Southern Tier 2021

    Very peaceful, quiet, and relaxing night and day on the water. Lots of birds (black scoter ducks and egrets), a few minnows under the dock, a turtle, and a short walk on a long fishing pier nearby.  A few strange cries/animal sounds when I was star gazing but very few bugs. Lovely place. And sad news: one of the cyclists struck four days ago died from his injuries. The driver has not been charged so far. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/transportation/amp/liberty-county-bike-crash-kent-wosepka-16582033.php

  Early start for our long day. Camping on old cabin porch meant tent wasn't soaked with dew. Morning riding was on undulating highway shoulder, and a very slight but noticeable enough to be annoying headwind. Chuck and I were last to leave, and at some point he stopped and stayed behind me. I slowed but given this was the hundred mile day I left him to his own devices. Turned out he had a flat. I rode 55 miles to Oberlin and a stop under tree where Monty and Mark were lunching. As they were leaving Mark discovered he had a flat. I ate quickly and left to find a cold drink and to refill my water and keep moving. Sudden change to landscape, from forests to fields and dead flat terrain: some cattle, hay, but then rice fields being irrigated.  And high water table so elevated graves. The last 45+ miles went quickly enough, but another change from TX was the more noticeable poverty -- both in towns and the condition of the parish farm roads, with broken sections and no shoulders. ...

Last night was yet another crappy RV "park" -- it really means parking lot, with us tenting on the central patch of grass amidst the fire ant mounds, surrounded by the behemoths. RV parks are crowded vehicle ghettos, no true amenities (though this one had a distant and small clubhouse and tiny pool, which no one used. All of this squeezed in between busy highway and train tracks, and the added attraction of the quite popular Honky Tonk bar and dance hall with live band blasting away next door. What better way to spend an exhausted Saturday night. Needless to say didn't sleep well.  Very heavy dew in the cold morning, but nice day to ride: sunny, warming, no wind and flat. Church traffic but no logging trucks.  Crossed the Sabine River into Louisiana, done with the 1000 miles of Texas. Today only 54 miles. Staying in Merryville on the history museum grounds with old cabins with porches and a pavilion, so after drying tents on the lawn most are setting up under cover to avo...

 61 miles, easy, little wind, good riding until a tragedy happened behind us. Beth Ann was riding sweep, riding last and back aways from our group. She unexpectedly encountered five cyclists, a younger couple from Boston and a trio of older cyclists from California, two groups riding the southern tier separately and selfsupported. Just happenstance that the six of them clumped up right there and then, on a section of road where the only shoulder was the rumble strip, forcing them to ride the white line. Beth Ann rode with them only a few minutes and was trying to let them get ahead of her when an apparently impaired driver tried to pass them, saw a truck approaching and swerved into the group, missing Beth Ann but striking the next three at high speed. Beth Ann saw it all happen mere feet in front of her and then she hit a bike pannier knocked lose on the road and fell. She was unhurt, immediately called 911, made sure the injuried stayed down (risk of neck and back injuries), help...

 Easy day today, just 45 miles to this very strange, funky, and entertaining refuge. Cabins to stay in, outdoor toilet and shower (though there is an indoor one), and a bizarre collection of oddities decorating the expanse. Peach Williamson is the proprietor, bought the land 27 years ago and just started building on it, at first a few cabins and oddities to entertain nieces and nephews. A few years ago she got on the Adventure Cycling bandwagon -- Beth Ann staying here for her third time.  Also hosts weddings and other events. Early Halloween themed dinner. Last night the wind died at the campsite at dark, allowing the mosquitoes to come out and play, but then picked up again later. We were heading northeast or due east, so had a nice tailwind at times. Knee bothered me a bit toward end today, so did the rough graveled shoulder and rumble strips. To Shepherd Sanctuary for quick shower so I could send my laundry with the gang going into town, leisurely lunch, and then sorting t...

 Apparently we're north of Houston, about an hour away, other than that no real sense of where we are. Heading north and east through south Central Texas, and that fierce west north west wind was mostly from the side, but occasionally enough of a tail wind to make today's 69 miles fun. Last of the rolling hills as we approach the "pine tree curtain" which separates central from eastern TX according to Mike, owner of the Independence General Story. And these old pumps still work. No wifi of course, barely a bar of reception here in this fishing area in the middle of Sam Houston national forest. And the winds had knocked out power so no shower before had to go shopping in New Waverly. Not much selection at Sam Slotts's grocery, feed, fertilizer. Went for pasta and a few veggies, lots of leftovers and parmesan went into it a desperation meal. Donna had two friends stopping by, fortunately bringing appetizers and dessert. Sadly my cooking partner tonight announced he ...

 Rain and thunderstorm this morning, from about 3am to 9am, but we were comfortably inside our cabins, luckily. Breakfast was delayed then delayed again, so nice morning to sleep in. Out on park roads about 10, Chuck and I taking slightly shorter direct route on busy highway (with big shoulders) to La Grange, then back on official route. Flattening out but lots of traffic on small road, as we wonder about the electronic sign warning us of "event congestion." Turns out to be last week of big fall antique festival in Oldenburg and Round Top, with crazy activity on both sides of road. So big trucks plus day trippers from Houston and Austin combine for a miserable hour or two, with crosswind starting up and no real shoulder. Then nicer terrain on quieter road through Longpoint and Gay Head, slightly higher with views, but crosswind really blowing and gusting from the northwest as air clears out from the mugginess of last few days. North toward lake and to our campsite right at la...