Wow I have had lots of adventures and wonderful things happen since last we met. I have taken copious notes so I hope that I don't leave out too much of the "good stuff".

March 21 Sunday- This was the worst...slow and cold. there were 30 mph winds and we only rode 10 miles today just so we could get to a place to hunker down. I couldn't find my wallet , that was the first thing that happened this AM. I was so upset and it felt like the last straw. I looked through everything 3x at least and everyone else looked through all my stuff too...I have no more secrets. Of course when I had cried and given up hope I remembered it was in the leg pocket of my pants...I am still not used to having these great pants with their convenient storage.

This brings up what is the hardest part of touring. You have to have a place for everything and everything must be in its place at all times. it can cost many precious minutes searching for things if you are not very precise in your plans and care with your personal items. The other three folks with me have panniers , which are like saddle bags. I have my trailer. My trailer is a lot more forgiving than their bags as they have very little room in any one bag. Kim actually has a cheat sheet to remind her where things are stored.

Anyway we were not in a very nice place last night so we rode to Koentz TX and got another motel to ride out the weather. We are in a fabulous Super 8. It is the nicest one I have ever seen. We are all in very good spirits and very hungry. We love to eat and rest , in that order. It is Sunday and we have been told about the best buffet in town.

Mama Jacks has to be the best food I have ever eaten. They are really sweet people and run a wonderful and efficient place. They are very crowded but the food never runs out and the it is all very well prepared. This will be our main meal of the day and it is noon. I will tell you what I had to eat but do be forgiving....we really do burn it ALL off.

OK here goes...

chicken and dumplings...large bowl full

coffee cake 1 piece

smothered cabbage

butterbeans

jello w/ bananas

cranberry sauce

yeast roll ( it was heavenly)

pot roast ( ditto)

mashed potatoes and gravy ( there are NO words for how good)

chicken and dressing

green beans

dessert ( one spoon of each...peach cobbler, cherry cobbler, Miss. Mud cake and cinnamon roll ) I didn't have any ice cream Coffee to drink...sigh...I was not too full !

Now it is rest time. Pete and I are sharing again ( he gets to have one of us girls and we alternate at each motel ) :) Anyway poured out the last of the JD ( it was a 200 ml bottle and my last for the trip so please have patience ) I then read Chapter 5 of Mike Tidwells Bayou Farewell.. So moving as he is talking about the area where we are riding.

Talked a long time to my dear friend Robin in NY and Robert at home. So nice to relax and and rest.

So now it is time for ...you guessed, I am still hungry. I make 2 packs of oatmeal in the microwave in the room and add dried fruit . Pete came in and slept 2 hrs. We then had a long talk and really had a nice time. I watched a very cool thing of the animal channel about dolphins in FL that make a circle of mud boil up in the water and then the fish panic and jump out and into the waiting mouths of the rest of the school of dolphins...they then take turns and another dolphin stirs up the water. It is wonderfully creative and amaxing to watch. They are so intelligent. Also saw a special on the weather channel with Jim Cantorre about the bayou country, so again it was so timely as we are here in the midst of the Atchafalaya area.

Slept great and am ready for tomorrow.

March 22- Monday 63 miles/10 mph

Where are ya'll headed for ? You would think that would be an easy question. When we were in Silsbee TX Pinewood Inn I forgot to tell this story. The woman in the room next to is was living in the motel while her son is building a home for them. She is the owners mother. She looks and talks and dresses exactly like Alma...Bonnie's Mom. It was simply staggering to see her. Anyway she had a problem with her dentures....the family will be familiar with this for sure. She mixed up her adhesives and put baby powder on her dentures. When she realized what she had done she then added the proper adhesive on top of the powder...pretty much made concrete. The manager of the motel is watching out for her while the owner is gone. Between us we got them cleaned up and in her mouth.

Anyway as we were leaving she asked where we were going. No one in my group could understand her except me as I have had practice with the elderly and Alma. I answered we are headed for San Diego..she flapper her arm at me and said, " NO where are you headed NOW ?" So I said Shepherd., and then on to Cold Spring. She was satisfied with that and smiled and wished me well. So the question means different things to different people...where are you headed ?

I have been concerned that I need a haircut. My adventures don't always cooincide with a beauty parlor visit and I have been worrying. As we entered the town of Shepherd we were just at the intersection of the Interstate and our road. I saw a woman out in her yard working and her husband was lying on the bed of their pickup all bundled up and watching her work. I called over the chainlink fence and asked if she knew of a place to get my haircut. She came to the fence and said well it is Monday and the only place in town is closed and also it isn't very good. Her husband said the baber shop might be open but it too is usually not very good. The couple then looked at each other and the lady said she happened to be a retired beauty parlor operator. Wow...she looked at my hair and said she didn't think I needed a cut anyway. Well I explained how I like to wear it and then asked her if she would please cut it. I can only say that Francis ( she changed the spelling of her name , she told me) and Frank were the 2 sweetest people I have ever met. Frank is recivering from triple aneuryism repair. He is only 2 weeks into his recovery and worried that he is still hurting. I reassure him and talk to him about pain mangt as Francis works her magic. I was sititng outside in the carport for this adventure. My cut turned out fantastic, one of the best I have ever ever had....but the real treasure was meeting Francis and Frank. I am planning on getting back here with Robert and seeing them again.

We got into Cold Spring TX at 3:30 PM. We are staying in a place called Sunday Houses. They are for weekenders. They are so sweet and we are so glad to have such a nice place to stay. We did a great dinner together...not Gretchen...she doesn't like our food choices most of the time. I made a wonderful shrimp dinner and we had salad and baked potatoes and for dessert chocolate icecream with huge fresh strawberries we also had a St Arnold's Lawnmower beer that was fantastic. We are in San Jacinto County.

March 23 Tuesday--- Three of us left at 7:30 AM from Cold Spring...Gretchen almost always leaves late as she has "issues" in the AM. I got great sunrise pics. We all had a lovely breakfast together...not G though and headed out on 150 to Pumpkin TX. Rest break at 8: 30 AM. It was 37 degrees when we left....BRR>..Had a wide 8 ft breakdown lane to ride in for a while. But then became bumpy and narrow and we have to ride right on the edge of the lane inside the white stripe.

I haven't talked about where we ride. We are following Adventure Cycling Assoc. maps. They are $80 and have all the info a person should need for this ride. Camping, bike shops, motels and restuarants, libraries etc. We have the route written out and it is extremely detailed. They try to take safe, scenic and efficient routes but sometimes there is no help for it and we get big highways with lots of traffic or narrow unsafe roads with crazy drivers and lots of dogs. We like wide smooth country roads as you might imagine.

Anyway we pulled into New Waverly TX and Charlies' store. He was a front man in a guitar country band for 40 years. He has this store but he told me even though there is no sign out front , it is for sale. He says business is so bad that he isn't sure he will be here when Robert and I come back...but he gave me his card and said to give him a call anyway. He is the dearest man.

We rode on through the beautiful Sam Houston Natl forest. What a fantastic place. I will want to camp here and also got canoeing on the Conroe Lake...I have some great pics of it all. We got to Richards TX It looks like a ghost town. The others had huge bbq sandwiches but I seemed to only want icecream sandwiches so I had 2. I go with my initial feeling when it comes to food, if it looks good and seems to be what appeals I eat it as I think my body knows what it needs. This has worked well so far.

We have 20 miles to Navasota TX and I set out alone. I like to ride alone and do better in front. Mark can attest to this. I don't care for running or riding behind anyone else. Outside of Richards the HILLS start ( of course we were naive and they really started further up the road but that is another day in the future that you don't know about yet). It is gorgeous country and sunny and windy. I love it. We stayed at a campground in a field...only $1 and it had nice showers. We met the "honey boys". These were 2 brothers...one was 26 and one was younger. The older has all things figured out and is a specialist in almost all things...he has been everywhere and seen all things and done all things....very wearing to say the least. The name for them comes from the fact that they bragged that back in Honey Island TX , where we also passed through, they bought a whole large jar of honey and were carrying it in their panniers. Kim and I soon tired of all the "wonderful " stories and went into our tents. Three of us cooked the $1 dinner from Dollar General with some packs of tuna and it was very good. Amazing how things taste when you in the open air under a beautiful sky with friends...and you are hungry.

Wed March 24th-- 64 miles

We are once again worried about rain so got packed up and got an early start...not G though. Rode to forst town with coffee...I am glad there are 3 of us that need it every AM. It was 21 miles to Independence TX. We got a little turned around and added a couple miles to the route. It was a beautiful back road called Wm Penn. It is has been misting rain off and on but the landscape is simply breathtaking. We saw the Brazos river but I didn't get a pic :( I stopped at a lovely old cemetery and got several pics...I hope they pay homage to the person who lived from 1838- 1890.

When we got to Independ. we stopped at a nice little store and talked to the owners. They see a lot of cyclists as they are listed on the map route. I had 2 sandwiches...chicken salad and turkey and cheese and a bag of nacho chips and a coke. I needed the salt and sugar and caffeine since they didn't have any coffee . This is also where the "honey boys" stopped. The older one made an ass of himself when he criticized the store owner for not having coffee and also for the fact that the pot takes 20 min to make a new batch. We all said not to bother but of course he had to make a scene...."I can make coffee faster that that at home ! " he said. He and his younger brother , we decided he is embarrased by his older one, went outside and got out a French press and boiled water and proceeded to make coffee. They are forever known now as the French Press boys.

We are going to have to go way off route. There is no where to stay here and there is an antique fair in Round Top so there are no places there either. It is raining more and we have a long way to go to Giddings TX...why is this a familiar scenario ???? It is 20 miles....sigh.

We ride in heavy rain all the way but at least there is a very wide shoulder. I am in front and head out fast and furious. I love the challenge and the rain and it reminds me of the best part of the trailrunning that I miss more and more. We get to a rundown Economy Motel...we thought it was an Econolodge but no such luck. It is pretty bad but it is cheap and we are tired. There is a steak place up the street and they have beer so we are in business. It is the worst steak I have had but the baked potato and the salad were excellent. The beer was cold so we are good to go. We have a shorter day tomorrow as we are headed to Austin day after tomorrow and a 2 day off rest YEAH !

Thurs mar 25th---- 25 miles into Bastrop. We had such a long haul and in the rain so today was a welcome relief. We are staying out here so we will get into Austin in the early afternoon tomorrow.. There is a bike shop here and Pete needs it very badly. I also have the guy do my maint. on my cassette etc as the guys in Goldens didn't do all that good a job. This fellow showed me how to do it for myself so I am going to do that from now on. I also got new bike shorts and some other stuff.

We are staying in a lovely campground and there is a REAL Texas Roadhouse right across the street. I has out door seating and the sun is shining and we have a fantastic meal and talk and laugh and drink beer...you see the trend don't you ???

We talked to some folks in the park and they said we should go off route a only 30 min and see the Roy Orbison museum...funny but on a bike that is a LONG way. Will have to wait for another day.

A man in a gas station looked at us as we were heading out on a busy TX road and said " do you guys have a death wish? " and then he shook his head and drove off. Nope we sure don't...we just want to share the road.

We were riding out of Bastrop on small country road and a cow was out and wouldn't let us get by...I swear when we yelled at it and tried to go by it growled...at least that is my story.

The fellow John in the bike shop said a man came in last year and said he was sick of touring. He asked John to sell him a canoe and help him outfit it. He did and the guy strapped the bike to the canoe and put all his stuff in it and was going to paddle all the way down the lower Colorado River ( which runs through Bastrop) to the Gulf and then up to Houston. John never heard from him again...funny story.

Beautiful and fantastical wild flowers everywhere...I have tons of pics.

Friday March 26th 35 miles. We are in Austin !!! Yeah. We are staying 13 miles out of town at McKinney St park. It is beautiful and has lots of great trails and wild flowers and waterfalls. Kim and I immediately clean up and get directions and head into town. We ride 5 miles to the nearest bus stop and put our bikes on the front of the bus...yes this is a great biking town since it is Lance Armstong's hometown. We get to SoCo ( the Tx version of SoHo) and Congress St becomes our center of operations. We eat at a place called Perla,,,shrimp bisque and a tiny grilled cheese sandwich and a beer and wine and salad for Kim. Then we go into all the cool shops as we buy earrings > Then we go to a great Italian place and I have Lamb Marquez sausage with pasta and a ceasar salad and a glass of wine. I have a lemon panna cotta and 2 biscotti cookies and we then run to the Congress bridge to see the bats fly out from under . It is amazing and we have a great time. We can't get a bus back so we listen to music a bit at an outdoor place and then get a cab/van back to the camground...$30 but worth it.

I have to get off the computer as the library is filling up...more later...I love you all.