We hosted runner's for dinner one night (we read in the local paper that they would be running through our town and offered to host the team). The group ran from Ontario to New York City, to spread colon cancer awareness.
The thing they said they missed the most (besides friends & family) was a homecooked meal. Maybe your could send some cookies or some special Texas treat.

Trudy that is an impressive challenge. Congrats to your son for taking it on. My son is also a cyclist, but he's never done anything close to that.

How about some homemade granola? Powdered Gatorade? I'm sure they want to keep the load light while on their bikes. Maybe bar cookies, which would travel well.

What about beef jerky,dried fruits,trail mix,nutigrain bars,crystal light singles he could mix w/water.Congrats to your son that really is impressive.

Shelley

Send something made with pecans - like pralines, perhaps. I would suggest chocolate turtles, but they might melt in the heat.

I was talking with my brother Kevin last night about our brother Mike, who still lives in Texas, and Kevin told me all the places in Texas where Mike used to live, many of which I did not know that he lived. The list included the first four cities on your son's trip: Austin, Lampasas, Stephenville, and Fort Worth!! He also lives in Corpus Christi and Mathis (to work for our cousin), but I found it a coincidence that we had talked about the other four towns just last night.

Lars

Trudy, that's an ambitious ride, good for your son. I'd offer to give them a meal if they were anywhere near Michigan.

I agree with the "light and portable" issue, and of course the mailing/staleness/arrive intact thing is always a concern.

How about some homemade high protein snack bars? Amanda always liked these, made with chocolate chips in place of the carob, and you could add those pecans Lars mentioned.

PROTEIN SNACK BARS

Melt together 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup peanut butter, 1 (12 ounce) package carob chips. Pour over a mixture of 1/2 cup sesame seeds, 1 cup coconut, 1 cup wheat germ, 1 cup nuts, and 1/2 cup sunflower seeds. Pat into a 9 x 13 inch pan and cut into bars.

Powdered drink mixes like Gatorade would be nice for a change from plain water and snacks like jerky or those little packages of nuts or individual peanut butter packages, I've seen them in tubes.

I don't know what they'll do about food, are they eating out? They'll need lots of calories to bike those miles every day, so a little research might tell you what options are available and a gift card to a restaurant, etc., could be nice.

Does he have a favorite treat? Biscotti travel well and are nearly indestructible, LOL, and gingersnaps get there intact packed inside a Pringles tube, I think other cookies would travel fine that way too.

Annie

As someone who has had to help plan food for Ragbrai, where the riders ride 70 to 100 mile daily for a week.....think calorie dense. I have seen guys eat a whole pie after a huge dinner and still everyone loses weight at the end of the week. Think nuts, peanut butter, chocolate of course and drink mixes might be welcome.
They will knock off those 75 miles in short order and be wandering the town looking for food and fun.....perhaps money would te the most welcome thing!
Lidna c

You all have great suggestions--Thank you!!! They will be staying at churches, campgrounds, colleges, and private homes, so they will be getting some homecooked meals, which I'm sure they will love.

publickman, what a coincidence about where your brother Mike used to live. Another coincidence, Ben--my son on the bike rid--has a brother named Mike...

annie, do those bars need to be baked beforehand or put in the fridge, or what? They sound great!

trudymom, they don't get baked at all, just mixed up and patted into a pan. I make them "thick" enough with seeds and nuts that they just stay together and then mush them down in the pan really firmly with my hands. They do not melt appreciably, I keep them on the counter, but if it's hot I'd wrap them in saran wrap individually because they could get a little sticky.

They are very "forgiving", so if someone doesn't like coconut, I just add more of the other things, or some raisins for sweetness, or dried cherries, whatever I have on hand.

I've also added granola to them and I've cut them into bars and then rolled them in crushed granola or chopped nuts to avoid that chocolate residue from the melted chocolate. Ashley would rather have me roll them in powdered sugar, but that's another mess issue all its own, LOL.

Annie

Annie, thank you for the instructions. I'm going to make them!!

TrudyMom, great suggestions so far and that's wonderful what your son and the others are doing. I'd want to send him something really decadent. My first thought is pecan pie. It really does travel well and while it's pretty heavy I don't think it would last long enough to worry about the weight. I send them all over by just putting the pie into a gallon baggie then wrapping in some bubble wrap or just layers of paper. You could also make the little pies to send along with some other things. The pecan pie just strikes me as unexpected and calorie laden enough to be appreciated for that factor as well as the yum factor. I agree his favorite homemade cookies would be an excellent choice. The protein bars sound great too.

coconut-nj, Oh, the pecan pie is a great idea and one I would never have thought of. Do you think it would last about 2 weeks from the time I send it to the time it gets to a destination? We have to have our care packages there about a week early.

(I have a son in NJ--where are you at there? He's in Hoboken.)

Thank you!

Trudy

Trudy, pecan pies last a really long time. All that sugar. Smiles. Since I don't want to eat much of it at a time I often have mine around for that long.

I'm in Northern South Jersey. LOL. Below Trenton, not far from McGuire and Ft Dix.

coconut-nj, I'm going to make the pecan pie too! Thank you! Have a good day in NJ!