A Day of Rest..............(April 7: Day 35--Navasota, TX)

No riding today.....it is a day of rest........and, of course, it is raining.  But that is ok--everyone is resting today--no sightseeing, no shopping trips for unnecessary items.....we are resting.  I had a wonderful steak for lunch; I had a huge 'hankering' for a big ol' piece of red meat, (get your mind out of the gutter), so I went to the steak house right across the street.  Oh my goodness, did it ever taste good!!  I ate the whole thing!!  We have some vegetarians on this trip, and I don't know how they do it.  I really need my meat--even after seeing the feedlots and cute little faces of the babies.  Nothing hits the spot like a nice medium rare ribeye!

Being a day of rest is allowing everyone to catch up on emails, photo uploading and  blogging.  Some have gone to the doctor for various ailments, to include 'seat issues'.  I feel for them--literally.  After changing my saddle and being on antibiotics, all that is left of my episode is a little bit of scarring, and I am sure that will fade in time.  The only problem I am having with my bike now is phantom shifting--it happens at the most inopportune times.  I'll be riding along, hit a hill and be progressing up it just fine, then suddenly I am spinning air as the chain jumps down into the small ring.  I just figure the bike must know what it is doing and that I am riding a prototype for electric, intelligent shifters.

The scenery these past couple of days has been magnificent.  The flowers, the fields, the cattle and their calves, the horses....just as one would imagine Texas to look like. The landscape has gone from desert-like conditions, to rolling hills ( I still say they are mountains) and now we are getting into a more midwest look of gently rolling hills, green fields and pine trees.  In a few days we will be out of Texas....finally.Majestic trees in field of mustard (April 6)

                           Amidst the bluebonnets (April 5)

                                  Cypress along a river (April 3)

Along with the colorful scenery, I have also met some colorful people.  There was Norm in Jacumba, who recited poetry to us:

There was Richard in Hope, warning us of what might happen when we left.....

The innkeeper and her dogs in Salome

The motorcyclists in Globe:

Josh and Mike, building straw houses:

And who can forget our most recent acquaintance, Arza, who served us coffee and kloches outside of her ranch:

I have also met numerous people making this same journey self-contained.  In other words, they are carrying all of their gear with them.  Yesterday, I met two newlyweds on a tandem recumbent--up to 70 pounds of equipment and no granny gear.  Wonder how long they will stay married!

Then there was the gal from Washington DC, who is doing this for a year and going around the country:

(Picture by Rita Rowe)

And then there was the guy everyone just called "Bob" because of the flag on his bike.

                                        

To do this alone, self-contained would be challenging--I can not imagine the mental, physical and mechanical challenges they must face!  Kudos to them.

These are just a few of the many I have met.....each unique, each with his own gifts and talents, no matter how 'different' they seem to me, living there lives as they please....only in America.