. I suddenly felt as if I'd been riding for 8 hours. My legs were so heavy every turn of the crank was a struggle and I could've easily fallen asleep at the handlebars, a biking zombie. On top of the fatigue I've also developed a nice little, croupy cough. So I checked into a motel room in Navasota at 10:30, where I promptly fell asleep and slept until....3:45. I don't think I'll have any trouble sleeping through the night, either.
I just ate some delicious Mexican food for supper.


I wanted something super spicy to try and burn this bug out of me. I hope it works. The plan for now is to forge ahead tomorrow and see how far I get. Shucks. The wind was even out of the east today. A tailwind is a terrible thing to waste.

Here's to good health.

Cheers,
Jess