Day 18: Distance 152 miles
Total Distance over 18 days: 1,816 miles
More than 1/2 way!!
Interesting bathroom statistic:
Prius' seen in West Texas: Zero
Prius' seen in the Texas Hill Country: 3
Prius' seen in Eastern Texas: Zero
(Texans aren't that concerned about leaving a carbon footprint)
"Howdy, y'all. Listen up, now. Been down here in the lone star for dang near 8 days. Reckon I'll be here till I can get on down the road a yonder",
Wyatt Earp
I've been in Texas for a long time and I still have a day and a half to get into Louisiana. I'm starting to pick up the dialect and I think I may come back home with a bit of an accent. It hasn't been easy learning to speak Texas. I was at a Walmart yesterday and asked a clerk where the sun screen was. She told me it was over yonder. I just stared at her. She could probably tell from my amusement at her speech that I was a furener, so she walked me to the right aisle. The countryside here is great and the people are very friendly. I can't stop somewhere without someone coming up to chat about bike riding or the trip. I've been to a lot of very rural markets and I come waddling in with my bike shoes dressed in my space suit. Once they figure out what I'm doing they are happy to give directions or offer encouragement I'd estimate that 95% of the cars and trucks on the road move at least 1/2 way into the other lane to give me more space. (a far greater number than back home in San Diego) Many beep and wave and when I approach an intersection or driveway I'm always given the right of way.
Before the ride we had a group discussion about the amount of food that I would need to eat on a daily basis. My Garmin is out of battery since I shipped the charger home in my zeal to lighten my bike weight. Tami has shipped me another one which I pick up tomorrow at the Richards, Texas post office. But I would estimate that on a day like today with over 150 miles on the bike that I burned well over 8,000 calories. After 18 days, I've settled into an eating routine, better described as an eating frenzy. I usually get on the road by 7. I carry a snack bag which contains things like pop tarts, candy bars, graham crackers, oreo and chocolate chip cookies, pecan pies and moon pies. Before I start the ride I'll have a couple of pop tarts or a moon pie and some coffee. After about 20 miles I start looking for a cafe where I'll get 2 meals. I basically devour any bread, pancakes, eggs, bacon, ham or anything else that I can get. I'll drink a couple of glasses of ice water and head out. Every 20 miles or so, I'll grab a couple of snacks out of my bag. Then mid afternoon I'll stop for a light meal. Today it was a foot long Italian classic on parmesan bread with a bag of chips and 2 large cokes. After I get to my motel and take a shower, I'm out looking for yet another meal. Tonight I ordered a pizza delivered to the room and devoured that. I then went into my bag of snacks and ate some taffy that I bought earlier today. Needless to say, I'm not losing any weight. As far as fluids, I go through about 200 ounces of water, 150 ounces of powerade, vitamin water or gaterade, 75 to 100 ounces of coke classic and an occasional monster energy drink on a daily basis. It's actually fun to just eat and drink whatever you want and not have to worry about the consequences. I did run into some trouble yesterday in Blanco. I stopped at a barbecue shack for my afternoon meal. I ordered a brisket sandwich smothered in Texas barbecue sauce with a side of 3 blackberry cobler pies. It was go good. But about 30 minutes later, I had such an intense sugar rush that I had to stop the bike and wait a few minutes for it to pass. Guess 2 pies are my limit at one sitting!! It will be an adjustment for me once this ride is over to return to my regular eating routine.
In Blanco, Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon are filming a new True Grit movie. Blanco is about as authentic a place to film as possible. Should be good.
In Blanco, Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon are filming a new True Grit movie. Blanco is about as authentic a place to film as possible. Should be good.
Who are you looking at?
A Texas Longhorn. 
The Guadalupe River somewhere in the Hill Country
with all of that road kill you still had to stop at a diner? letty said you'd better eat your grits!
ReplyDeleteya'll come back soon, ya hear?
Great photo of your bike and the Guadalupe River. I have always believed in dessert first. Enjoy the cobbler from here to the south. And the sweet tea. You may not lost weight but, you will gain muscle. Keep pedaling and enjoy the ride.
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