Mike awoke with a migraine, so we hung out for awhile at the motel, waiting for it to subside. My nose was still running profusely, and my lungs began to feel congested, as well. It's one thing not to be able to breathe out of one's nose while riding. It's another thing entirely if one's lungs can't fill to capacity. It was not a good sign.
We hit the road about 10 a.m. from Shepherd, and I reached Coldspring about 11:30 am. I found Ryan and Bryan hanging out in front of the courthouse, munching on snacks. Ryan had come from a store across the street that advertised vitamins and wellness products. I asked him if the store had a restroom, and he said that it did, but he warned me that the owner talked a lot. Unfortunately, he didn't say what she talked about. Thanks, Ryan.
I've been in a fair number of holistic medicine shops, health food stores, and the like. In my experience, people who operate and frequent those types of stores are generally very positive, upbeat, centered people, who are "one with the Earth." They usually have good energy, and a positive aura, if you believe in such things. This woman did not. In fact, upon reflection, she was rather creepy. I told her that I was with the guy who had just left, traveling by bicycle across the country. Despite the fact that she had told Ryan everything she was about to tell me, she acted like she didn't know who or what I was talking about. She then proceeded to tell me in so many words that we were all going to die in the desert of west Texas. First, it will be hot enough during the day for the pavement to boil, and it will be freezing cold at night. Second, because it's spring, all the venomous rattlesnakes will be coming out of hibernation. For warmth, they will lay upon the roadways, literally blanketing them. And they will be aggressive, because they haven't eaten in months, so when we ride by -- don't you dare run over one! -- they will lunge at us and bite us. Of course, if we get bitten, we will surely die, because we will be miles from a hospital with anti-venom. However, if we manage to survive and flag down a car, we must borrow something with a cord on it, strip the cord down to its wires, connect the wires to the car's cigarette lighter (do they still make cars with lighters?), and zap the bite wound with electricity. The electricity will then turn the venom into protein, and the body will absorb the protein without harm. Right! I think she must have been hittin' some kind of herbal pipe, if you know what I mean.
As she began to tell another horror story, I asked to use the restroom, then made a hasty exit. On my way out the door, I thanked her and said, "Wish us luck." She responded, "May the Lord be with you!" Indeed.
After leaving Shepherd in the morning, the hills had returned in earnest. To those in a car, I'm sure they were hardly noticeable little bumps in the road, but on a bicycle, they required significantly more energy to climb. Unfortunately, my derailleur was acting up, and I didn't know how to adjust it. It wouldn't shift into certain gears -- ones I needed to climb hills, of course -- or it would shift out of gear on its own. Very annoying. The grip shifter used to change the gears on the handlebar was also extremely tight, so I had to wrench it to change gears, which was often. Ryan had tried to adjust it at the motel before we left, but to no avail.
I struggled significantly until the next stop in Pumpkin, where we took a break at a gas station. I thought I was going to die on my way into New Waverly. I hadn't had any substantial food all day, and I was having trouble breathing, as my lungs were congested. We were headed that day for a campground about 6 miles west of New Waverly. When I got to town, I checked my phone and found a text from Ryan that he and Bryan had gone on to the campground. I soon saw Mike down the block, so we met up and had a FABULOUS meal at a restaurant. I had half a BBQ chicken, fresh green beans, and the best potato salad I've had in a long, long time. It was truly delicious.
While we ate, I got another text from Ryan: The campground was full. It was Friday afternoon. The weather was nice. And spring break had just started. Ryan and Bryan wanted to stealth camp in Sam Houston National Forest (which means sneak off into the woods somewhere and pitch a tent). The other option was a campground another 6 miles down the road. I opted for the campground. I'm sure they weren't happy, but they rode like demons to get there before it filled up and secured us a site next to the restrooms. Mike and I managed to get there close to 5 p.m. I was absolutely wasted.
I was thankful for a hot shower, such as it was. I'm assuming the government wanted to conserve water, so they installed a push-button shower faucet. The water temp was not adjustable (one temp fits all), but was relatively hot. The only problem was that the water stayed on for only 10 seconds at a time. You had to keep pushing the button, which was not close to the shower head. I've never seen a shower that required gymnastic skills.
When I emerged from the shower, Mike et al had managed to build a fire in a fire ring. It was our first campground fire of the trip. Mike had been wanting one since we started, so he was like a kid in a candy store, throwing on leaves and pine cones and other debris, watching it burn. If only we had the fixins for S'mores. Since we don't, I'm going to bed.
Tomorrow will be our last riding day into Hempstead where Ryan's aunt lives. It will be a long day -- 60+ miles. I hope I can make it.
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