Wow! A lot has passed since my last update.
My last few days in Mexico were full of thoughts of chocolate chip cookies and eager to communicate with people in English. While I was in somewhat of a rush for the border I was also very sad to be leaving Mexico. It has been so wonderful here. My last two nights were spent in hotel rooms to help ease the transition. Two days before leaving Mexico I was riding thru a town looking for the centro district and while I was looking both ways, hit a huge pothole right in front of me. Now my front rack was broken and mangled. Using brute force I bent it into usable condition. Unfortunately my front wheel got knocked out of true, badly. Enough bad luck in this town I dragged my tired overheated body to the next town twenty miles further. The proprietor of the hotel wanted too much money and I was getting a somewhat bad vibe from the man who may of been trying to help me. So I left town. I finally arrived in the next town, thus combining two days riding into one, and just as it was getting dark found a reasonable hotel. I showered and went out to dinner, with two margaritas. Although I was exhausted from riding over 100 miles I washed my laundry in the sink and fixed my wheel.
The next morning I organized my gear, washed my bike, and rode out of town under threatening skies. Yet as I entered Piedras Negras the sun came out and I decided to stop for lunch. I ordered two enchiladas and three gorditas. The gorditas were amazing! I ordered three more. This is a very nice looking border town. Very full I checked in with immigration, paid the bridge toll, and went across the Rio Grande early afternoon.
Customs was not much of a delay and I quickly found the Eagle Pass visitors center. Then it was onto the post office, huge grocery store, and the library. I was planning to spend the night in a hotel and adjust to the change of cultures, but ended up riding out of town to spend the night in the desert. So about Texas. The chip seal road surface in many locations has left my mind and posterior wishing for Mexican roads. And everything is so expensive once again. Basically until I got to Boerne, Texas I was truly wishing to be back in Mexico. My mind and body was exhausted. Luckily I found a great bicycle shop, The Bicycle Shack, which just happened to have the front rack I needed. Tic and Brian were awesome and got my bike in order. Things progressed to drinking awesome brews at the Dodging Duck Brewhaus with more new friends, then a great bbq, more beer, and a place to stay for the night. Thanks so much to they guys and gals in Boerne. The next day I set out for Luckenbach, Texas a "town" made famous by Waylon and Willie's "Let's go to Luckenbach, Texas...). Then I headed to the Lydon B. Johnson ranch. Touring the ranch was really interesting, but the wind and the road was miserable.
The following day I reached Lockhart at dark and this historic town looked so cool I stayed the night in the nearby campground. The next morning I toured the town, got an awesome and much needed haircut in a barbershop that has been operating in the same locale for over a hundred years, and had some good bbq in the bbq capital of Texas. The next day I left the physically trying Texas Hill Country. And then the clouds and rain started. It's been either clouding or raining for 4 or 5 days! I got marooned by a big thunderstorm outside of Brenham. Fortunately my Dad was able to hook me up with a wonderful free pizza from Dominos Pizza (owned by the friendly Zangs) and this helped me make it thru the weather. The next day I also found some incredible apple pie and a great chocolate chip cookie in a gas station. And the clouds and rain continued the next day during my visit to Washington, the birthplace of Texas, where their Declaration of Independence was signed. Camped among the towering pines of Sam Houston National Forest and had my first campfire in a while. Saw the sun at dusk and then the next day got rain and hail. My gear is soggy from the rain and humidity. My spirits are a bit tried, but sun is finally in the forecast for tomorrow.
Sun, Sun, PLEASE PLEASE come out and play. I shall be in Louisiana in the next few days, hopefully with sunny skies
A HUGE thanks to all the folks in Mexico for such a wonderful experience. I will be back; and know more Spanish.
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