Yesterday was my long ride from Flatonia to Luling. It was the longest of rides and one that
brought some anxiety. I had to pass
through a number of communities that had no lodging options so there were few
options except to keep moving.
Luling also presented with some food options. Love’s versus Buc-Cees. Love’s was on the right side of the
interstate and had a Subway. So I picked
up a sandwich and a drink over fudge and beef jerky.
I made it to Luling and rather than get into town to stay at
an RV park I opted for a hotel. Of
course when I approach reservation counters I look funny with my cycling helmet
and bright yellow jersey. So I get questions.
In this case the manager on duty was impressed by the endeavor and gave
me a reduced rate for the room. Very generous. I hung out at the pool until I turned into a
prune all over then went off to bed.
In the morning (the actual eleventh day) I got up early
again as I knew it was going to be a somewhat long day with 20 plus mile ride to
Seguin. I had opted not to ride through
Luling the day before in order to cut short the day and not double up on the
climb in and out of Luling. There was a
gentle climb out of town and the air was cool.
The traffic was heavy but I was very visible with my lights and jersey
on the wide lanes. Drivers heading off
to work or hauling cargo did well. I
hope that both my following the traffic laws and the visibility of my leg will
help changed the attitudes of drivers toward other cyclists.
People need to learn patience on the road in general and
even more so with riders and pedestrians.
The road surfaces through town were the best. Beautifully poured blacktop and freshly
painted lines these have been the best roads of the trip so far.
Ten miles out of Seguin in Kingsbury I approached what first
looked like a convenience store. I
thought I’d like a Coke. It turned out
to be a mechanics shop, Geno’s. Geno was
being visited by a cyclist named Tom who was from Seguin. He was decked out in his cycling jersey,
gloves, and clipless shoes. We talked a
bit about the terrain and road surfaces.
Geno gave me a Diet Coke which I enjoyed. It was a great impromptu encounter. They shared with me that Geno and his shop
were in a video recording of a song “What was I thinkin’” by Deirks Bentley. You can listen to the video and see the
garage at the 2:28 mark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTqra4YSsaM
I set back out on the road and Tom followed a few minutes
later. He joked about my slowness as he
breezed by on his road bike. I made it
to Seguin and connected with Jim who owns the bike shop there in town. He also is a WarmShowers host which allows
cyclists to have a free place to stay when on long tour. Sometimes they provided a couch or bed, and
in times like these it may be a patch of grass to pitch your tent.
I touched base with Jim and then went on to the local laundromat
to wash my clothes. I enjoyed engaging
some of the folks and their children playing on the rolling baskets. One woman was from Seguin but is down from
North Dakota after working there for a while.
Finishing laundry I went back to the bike shop and killed
some time before Jim closed the shop. We
talked a lot about my bike and some things that would help me move down the
road a little quicker. He was a wealth
and generous in knowledge as we discussed the gearing and weight benefits of
different touring bicycles.
He was also generous in allowing me to leave my
trailer in storage until I could pick it up on the return to Houston. I left for his home around 6:00pm. Grabbed dinner at Sonic which was alright. I arrived at his home, set up my tent, parsed
down everything I didn’t need into the trailer, and cleaned up. I slept well that night as I was physically
and mentally tired.
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