Today’s ride started out in brisk, cool temperatures once again. Tomorrow morning is supposed to be slightly warmer, but it’s also supposed to rain. I’d rather have cold than rain. An interesting encounter at the small post office of Thicket, TX. After Janet snapped my photo, a gentleman in the parking lot asked us about the ride and as we started off, he said “if you get a chance, stop in the Honey Island general store, it’s just up the way.” Of course, we were all in to check it out. The thing is, his “just up the way” was about twelve miles and just so happened to be our second SAG check in. It was quite the small-town store. It had a wide variety of household goods, as well as animal feed ranging from goats to chicks to catfish no-float pellets. They also had a counter where you could order a burger or other sandwich. Small town flexibility! We didn’t see too many other interesting tourist sites.
Unfortunately, a self-supported rider, Cheryl, that we all met at our dinner last night was hit by a car today. She is from Vancouver, British Columbia and is O.K. One of our riders (Nick) was behind her and was also run off the road, and he is O.K. as well. The self-supported rider’s back panniers took most of the brunt of the hit; her front wheel needs work and one of our mechanics drove it to a bike shop about twenty miles away because he did not have the tools to completely fix it. To add insult to the accident, the local sheriff who responded asked her if the wind blew her over. I guess at that point he didn't realize one of our riders was a witness and also involved. She is amazing, as she is ready to keep going once her bike and pannier are fixed. She did sustain some road rash. The driver did NOT stop. It is scary to think of any rider being in that situation. We ride on some busy roads, and drivers get frustrated with us. However, Texas law states that cyclists should: “Ride near the curb and go in the same direction as other traffic.” Bike Texas notes that “curb is subjective but the law gives a cyclist the right to take the lane when necessary for safety.” All of the riders on this tour are required to have front and rear lights (also a Texas law), and we all wear fluorescent safety vests (in many a picture I post). I happen to have Garmin radar on the back of my bike and it has come in very handy. May all riders have a save journey the rest of this tour.
Chris Henry (aka Papow) heard me talking about taking post office pictures and he snapped a photo for me today. People are just so nice on this ride; they will do anything for one another.
Tonight, is our last night in Texas! After 19 nights in Texas, including rest days, tomorrow we cross into Louisiana. Finally, a new state!
Stats from the day:
Start city: Shepherd, TX
End city: Silsbee, TX
Miles: 60.40
Total miles to date: 1868.09
Pedaling time: 4 hours, 34 minutes
Avg. speed: 13.2
Feet climbed: 663 (flat)
Fatigue factor: 5 out of 10 (10 is the worst);
Wind: start: ESE 3 mph; end ESE 6 mph
Road condition: 3 out of 5 (1 is the worst) some places were 4
Temperature extremes: 48 at ride start, 68 at ride finish
The Trinity River. It is 710 miles long and is the longest river with a watershed entirely within the state of Texas.
This is what the road looked like for much of the day.
A sign for the general store recommended by a local - and so just so happened to be our second SAG check-in.
The campground where we are staying tonight.
Post office photo courtesy of Papow (a nickname his grandson gave to him).
