Carmine to Navasota, still in Texas, and the first great tour day! Road surface good, light traffic, weather beautiful. The fourth factor, winds, was not in our favor, and there are still hills, but why quibble.
We briefly considered going on to a Harley Bed and Breakfast, having "only" rode 51 miles. A conversation with the B&B owner revealed we would have more challenging hillage for 22 miles so we reined ourselves in and stabled at the local and luxurious Super8.
Just finished dinner at a real cowboy bar. Yes, Mike, the obligatory John Wayne pic was on the wall, but no Lone Star Beer. And a shortage on other brews too. Bar conversation revolved around what went on the previous night, and I think their stock was depleted.
Navasota is a pretty town. Some beautiful old plantation homes here and a taste of what this area was in its prime.
Our lunch stop was at Independence, a tiny place that is busy recreating some Texas history. Cotton was king here once, with a gin operating 24 hours/day. Impressive restoration sites of log and stone buildings are roadside.
I also noted many McMansions on the route, reminiscent of the TV program "Dallas" era, for sale. I was told by a local they weren't built by locals. "They had lots of money, then they didn't, so they left," he said.
David's working on the brakes and needs my glasses, so guess I'll have to sign off. We are done with Map 4, on to 5. #7 is the final one!
About Us
- Karen, David & Bill
- Based in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati, we three are longtime single cycle riders. After early retirement, Karen and David bought a jumbo-sized Cannondale tandem. It's white (very), trimmed in red. We call it the Pillsbury Doughboy. We were joined by Bill, an old friend, on his 14-year old single Cannondale and made the call that started this adventure. He's supposedly retired but continues to find real work when he chooses.We planned to pedal self-supported across the U.S. in Spring 2011 from San Diego CA to St. Augustine FL. In beginning this adventure we agreed philosophically with Jean-Jacques Rousseau: "The person who has lived the most is not the one with the most years but the one with the richest experiences."
The Texas border is near!
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