Tuesday October 18, 2011, 42 miles (68 km) – Total so far: 1,344 miles (2,163 km)

We left Brenham after a good breakfast and took Hwy 290 west out of town. The wind was a challenge for the entire ride. It was 20-30 mph with 40 mph gusts. The first 20 miles were headwinds then we took Hwy 237 southwest and had extreme crosswinds. Several times we were blown past the center-line of the two lane road. Between the hills and the wind it was a struggle but the countryside was beautiful. We stopped for lunch at the small town of Warrenton hoping to find just a ready-made sandwich at the local store. The nice lady behind the counter at Warrenton Grocery told us she only sells homemade sandwiches so we ordered two ham sandwiches. We ended up having a great time there listening to the owner, Doris, talk about the history of the town. Her grocery store was built in 1854 and she and her husband are only the 3rd owners! There are tables at one end and we just walked around and picked out what we wanted with the delicious sandwiches Doris made. I had my first Lone Star beer. Doris made us feel at home and it was a much needed break from the wind. She is another one of those special people we have met.

We continued onto La Grange where we decided to get out of the wind. It was only a 42 mile day but progress nonetheless.