12 April 2014
La Grange to Navasota, TX
70 miles (Total Miles = 1,725)

The bridge ahead of us has no shoulder and the traffic both behind and approaching us no doubt has no patience so we begin slowing along this fast moving highway, planning to stop and wait it out. But then the car approaching from behind taps its horn and flashes its lights in a friendly gesture of “hey, jump out there girls and I’ll escort you across.” Now when someone goes to this kind of trouble, putting themselves in the line of potential road-rage fire, you both (a) immediately accept their kind gesture and (b) start pumping your pedals like a mad person. No matter that you’re nearing the end of your 70 mile day and all you can think of as you try to get your legs moving just a little bit faster is Scotty yelling to Kirk “I’m giving her all she’s got, Captain”, you just gotta perform and hope that you don’t rupture a lung in the process.

It’s after this bridge that I begin contemplating re-naming this Southern Tier the “Tour de Torture”. I can’t be sure, but 150 miles ridden over the past two days might possibly be why I’m finding it both hard to sit down and to stand up. I think Adventure Cycling should sign up Tiger Balm as a sponsor or at least give us each a free tin of the stuff at the start of the tour if they’re not going to give us free t-shirts anymore.

On a more positive note, while our knees and bums have been struggling along, our eyes and noses have been treated to what the locals are saying is the best crop of wildflowers in years. I believe them and from some of the photos from the day, you might too. I’d have taken one of Gina kneeling amongst them but alas, she never would have been able to get back up.