BIKE TOUR

All is well that ends well. I am in Houston. This was not on the route. However, when I noticed the pinging of a broken spoke, plans had to be changed. With the help of my mother, I was able to call Tecky from the warmshowers list. He drove the 60 some miles up to Shepherd to get me. Since warm showers isn't about paying back your hosts directly, he deserves excellent warm shower hospitality in the future. His wife fed me tasty Indonesian leftovers with some brown flakes called fruit cake sprinkled on top. I was warned that the chicken was overcooked, but it was delicious. Tomorrow my wheel will get dropped off somewhere where it can get fixed. It's the same wheel I just had the rim replaced on. 7.5 ave - 24.8 max - 1873.5 odo - 3:27:35 time

I'm tired. The detour to Huntsville to kill my clink was lined with pine forests. The state has transitioned and the roadkill of choice is now turtle and possum. The countryside over the last several days is what you imagine countryside to be like. Why I'm watching What Not To Wear, I'm not quite sure. 8.9 ave - 27.1 max -1847.5 odo - 6:54:20 time

Good News: I'm on map 5 of 7. Bad News: My bottom bracket or crank of something needs tightening. There is a click. Good News: Snowflake Doughnuts gave me extra doughnuts. Bad News: My camera has decided it doesn't want to take pictures anymore. Good News: Amy and David have offered me their spare bedroom and a warm shower. 1785.4 odo - 4:28:15 time - 9.0 ave - 28.7 max

Feeling sticky with humidity and lack of shower, I rose to take pictures. The most interesting feature I've discovered on my camera is the light balance feature. today it featured a moth. Someone who knows moths should tell me more about it. Waiting for the RTC(Round Top Cafe)to open, I stopped at the new coffee shop. I chatted with someone who'd lost his home on the coast to Katrina. I learned that Katrina hadn't hit New Orleans, but a failure of the levies did. Course I'm sure all of you knew that. I think I'd decided to remain aloof to the news surrounding it. It was just another story of how the government had failed its people. I also learned that a father son team on bikes had passed through yesterday. And four days ago a very Australian man with a blue bike loaded down came through. One could only guess it was Jon. This is the first I've heard of him on the route. Then I went to wait the last half hour on the RTC porch with classics like "come on peo...

I quickly sped past the smallest Catholic church. I did not stop. I was on a mission. Today was the day of Round Top. For months I've heard constantly about the Round Top Cafe's pie. I arrived and it was closed. As a consolation prize, they offered me beer. I accepted and decided to wait until 11 the next morning. I better not be disappointed. In the meantime nothing much else is open in Round Top, the smallest (77) incorporated town ?in Texas?, on a Tuesday. I went to the library and uploaded pictures. I wrote a few postcards. I horned in on a cub scout meeting. In an essence, I've been bored. I want to get on the road, but I've already waited this long. Jeff Bedd better not have built this pie up too big... 8.5 ave - 26.8 max - 1714.2 odo - 2:09:24 time

I imagined so many seemingly poetic things to write as I was riding. Something about clouds and wildflowers, but I can't remember now. The songs I sing while riding range from "Let's get it on" to "The Hallelujah Chorus". Howerver, usually it is a blessed Regina Spektor song stuck in my head. Bastrop and Buescher State Parks are worth the ride if you've never been and live in the Austin area. They are the home of the lost pines. They just don't know how they got there. A couple of local teens greeted me at First Presbyterian Church and pointed me in the direction of the parsonage. Unfortunatly Mrs. Lee has bronchitis and appologized for being antisocial, but I set up my tent hidden behind the building with the help of the two girls. I visited the house to get cleaned up and then ate and chatted with Walt. He was surprised I knew about the PCUSA, but I did just graduate from a PCUSA school. I've just been updating in the church office and I checke...

When I entered Nancy's apartment, she warned me about the bears. I was expecting large dogs. Instead her couch was lined with an arsenal of stuffed animals. I commented that she must not get many visitors. Her husband died five years ago and she spends most of her time at Bastrop United Pentecostal Church, where I met her. I rolled up to inquire about camping after traveling the 30 miles to Bastrop with Oscar. He took his last picture of us and rolled back via 71. I kept going and the youth were having a potato dinner fellowship after church. By the way Karen is just the sweetest 12 year old that I ever did meet and I hope she stays that way. Nancy was kind enough to invite me into her home and let me shower. I'm clean. I'm riding again. I haven't looked ahead to see where I'm going tomorrow. 4:17:47 time - 8.7 ave - 20 max - 1654.6 odo