Flat Tires Day 22 and 23

4/06/2015

Rode 50 miles

Rode approx. 5:15 hr

4/07/2015

Rode 47 miles

Rode approx. 5:36 hr

Got a late start today. A camp attendant stopped by and told me where I needed to pay for last nights stay. The lady I paid for last nights camp spot kept talking to me. Every time I tried to leave, she would tell me something else about how her and her husband had retired and bought the campground. I finally left after saying, “okay have a good day 12 times”. She was still talking when I got on my bike and peddled away. Then I stopped at Subway eating a steak sub procrastinating. May be I should go back and talk to the lady some more. Nah, I have to get motivated. A few miles up the road I saw a Dollar Store. I rationalized the need for soda and little Debbie’s, could not get motivated. A blue roadside sign informed me that my trip was now in TX hill country. I stopped at an intersection near the sign eating some Little Debbie’s and drinking water looking at the hill country direction climbing up then looking to the right at the flat road. Why can’t I go right? Why did the route makers pick left!? Obviously from my previous statements I didn’t do a big day.

Stopped at a campsite and no attendants were there so I went to the next one, glad I did because I met Alex and Gillian they were biking from Austin, TX to Oregon. Talked to them for a while, he had bike toured before. They invited me to eat with them. They had prepared wraps with quinoa, avocado, tomato, and cilantro all from what they referred to as their kitchen, the large rear pannier which held a plethora of cooking utensils and food. It made me wish I carried a stove, the meal was so good. I remembered I am efficient, some people call it lazy. While they were cooking breakfast, I packed and left. They had gotten up about an hour before me glad I am “efficient”. They were probably still packing up their library, the pannier on the opposite side of the kitchen, when I reached the 15 mile mark for the day.
I was definitely in hill country, there were some steep climbs throughout the day. The mist and clouds I rode through the last 3 days broke up a little after 1 p.m.. There had been severe storms and flooding all around me. Luckily, I have been missing the brunt of the weather.
It was pretty being back in a green landscape and mountainous regions as opposed to the desert. Don’t get me wrong the steep climbs sucked still, but the scenery was enjoyable. Saw some large boars cross the road in front of me. These were much larger then the javelina that had been rooting in the feet of my sleeping bag earlier. Stopped at Lost Maple Wilderness Area for the night.