Description: Finished the ride in Navisota TX after a 98 mile ride. I plan to ride to Coldspring or Sheperd (if lodging available) tomorrow.
Today was an incredible ride. Last night, Wilson and I hatched a plan to bolt early and change my route slightly to catch the wind gods off guard. We woke up at 6:00 and packed up everything. I was at the lobby door ready to eat at 6:30. But, the doors were locked as the manager overslept and then argued with me that they open for breakfast at 7:00. I told him the info in the room and the sign on the lobby door says 6:30 - this guy must have been on drugs. Anyway, I ate a quick cold breakfast of cereal, bananas, and a honey bun washed down with OJ and coffee. I launched off at about 7:20 on a warm morning with misty fog and light winds. I rode for an hour and then stopped in Smithville for a quick Snickers break and fresh water. The road crossed over the Colorado river several times and I was amazed at how small it was compared to what I was expecting. I faced increasing head winds through the town of Plum before arriving at LaGrange. At LaGrange, my route turned NE onto Rt 159 and I picked up an awesome 3/4 tail wind. It felt as if my Sherpa Mom was pushing me along and up the hills! Just after getting on Rt 159, I took a break at the Texas One Stop which was the most impressive service station I have ever seen. They had an on-site bakery and I grabbed a pair of Pigs in the Blanket and a coffee. The Pigs were in "hot out of the oven" pastries and had pepper jack cheese melted inside. Man were they were delicious and I am sure low fat. With the wind at my back, I shoved off but then quickly stopped to take a picture of a ranch sign (Sabra Ranch) that had an old tandem bicycle on top of it which caught my eye. Then I ran into the owners (Arza and Ari Funk) who are avid cyclists and ride a Santana tandem. We chatted for a while, they signed Wilson, I gave them my blog site, I took their picture and posted it, and then we said our goodbyes. They were a great couple and a lot of fun to talk with. Then I rode through Rutersville and Oldenbrg which is host to the Hammer Fest every year. Just before Warrenton, I stopped to take a picture of the world's smallest Catholic church. It was not much bigger than my daughter's play house! Back on the rode again and through some very challenging and rolling hills. Eventually, I reached Round Top which has a population of only 77. There was a very cool small village with a number of rustic looking stores. It reminded me of something you might see on a lake in Myrtle Beach. I saw the craziest car parked in front of one store and took several pictures (posted). One store in particular caught my eye - Royer's Round Top Cafe which is famous for it's pies (www.royersroundtopcafe.com). The owner is "Bud the Pie Man" and he was on the porch surfing the net and smoking a cigar next to a blow-up Sponge Bob. I did not ask! I did ask if he would take a picture with Wilson and me which he eagerly did. I went inside and was still full from the Pigs in the Blanket but felt obliged to eat something. I ordered a bowl of corn chowder and a coke. That corn chowder was the best (by far) that I have ever tasted with big chunks of chicken, potatoes, corn, and a cream sauce that I soaked up with some fresh bread. They would not let me leave without fresh pie so they handed me a mini cherry pie to go. I said goodbye to Bud and waddled down the road. It is a good thing that I am on a new exercise program. I rolled on with the wind still at my back and the miles quickly clicked away despite the challenging hills. I was planning to stay in a B&B in Burton but Wilson insisted that I go for a Century ride and said I had plenty of calories in my system to support it. Wilson is usually right but I was concerned about the route turning into the 15-25 mph winds which would turn the joy ride into a nightmare. I decided to go for Navasota which would give me just under 100 miles for the day. From Round Top, the roads remained hilly and there were lots of big horse and dairy farms along the way. I rode through the towns of Burton, Longpoint, and Gay Hill. Everything was great until I hit the town of Independence (about 80 mile marker) when the route turned SE which gave the wind gods a chance to slap me hard and laugh at me once again. It was brutal for about 10 miles and then I finally turned more north to finish the ride in Navisota. I crashed at a Best Western. After checking in, I hit the Pizza Hut next door for their Tater Tot appetizer, a baked pasta dinner, and a few pints. Then I went to a gas station and bought some vanilla ice cream to put on top of my fresh cherry pie from Bud The Pie Man for dessert. Stuffed once again, I am retiring for the evening. I hope to post some great pictures to go along with this write-up. I must say, it was more fun the prior 2 days when my meals were catered to me on the road and everything else was taken care of by my Sherpas.
Good night!
Weather: A great day for riding. Very warm early but foggy. The fog was burned off by the sun and it stayed very warm and extremely windy all day.
Performance Metrics:
Miles: 98 Trip: 1,771
Total travel time: 9:00 Trip: 176:00
Bike Riding time: 7:10 Trip: 141:44
Avg speed: 13.68 Trip: 12.79
Max speed: 33.78 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 2,925 Trip: 47,702
Avg pedal RPMs: 81 Trip: 87
Avg heart rate: 109 Trip: 115
Max heart rate: 142 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 5,801 Trip: 103,590
Weather Statistics:
High temp 74 Trip: 75
Low temp: 63 Trip: 28
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 8
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 1
Wind factor: mostly favorable
Total good wind days: 9
Total bad wind days: 14
Misc. Stats:
Flat tires: 0 Trip: 8
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Best Western
Total hotel nights: 21
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 3 Trip: 76
Pints: 2 Trip: 34
Mood rating (1-10): 10 - awesome day with big miles and great sites.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
OK ESN:0-7458562
This is Steve and I am checking in to let everyone know that I have finished my ride for the day safe and sound.
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.3957
Longitude:-96.0692
Nearest Location: State Hwy 105, Navasota, TX, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/14/2008 14:52:43 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.3957,-96.0692&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
ESN:0-7458562
Latitude:30.3957
Longitude:-96.0692
Nearest Location: State Hwy 105, Navasota, TX, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:12/14/2008 14:52:43 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.3957,-96.0692&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Tyler.... I found your first car in Round Top TX
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Ari and Arzi in LaGrange
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