Month: January 2013

Thought a quick update would be a good idea as it’s getting more and more rural and sparse by the day. WiFi in west Texas may be fairly unreliable. 

Day 74: Austin to the outskirts of Austin (10 miles)

Had a brilliant time in Austin, and woke up on Day 74 not really wanting to leave. So when my chain snapped, again, I took it as a sign and did a bit more seeing-the-city. Excuse the next paragraph if you’re not into techie bike stuff. After looking at the chain, the cassette, the chainrings etc, I was at a loss. It was a new chain, there weren’t any rogue teeth on the cassette or chainring. So why the constant snapping? Took the bike to a recommended bike shop to see if they could identify what was up. They did. It was unusual. A tiny little ball bearing had become stuck in a chain-link, stuck there by magnetism. Meant the chain wouldn’t turn properly. The culprit. Hopefully less chain snapping from here on out.

Leaving Austin as the sun was dropping was pretty special. Sometimes leaving a city by bike can be stressful, but it’s a VERY bike-friendly town (if there’s a higher concentration of Fixie-bikes anywhere else on the planet, I’d be surprised), with ample cycle lanes, so it wasn’t an issue at all. Didn’t make it very far though. That’s the problem with leaving late. But ended up at this roadside bivy. Deluxe. Started to think a tent would have been a good idea when it began drizzling.

Day 75: Outskirts of Austin to outskirts of Johnson City (55 miles)

‘Hills’. That single word would go far in describing the whole day. And ‘Sweaty’. Central Texas is where the hills start, then? To be honest there’s something quite satisfying about making it to the top of a hill, when earlier you were at the bottom looking up in dread. Should really have seen the hills coming, all things considered:

Ended up at a Rest Stop at the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park, about 20 miles east of Fredericksburg. A really big, really scenic park, with huge trees, picnic benches, water fountains and all. And a lot of stars. Probably one of the nicest camp spots so far, and no need for a tent.

Day 76: Outskirts of Johnson City to Fredericksburg (21 miles at time of writing).

Woke up with a puncture. Again? Yep. Turned out to be a thorn, so was an easy fix but wiped out a larger than normal chunk of the morning. The upside was meeting a couple of members of staff at the Lyndon B. Johnson state park rest stop. Shay Tindall was one of those. Twelve years ago, at nearly 50, she packed up her stuff into a pickup truck, and travelled around the US with her partner, for six years! Living out of a truck and a tent in places like the Grand Canyon, for SIX YEARS. Heck of a commitment, that. She was really lovely and drew a series of handmade maps which showed the best roads to take for the next few days. They really were some of the most scenic so far. The hilliest of the trip so far n’ all. Past some enticing turquoise sections of river – very tempting for swimming.

Writing this at the moment from Fredericksburg, having not got very far due to having some computer-based stuff to do, but pretty stoked to crack on and attempt some biggish days from here. I’ve never ridden on hills like those in the last couple of days. It definitely feels like it may be a more physical game for a while, now the route moves from the coast to the mountains and you really have to pedal hard to make any progress. Waking up after doing a hilly 55 miles felt like the morning after the century day a few weeks ago. It’ll be good for general conditioning though, and the advantage to massive uphills is obvious. Massive downhills. It all becomes worth it when you scream down the other side of the hill as fast as possible.

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Hanging out with Steve the Hog Trapper.

As mentioned in the last post, posted below is a video with Navasota resident Steve Stribling, who’s a Hog Trapper. There are a lot of hogs / pigs that are seen as pests in Texas, over 2 million some reports say, and Steve’s company removes these problem hogs from places like ranches, golf courses etc, in over 5 counties within the Lone Star state.

We discussed a lot of stuff over at his shooting facility. In particular, what comes up a lot when talking with people who have begun their own business is risk taking. How did you decide the time was right, and how did you cope with the risks involved? And also, how do you go about finding your own direction in life, if you’re a bit lost?

(Click here if the video doesn’t play in your email browser)

With Steve providing guidance, I had a go at shooting on the target range which was a first. Practising marksmanship in the sunshine was an enjoyable experience. (Quick disclaimer – No animals were harmed during the making of this video, only paper targets.)

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Wrote this guest article for Steph at Twenty-Something Travel (her blog is ace), whilst sheltering from the Louisiana storm in what felt like the middle-of-nowhere. The Dark and Light of Solo Travelling. Sorry about the cheesy photos.

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Rough map from the last few days, let the hills begin:

Day 68: Cleveland to Navasota (64 miles)

Absolute corker of a day, and the first proper taste of Texas. Left Cleveland and fairly quickly ended up in a place called ‘Cut And Shoot‘. Bizarre name for a town, huh? It’s a tiny little town, with a very deserted atmosphere and an abandoned flea market that would be at home in a Western movie. Oh and a wicked little Mexican lunch spot called Sandres. Honestly, the nicest food I’ve had so far, in the most unsuspecting place. Get the tacos.

Another snapped chain in Conroe. Lost count how many times this has happened now. Didn’t take too long to fix but it was bit frustrating. One of those days that on the whole is quite pleasant but seemed to take ages. Arrived in Navasota around 10pm, zonked.

Day 69: Navasota

Been really looking forward to Navasota for a while now. It’s a small town of 7,000 people, with an awesome downtown high street. Everything was local, and it hadn’t been infested by global franchises like many other towns. It’s also ‘The Blues Capital of Texas’, in honour of the late Mance Lipscomb (ta Wikipedia). I’d been chatting with Bert Miller the mayor via email for a while and he’d helped organise the day which definitely had the ingredients to be interesting!

We’d lined up time with with two unique-to-Texas people. First up was Misslette, the singing cowgirl. Yep. In full ranch gear, hat and all. We discussed how she became a singing cowgirl, her relationship with God and how that turned her life around, and the importance of finding something you really love to do, and pursuing that. Here’s a brief snippet, look out for the yodelling:

(Click here if the video doesn’t show in your email browser)

After the interview, I don’t really know how it happened, but in true Texas tradition, Misslette insisted on praying for my safety on this trip. I’m not a religious chap, and told her this, so it was definitely a unique moment. Regardless of preconceptions or stereotypes, seeing how people like Misslette have turned their lives around for the better due to religion is inspiring.

“That didn’t hurt ‘ya did it? You’re not bleeding are ‘ya?”. 

The rest of the day was spent with Steve Stribling, a Navasota Hog Trapper, at his out-of-town ranch, which was very interesting. I’ll post up the video and a write up in the next post. It involved firearms and local BBQ food. A truly Texan experience. A big shout out to Bert and the City of Navasota too. Thanks for all your help and hospitality – definitely a highlight of the trip.

Day 70: Navasota to near Giddings (56 miles)

After swinging in to say goodbye to Bert and the gang from yesterday, it was time to get back on the road. The last few days have been amazing weather wise – definitely a motivator which makes being on the road much more pleasurable.

Mega roads out of Navasota, all the way to Brenham. These little Texan towns are amazing. It seems like the modern world has left them behind, in a good way. There’s independent soda shops, diners, book shops, you name it, all local, all rocking classic American music. Spent a couple of hours just riding around Brenham, looking around and taking in the intoxicating scent of garden BBQ’s. Ended the day really late, stealth camping just off the road near Giddings, kind-of-blocked from view by a couple of trees.

Day 71: Giddings to near Paige (28 miles)

You know when you wake up, a new day begins, and you just know it’s not going to be very eventful? Yep, one of those.

Met Dwayne in Giddings, a super-positive guy who talked about an epic journey he went on in ’78, with fond memories. A 5 week round trip motorcycle ride from Texas to Washington state. At 53, he told the story and it was easy to see how passionate he felt about the experience. In his own words, a highlight of his life. “Maybe I’ll do another one again soon.” Go for it, Dwayne!

Wasn’t really into the riding today, just felt a bit knackered really, so called it a day pretty early, camped once again just off the road behind a tree just east of Paige.

Day 72: near Paige to Austin (46 miles)

Gotta love long sleeps. Austin was in sight, so a simple ride and that’s that. Cracking weather, beautiful cold wind to counterbalance the sunshine. Makes for perfect riding.

SSSNNNNAAAAPPPP. Another snapped chain. Another! There’s a pattern emerging. It involves a skipping chain. Whenever the chain starts skipping, it’s a sure fire way of knowing that it’s about to snap. Could give way in a rotation, or could take a few days. The best thing you can hope for is that it will snap in the least-awkward place. Noted down that I should have a proper look at the cassette to try and figure out a way of reducing these constant breakages, but mainly just hoped it wouldn’t snap again before making it to Austin. Thankfully it didn’t.

Pulled into Austin as the sun was dropping and explored the area around the University of Texas campus. Managed to catch some live music on Guadalupe St too which was cool, and a nice change to be in a bustling place with a lot of people instead of on a road in the sticks. Super friendly folk throughout who found a lot of amusement in an English accent!

Day 73: Austin

Couldn’t go through Austin without stopping for a day to have a look around. It’s such a contrast to most of the other Texas I’ve seen so far. Super diverse, a huge range of people, awesome architecture, epic graffiti, and amazingly colourful. And pita bread. Lot’s of pita bread. It’s full of Fixie bike riders and buskers. Americas version of Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

Rough map from the last few days.

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Quick link. Did an interview with the great Peter Parkorr at TravelUnmasked which you can read here.

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General psyche is way improved after the last post. The storm has gone, and Texas seems awesome and super-friendly, if a little unusual, so far. Let’s jump into it. Phone images to accompany.

Day 63: Just outside Kinder, LA (thunderstorm)

You know in the new Batman film, when Anne Hathaway says to Christian Bale, “There’s a storm coming, Mr Wayne?”. Well it must have made its way from Gotham City to Kinder. It was crazy rain and lightning. Took Anne’s advice and battened down the hatches.

Day 64: Kinder to Dequincy, LA (39 miles)

The morning started with a load more heavy rain, so I took shelter at the nearest sandwich shop for it to ease off a little bit. It did eventually, and in between the storm bursts a little bit of progress to the next town was made. Dequincy. Tiny little railroad town, with not a lot going on in all honesty, but the people were friendly. Set up camp near the Railroad museum. Oh crikey. The railroad is still active. It’s quite a fright at 3am (until you regain a bit of sense) when the bottom of your tent gets brighter and brighter, and the sound of a train gets louder and louder.

Day 65: Dequincy, LA (thunderstorm)

So I guess the general theme of this post is sitting out a storm. Woke to the tent getting battered with rain and lightning flashes. Atmospheric and fun though, knowing the lightning had plenty of higher, more metallic objects to mess with.

Dequincy during the day is a beautiful little spot, there’s some awesome little independent coffee shops, which make sitting out a storm very enjoyable. They were all shut though. Small town on a Sunday syndrome.

The big yellow M to the rescue.

Day 66: Dequincy, LA to Kountze, TX (66 miles)

Finally the storm that the whole of Louisiana has been complaining about is over! It was replaced with light drizzle in the morning, which is nothing compared to the more recent rain, so was a pleasure to ride in. The storm brought with it a cold spell, so it’s the first time it’s felt properly cold on the trip so far. Nothing more layers and gloves don’t solve.

A great ride, the drizzle eventually easing (that phrase sounds like a weather report, don’t you think?). And there it was. Shining, covered in neon lights. Just kidding, it wasn’t shining or covered in neon lights. The Texas state line, at Deweyville, TX. Where the riding gets ‘real’ (i.e. headwinds and hills, apparently). Sorry about the hairy guy in this horrendously cheesy photo.

After a few hours more riding, I ended up at a little town called Kountze. It was getting on a bit by now, probably 7ish, so was dark. So far it’s become apparent that if you’re after a place to pitch a tent subtly and you’re in a tiny town with no parks, local churches generally grant you permission. It’s happened a few times now, and everyone’s been totally cool with it. So this was a bit of an unusual conversation, after knocking on a door that had a light on inside. And so began an introduction to Texas.

Knock, knock.

“Who is it?”

At this point I explained how I’d ended up at this door.

“Step away from the door, at least 10 metres away from the door!”.

This was becoming a bit odd, so I proceeded to explain I wasn’t a psychopath, murderer or trying to rob the place. Oh and by the way you really have to shout from 10 metres back. Eventually, Michael the minister opened the door slowly, and popped his head around the edge.

“OK. I give you permission to stay here. You can camp wherever you like. You have a weapon?!”

Nope, no weapon.

“There’s some crazy people out there, you should think about carrying a weapon.”

So after everything was explained, and permission was granted, I thought enough trust had been developed to seal the deal with a handshake. It wasn’t.

“What did I tell you about staying 10 metres back.”. 

Day 67: Kountze, TX to Cleveland, TX (53 miles)

Texas has certainly been quite a different experience so far. It’s like a soap opera.

Started off with more light rain and very cold temperatures. Werthers Originals to act as fuel. Do we still get them in the UK? The riding was pretty simple, on amazingly smooth roads. These are the roads Lance Armstrong trained on, a couple of people suggested today.

It was about 3pm, music pumping, through vast Texas cattle farms. The roads had been fairly quiet, but had picked up in the last hour. In the distance there was a woman and her dog walking on the side of the road. There’s nothing too strange about that, right?

Riding past, the dog caught sight and ran over the road, nearly getting hit by oncoming traffic. Woah. After a while, dogs running at you cease to be frightning. Rather than dog spray, simply stopping pedalling stops the dogs desire to chase you. But this one was different. First of all it wasn’t aggressive at all. No barking. Second of all, what the hell are you doing letting your dog run across a busy road?

Turns out it wasn’t her dog. It had followed her down the road, after a Jerry Springer-like incident minutes earlier. It involved tears and was all a bit bizarre to be honest. Lent her a cell phone (mobile – still rocking the British language) to call for a ride, and took the dog to a nearby house.

From there on Cleveland was the next town. A return to normality? Oh no. You know what they say about buses coming in two’s? It’s true. Anyway the next incident involved someone stealing a hat from Walmart and sprinting out of the store, being chased by about 7 security guards.

“Just another crackhead getting chased by the po po.”  Overheard. Hello Texas!

Some exciting, unique-to-Texas stuff coming up (involving video) in the next couple of posts which should mix up the more recent bicycle-based reports. Despite the first couple of days bizarre tales, there’s a great atmosphere in Texas, YEE HA!

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Quick link. Wrote a guest post for the chaps over at Brooks England – the saddle makers. I was a sceptic at first, I mean come on Brooks Saddles hardly look comfy, do they? You can check it out here. They were very creative with their captions. (p.s. it’s taken a while to go live due to the holidays so the mileage is out of sync)

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Rough map of the last few days: