Sunday October 16, 2011, 79 miles (127 km) – Total so far: 1,302 miles (2,095 km)
Yesterday was the toughest day yet. We left Conroe at 8 and headed west onto Hwy 105 into hill country. And these just weren’t small hills either. We rode up and down all morning for 5 hours before lunch and only managed 40 miles. I was really having breathing problems because of my broken rib. My expanding lungs pushed against my ribs and were quite painful. We finally stopped in Navasota for lunch. We talked with a local trucker who just smiled at me when I talked about the hills. He said they were just starting and will continue to Austin. After a good lunch we decided to get to Brenham, a mere 25 miles away. Well, the hills were higher and turned into another 5 hours on the bike. Coming from central Florida we don’t have anything like this. We spent 10 ½ hours on the saddle for 79 miles. Whereas I have been averaging speed in the high 11’s and low 12’s I was now less than 10 mph. The elevations of these hills were between 250 – 350 feet with the highest at 388 feet. It was really hard and I worry about what the future holds. I just hope my rib heals enough in the next few weeks for some real climbing. When we rode into Brenham we became lost and rode all around to find a motel off of Hwy 290 west. This was equally frustrating as we continued to ride up and down. It was after 6:30 that we finally found rest.
Quote of the day: ‘I’m finally having to use my gears dad.’ It must be the youth!
Monday the 17th: We declared a break day (or a non-riding day). We slept in until 8 as we were so tired. We then took everything off the bikes and took them outside to clean and lube them. Jocelyn’s front wheel has had a slow leak so I patched a small pin hole. We put everything back on so they are good for another 1000 miles or so. We cleaned up and walked to the local Applebee’s for lunch. Since it is Jocelyn’s 21st birthday we sat at the bar and I bought my daughter a beer and shot! It was a momentous occasion! We had a nice time talking with the people there and had a good lunch. Jocelyn is now poolside as I work on my journal.
