Day 13 of 17 Days of Texas. The wind was with us all day, not too strong to start with, but got stronger as the day went on. Skipped the TK&A breakfast because it looked like they weren’t going to be ready to serve us very quickly and what we had ate on the previous morning wasn’t that great, so we left in search of something more interesting. Bob, Sig and I stopped at The Pig Stand, a funky place – pigs in all shapes and sizes being used in the decor – known for many “firsts” such as the inventor of texas toast and onion rings, first drive-in in the state, first use of air conditioning, fluorescent lighting and neon lighting. Breakfast there also took awhile, but I’m sure my omelet was far superior to the food I would have received back at the motel.
I lost Sig on the way to checkpoint and lost Bob after checkpoint for the next 45 miles. There were some decent roads, but the wind kept blowing and it kept getting hotter. I wanted to stop for awhile and rest, but couldn’t see the point of stopping in the blazing sun, so I just kept riding. Finally ahead, a lone tree was casting a shadow as one of our vans was also approaching. What timing, ice water and shade at the same time!
The last place to get anything to eat appeared to be a truck stop, about seven miles before camp. They had the usual snack food, but also a grill. I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich, coke and water. The place also had the sweetest little boy there, I think he had sat there all afternoon watching the parade of cyclists come through. He was telling us all about himself and how he wasn’t going to have a girlfriend until he got to college. Mo was there taking pictures of all of us and when she turned her camera at me and the little boy I gave him a big smooch. The little boy was very surprised, a little pleased, and a lot embarrassed. He quickly went outside to play after that, but when he saw us getting on our bikes to leave, he ran over to say good-bye.
Finally, it was back onto the road for the final miles in, the wind was really strong. The driveway into the Christian center where we’re staying at was also difficult to ride on, all squishy gravel, most people rode half in the ditch to have something more solid to ride on. The center had a big pool to cool off in, the dinner a little sparse, but ok.
85 miles