Day 25 - Tuesday, December 16

Description: Finished the 71 mile ride in Silsbee TX. Tomorrow, I plan to cross into Louisiana and end up at DeRidder LOUISIANA!

I woke up early at 6:15 today to get a jump on the expected nasty day. After a quick breakfast of Pop Tarts and bananas, I was ready to hit the road. I was a bit nervous as there was no coffee. I ended up waiting until 7:20 to start so that it would warm up a little and burn off some of the fog. It was cold and damp as I rolled down the road toward Shepherd (if it were not for Wilson, I would have been there last night). After 11 miles, I stopped in Shepherd at a donut shop (I cannot pass these) to warm my toes, grab some coffee, and enjoy a fresh ham, egg, and cheese pastry. While eating, the guy behind the counter told me there was another cross country biker in town who was also heading east - the chase was on! I blasted off into the fog and cold hoping to chase this guy down and have someone to ride with. I finally caught him outside of Romayor which was about 12 miles up the road. He was on the side of the road waiting for me as a guy in a passing truck told him (at a gas station) there was a biker just down the road and heading this way. He flagged me down and we chatted for a few minutes, admired each other's bikes, and then taking pictures. Eventually, we hit the road together and it was nice having a conversation while riding. The guy's name is Carl Barry and he left from Rosarito Beach in the Baha on September 27th. He rode south then east through Mexico before coming north through Loredo and up to the Austin area. Carl is a retired electrician from Long Beach California and has an excellent biking background. After rolling for an hour, we stopped for lunch in Honey Island (it is just a small store) where I grabbed a cheese burger, fries, and a Dr Pepper. From there it was an easy 17 miles through Kountze and into our destination of Silsbee TX. It did not actually rain all day but between the fog and heavy mist, we were both fairly soaked. We grabbed a room at the Pinewood Inn which sustained $250k worth of damage from the last hurricane. After cleaning up from the ride, we grabbed a few Shiner Bocks and then headed across the street to a local Mexican restaurant. I know that I told everyone that last light that my diet was going cajun but this sounded good and I could not resist. I enjoyed a "wet burrito", fried mushrooms, and dos Dos XXs. Carl is planning to join me tomorrow for the ride to DeRidder. Carl has not been riding near the mileage as me but is up for the challenge tomorrow. His bike and gear must weigh close to 100 lbs so he clearly is handicapped.

Weather: It was RAW out there today. The temp stayed around 40 degrees with a heavy fog and misty conditions which kept everything wet and cold.

Performance Metrics:

Miles: 71 Trip: 1,906
Total travel time: 7:00 Trip: 190:30
Bike Riding time: 5:50 Trip: 153:10
Avg speed: 12.19 Trip: 12.71
Max speed: 24.10 Trip: 41.87
Total ascent (ft): 429 Trip: 50,195
Avg pedal RPMs: 88 Trip: 87
Avg heart rate: 111 Trip: 114
Max heart rate: 140 Trip: 195
Calories burned: 3,870 Trip: 111,232

Weather Statistics:

High temp: 40 Trip: 195
Low temp: 36 Trip: 28
Hours of rain: 0 Trip: 9 - fog and a heavy mist but no rain
Hours of snow: 0 Trip: 0
Total days of rain/snow: 2
Wind factor: Against - slight breeze in the face
Total good wind days: 9
Total bad wind days: 16

Misc. Stats:

Flat tires: 0 Trip: 8
Mechanical failures: 0
Hotel or camping today: hotel - Pinewood Inn
Total hotel nights: 23
Total camping nights: 2
Cups of coffee: 2 Trip: 83
Pints: 4 Trip: 39

Mood rating (1-10): 9.5 - ugly day from a weather perspective but met a riding buddy and had a great day.

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:30.3405
Longitude:-94.1829
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:12/16/2008 13:50:36 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.3405,-94.1829&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Caught up with Carl Barry headed to Florida as well.