| DAY 41 Wednesday April 10th, 2002 Mileage: approximately 60 Breckenridge, TX to Mineral Wells, TX A day of Bike-surfing or Cycle-sailing all day long with my RPCV friend Karen and baby Hunter. Camped out at the Bridgeview Campgrounds. DAY 42 Thursday April 11th, 2002 Just learned that i will be on LIVE TV friday morning during an interview with Channel 11 in Ft. Worth. Tune in. Woke up to the company of vultures lurking suspiciously outside my tent. I packed myself up, showed them who was boss (yeah right?) and began my trek on the trail that would take me to the next town. After about 1/4 mile I realized that the mud was too thick to negotiate my heavy cycle, so i turned around to ride on the main road. Just then i realized that i had attempted to ride the WRONG path since i came across the nicely gravelled path (old railway path) that took me 12 miles to the town of Wheatherford. A nice change from riding alongside traffic, i passed two older couples out for a stroll. Besides that my only other encounters were with two SNAKES basking in the sun on the path. Not the least bit bothered by my passing, I simply rode on saying to myself..."Hey, a snake! a snake!" DAY 43 Friday April 12th, 2002 Live interview at Channel 11, 6:30am Dallas/Ft.Worth TV. DAY 44-47, Saturday - Tuesday; April 13th thru 16th, 2002 Reunion with RPCVs Eastern Caribbean in Ft. Worth. Lots of activities in the area...details to follow. DAY 48, Wednesday April 17th, 2002 Recruitment session at the International Center in Ft. Worth, TX. Met some interested candidates and some interesting RPCVs (aren't we all?) Dropped off my bicycle to the Grapevine Bike Shop where they are preaparing my cycle for the long ride ahead. DAY 49, Thursday April 18th, 2002 My first trip to the Dallas Peace Corps Headquarters Office where i was treated to a nice welcome luncheon with recruiters and Public Relations Specialist Extraordinaire Jesse Garcia. Many thanks for the support and encouragment received by every single staffperson in this Peace Corps Office. DAY 50 Friday April 19th, 2002 My last day of Ft. Worth, TX and the arrival of my first rider who is driving all the way from Buffalo, NY to participate in this ride. Way to go Jason! I promise to be easy on him his first day as we are scheduled to leave for Dallas tomorrow. We spent the afternoon and evening putting his bike and trailer together. Then we played show and tell with his newly purchased (with tags) bike gear that we organized into his BOB trailer bag. Early bed for him, while I stayed up dubbing some Reggae and Calypso from my very favorite hostess Karencita. DAY 51 Saturday April 20th, 2002 Ft. Worth, TX to Dallas, TX Mileage: 47 miles, total of 1623.10 And we're off...! Photos, hugs, and fond wishes thrown both ways, Jason and I were headed East from Ft.Worth. One stop at the local Walmart to pick up photos, stock up on Gatorade and purchase last minute luxuries...we had a fairly simple ride all the way to Dallas alongside the 183, then shooting over to White Rock Lake Park located in NE Dallas. We aimed to hit this city park to participate in the Earth Day Festival, where Peace Corps Dallas was running an information booth among other notable organizations. Jason right behind me the whole way...i think he'll make it afterall! We decided to camp out behind some juniper trees in the city park....definitely not encouraged by park rangers, but also not prohibited in writing... Attacked by mosquitos, but spirits high...Many thanks to my on-call host Charlene from North Dallas, who kindly offered to pick us up in the family SUV if it rained. DAY 52 Sunday April 21st, 2002 Dallas, TX to Edgewood, TX Mileage: 61 miles, total of 1684.59 miles Good morning Dallas! Rolled out of the city park and right into a charming diner with all the fixins! Breakfast Tacos and a bottomless cup-o-joe. Jason popped over to the jukebox and played some tunes."for old times sake." Overcast, but overall a nice day for riding. Two flat tires and four repair jobs later...we both learned which side of the patch actually ADHERES to the tube. Life is a learning process. Thankfully they were Jay's tires (ha ha) and that they eventually were fixed. Another lesson learned the hard way...was watch where you sit. Unfortunately Jay sat on the wrong patch of grass and was attacked by biting ants. And bite, they did. I am photographing the progression of the funny red spots that decorate the entire backside of his leg. I am happy to report he is doing well despite the 'challenges.' A bit chilly in the later afternoon when off the cycle, we wandered in to the town of Edgewood looking for a place to rest our wheels. We ultimately found a nice camping spot on the town lake. When i asked the nice neighborhood lady if she knew of any restrooms...she pointed and gave me directions..."to the Grove 'o Trees." DAY 53 Monday April 22nd, 2002 Edgewood, TX to Hawkins, TX Mileage: 54.5 miles, total of 1738.95 I am coming down with a bit of a cold/cough which slowed me down today. Felt lethargic the entire day but we managed to tackle the hills, winds, and hot sun town by town. We both mailed a package home to lighten our load. You know we are feeling sluggish when we begin contemplating getting rid of the few items we have with us. Jay is riding ahead of me today, riding strong, with an occassional, all-too-familiar moan once in a while. We landed ourselved in Petty Cafe in Hawkins, TX. Just as we were parking our rv's in a car space out front, I looked up to see nearly the enture restaurant peeking from behind the window blinds. Heads up when these two unshowered, dirty, and hun-gry cyclists walked in. Despite our appearance we were greated in the most friendly manner by a large percentage of the town of Hawkins that seemed to ALL be dining at Petty's that night. Many hellos to y'all in Hawkins! Great advice to camp out at Lake Hawkins by a young family neighboring our dinner table. We backtracked the few miles to the park entrance and were welcomed by the staff of Lake Hawkins RV Park, took some nice long, hot until it was hot no more, showers and enjoyed a cup of sleepy time tea at the campsite. What a nice way to end the day. DAY 54 Tuesday April 23rd, 2002 Hawkins, TX to Hallsville, TX Mileage: 49 miles, total of 1787.10 Riding strog this morning and taking a break in Gladewater, TX. The sun is strong and the views full of tall grass and wildflowers. Here we are stopped in the public library using the internet. I sneezed and I was blessed by nearly all the patrons. Now, that is the kind of town you want to take a break in. Lots of friendly folks along the way sending honks, waves, 'good lucks', and 'be safe's'. We found ourselves in Hallsville on farm road 450 between the Interstate 20 and Hwy 80 at the Hitchin Post 450 RV Park. DAY 55 Wednesday April 24rd, 2002 Hallsville, TX to Haughton, LA (just East of Shreveport) Mileage: 65 miles, total of 1852.54 Perhaps the flat tire Gods put me in place for poking fun at my dear riding partners flats the other day since i began my day with my very first flat tire on the Bike. Then again on my BOB trailer, making this flat #3 on this tire. with the assistance of my now expert flat tire repair buddy, we had both fixed quicker than a cyclist can pass through the state of Texas. And that leads me to the very important event of today...the crossing into the state of Louisiana. 'Bienvenue en Louisiane.' Good BYE Texas, HELLO Louisiana! A very welcome photo opportunity at the stateline and a welcoming cup of coffee at the Welcome Center, we were good to go until dehydration and too much sun forced these brave cyclists into the welcoming arms of Dairy Queen for some refreshments and the best Blizzards around. Passed through the questionably inactive city of Shreveport, wondering where everybody was on this work day during working hours.... Rode just East of town to the Pine Hill Mobile Home & RV Park in Haughton, LA to inquire about staying for the night. The manager kindly told me that they do not cater to 'tenters' but gave us directions up the road to a campground that did. Just as we were sitting down to have our first Poboy sandwich at the nearby restaurant, a woman yells..."Hey you two!!!!!...Hey....come out here a moment!" It turned out to be the manager of the RV park...who said that she changed her mind, that she wanted to make a space for us to set up camp and that she would give us a key to the washrooms. She not only offered us the southern hospitality that we all associate with Loisiana, but she drove out of her home chasing us....to let us know that we could stay the night. Now THAT is remarkable. And I am left with a continual reminder that there are more surprisingly kind people than not. previous page next page go home |