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Day 178
Lost Maples, TX to Del Rio, TX I expect a tough, hilly morning and I get it, but I also have fun. The road twists, climbs, and dives over the wrinkled land. I’m only a bit exhausted as I swoop down into Leakey. Suddenly the temperature drops, a bitter wind rises, and I scramble in…
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Day 177
Blanco, TX to Lost Maples, TX 10598 mi Another cold, cloudy, windy morning. It’s right back into the hill country out of Blanco. I throw myself into the task. These hills are tough. They’re getting more barren now – more rock, more prickly pear, and fewer junipers and other scrubby trees. Finally I start a…
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Day 176
Bastrop, TX to Blanco, TX 10493 mi The morning starts cold and gets colder. The wind comes up. It’s cloudy. By the time I reach Martindale I’m pretty miserable. It comes out in my phone calls to Mom and Dad. I’m outside on a payphone in the wind, and can’t pay attention. Then between Martindale…
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Day 175
William Penn, TX to Bastrop, TX 10411 mi William Penn and Independence are tiny, almost unnoticable farm and ranch towns. I see many grandiose ranch houses on hilltops, adorned with pillars and balconies. I go all the way to Burton before I find food. The Burton Cafe has been here forever and never changes. While…
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Day 174
Livingston, TX to William Penn, TX 10314 mi I take a short, cold ride to Onalaska on Lake Livingston, where I eat in a hot little shack on the shore. I’m lured into the library in Huntsville to answer a few emails, then I head for Novasota. The country opens up a little with ranches,…
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Day 173
Bon Weir, TX to Livingston, TX 10211 mi Newton offers no good breakfast prospects, so I continue to Jasper. Lots of logging going on here, but I like riding through the bright green pine forests in the sun. In Jasper I supplement my groceries. The stores here have no hummus or tuna salad so I…
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Day 172
Prarie Rhonde, LA to Bon Weir, TX 10128 mi I find my map is gone in the morning – must have lost it yesterday. I’m on my own to Navasota. I talk to some folks in Mamou where I eat a greasy breakfast. The cajun accent is great. When I tell an old guy in…
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Day 171
Baton Rouge, LA to Prarie Rhonde, LA 10025 mi I feel much better, even though I have to start the day in my rain gear. I can now think back fondly on New Orleans, whereas yesterday I was too tired and depressed. I ride 190. The bridge over the big muddy is a bit narrow,…
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Day 170
New Orleans, LA to Baton Rouge, LA 9948 mi The bike is waiting for me in the fenced lot, safe and sound. I put her together and set off, but can’t resist stopping to say goodby to Laura. Of all the folks I’ve met I have an especially warm spot for her, I don’t know…
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Day 169
Pass Christian, MP to New Orleans, LA 9860 mi I wake up to a nice morning on a misty gulf. The road soon turns inland after crossing a bayou. In Waveland I eat at a Waffle House, where a salty lady in her 40’s cheers me on, “You go, boy!” She loves my project. The…