David Trip

By David Freeze

  First Dairy Queen milkshake and bike repair

  Leaving Kerrville, my only thought was to be in Fredericksburg by 10am when Hill Country Bicycles opened. I envisioned a one hour repair and a continuance of the trip east.

  On the way into Fredericksburg, I saw a policeman driving toward me and then putting his turn signal on. I knew then that he was going to stop me and he did. The officer pulled up beside me and asked me to come up to his side window. He asked if I was Taylor, and when I gave my name, he smiled big and said he was looking for him and to have a great day.

    I did make it the bike shop before it opened. Lisa, the owner and only staff member currently, showed up a few minutes late. We quickly had a disagreement about expectations, Lisa assuring me that she would work on the bike but that she would have to handle customers and phones calls too. So I told her what I thought the bike needed and did my best to be patient while customer after customer came and went. Over two hours later, I left with the bike in fantastic shape. I had sat outside most of the time, planning the next few days the best I could.

    The chain wasn’t stretched, but she found the hub was loose and fixed that. It shifted better than it had in a long time. The metal had been in the tire but was now gone. The tube in the tire had a small hole and she replaced it with a new one. Plus she put a new covering over the top of the spokes on the inside of the rim, stating that it was wearing and would soon cause trouble. We had an enjoyable conversation at the end, during which she told me that she had completed a 3 year trip around the world on a bike.

    After fueling up, I was over 2 1/2 hours past the point I arrived. I got on US 290 right away as after some up and down to get out of town, the riding was much more enjoyable. After Fredericksburg, which has a dramatic German heritage, I rode through Blumenthal, Stonewall, Hye and then into Johnson City. It reminded me of a segment of Route 66, with lots going on. There were miles of wineries, lots of unusual older vehicles and even a big castle on a bluff. One of the tall men from Route 66, labeled as “Howard Huge” was even on hand. The riding was so much fun!

  Johnson City is the home of Lyndon Baines Johnson, former US President. I stopped at a state park that centers around his ranch and toured the visitor center. There is another National Historic Park here in Johnson City. Lady Bird, his wife, had a park in Fredericksburg.

    So, other than the long wait for the repair, it was a fun day, although short on miles at 55. I am at the Hill Country Inn, right beside one of the first Dairy Queen’s I have seen. My first pineapple milkshake was great! And a great convenience store is next door. The low budget motel room has a cheap price but the biggest screen TV I have ever had in a room, perfect for watching the Yanks/ Red Sox as I write this.

  Tomorrow, I hope to get through Austin and maybe as far as Bastrop, which would leave me less than 100 miles from the end of this map section. If the bike keeps running well and I make the right choices, I will stay pretty close to the planned time frame.

  Thanks again to the Post and all the readers and sponsors for making this trip happen! I completed what I think is the last big climb this morning and we should be dropping below 1400 feet from now on. The bike is good and I feel strong, so send prayers for safe riding.

    See you tomorrow!

By David Freeze

  A day of uncertainty

  I loved the room last night in Leakey. All went really well until I got up this morning and checked the back tire. Flat again! I could have stayed there this morning and put my last tube in it, or reinflate it and deal with it on the road. I chose the latter!

    Out with the first light, my goal was to get a jump on the climbing today. I rode north on US 83 and had only one severe climb, then turned on US 39 toward Hunt. Lots of rollers, up and down, trying to manage the gears and grab momentum on the downhill enough to help get up the other side. Supposedly, this is the Texas Hill Country. That is the sign for the series of roads and the area I am in now. Glad it is no longer Texas Mountain Country.

    The climbing was horrendous when I got to to the start of the Guadalupe River. I found out later that early settlers in the area had the road cross the river about a dozen times to slow down the river in high water situations. Over and over I raced down the hill and struggled up the other side. Finally, I reached a high end resort area with lots of inns, lodges and homes along the river. The road became much calmer as it stayed on one side of the river and a canopy of trees made the riding much nicer.

    I added air to the tire about 2pm, just after the small settlement of Hunt. No population given, but The Store had a cafe, convenience items, gas, winery and a meat market, plus a bank. I got a huge brownie and ice there to fuel my ride into Ingram and on into Kerrville.

    I had been watching a huge storm building off to the north, and the bottom fell out just as I entered the Kerrville city limits. Still nearly six miles from my motel for the night, the Lone Star Inn, I waited for 30 minutes under a BBQ joint’s cooking area. Still raining, but tolerable, I hit the road and found the motel. I am on the Kerrville/ Fredericksburg Road or US 16 after 65 challenging miles today.

    The significance of being on the way to Fredericksburg and the tire issue, hopefully will play out into a happy ending tomorrow. I must have a piece of metal in the tire that I can’t find and there is supposedly an open bike shop in Fredericksburg. No one answered the phone today, or for the one in Kernersville. Bike shops usually open later, so if I can get the same result out of the back tire tomorrow and the shop is open, I will get it fixed. If not, I will ride back to Kerrville. Other things that need attention on the bike are a chain that I think has been stretched with all the climbing, a water bottle holder that vibrated off with all the rocky roads and a couple other possibilities. Fredericksburg is about 23 miles east by car. Worst case scenario is that I end up back here tomorrow night, just to get the bike fixed. Usually about halfway is time to get the bike some professional attention.

    It has been pouring again since I got in the room. I did get some bananas and my ice cream plus microwave pizza to refuel after another day of Texas hills.

    Austin, Texas is coming up quickly as I continue to head east. It was a beautiful day today, again not too hot.
    Join me tomorrow for the continuing saga of the tire. My elevation diagram says only one more mountain taller than 2,000 feet and it just happens to be tomorrow.

      David Post has joined the journey as a sponsor again. Two more anonymous ones have also joined. Thanks to them and all the other sponsors who are making this adventure happen! Time to get to the ice cream! See you tomorrow!

By David Freeze

  Dreading the next map segment

  Last night, I spoke to two of the Comstock locals just before going into my motel. Both assured me that there would be only a couple of examples of climbing today, an “easy day”. I didn’t believe it for a minute.

      I left Comstock after devouring a microwave breakfast biscuit. Right away, I found the road shoulder to be terribly rough. I kept trying to ride in the lane but couldn’t stay there long. It was the beginning of a slow day,  more of which are coming.

    The bigger town that I saw today was Del Rio, another border town, with about 35,000 residents. It seemed that I began climbing in earnest just before Del Rio as I passed the first huge body of water on the trip. The Amistad National Recreation Area had a nice reservoir and apparently a lot of recreational activity. It was the first time in a pcouple of weeks where both sides of the road were busy for miles. I rode into Del Rio looking for the bike shop, needing a few things, especially since I am nearing halfway on the trip. I found Lakeside Sports closed, even though they are usually open on Saturdays.

  Getting warmer, I fueled up for the 35 mile ride to Brackettville. A gradual uphill all the way, every single bit of it with rough shoulders. The road wasn’t much better. I had just enough water to make the ride, just sips to spare. Along the way, I saw a couple of freight trains right beside US 90. I also stopped at the entrance to Laughlin Air Force Base. The entrance is just a rock’s throw from US 90. The base is historically famous for training the B-26 Marauder bomber crews from World War ll.

  There wasn’t much else to see, except a lot of speeding traffic. I kept jumping on the main road because it was much smoother. The ride totaled 65 miles, but it was well earned. There will short totals the next few days because I will be on small roads that are jammed with hills. I’m not thrilled.

    Having not done my planning as usual, I got to Brackettville, and tried to call the Fort Clark Motel. Three locals told me it was open, but no one answered the number. I stopped at a Stripes convenience store and was told to go to the guard gate and ask. I did and found out the whole motel was rented for a family reunion.

  But the guard told me to call the Alibi Hill Bar and Grill, that they had large and nice rooms. That was an understatement. I have a small apartment with a full kitchen and plenty of room. My only other experience at spending the night at a bar was in Alma, Colorado. It didn’t turn out well but I think this one will be OK.

    I have some things to do on the bike tonight and hope to get to bed early again. Then I will just make the best of tomorrow. Accommodations and towns will be limited. Comstock from yesterday has about 150 residents and Brackettville boasts about 1500. That will likely be more than all the towns added up in the next couple of days.

  My legs are very tired, but I will endure all the climbing coming up, just hoping for nice scenery. I did get radio reception today and cellphone coverage too. But I bet both are leaving again tomorrow. The cool days are gone, the headwind remains and there is plenty of roadkill. Armadillos and deer, among other things and the heat makes them really smell.

  If I get time tomorrow, I will see where we stand exactly on mileage. I believe we are almost halfway and the second half should get a lot easier.

    Stay with me, keep praying and I will keep the updates coming! See you tomorrow!

By David Freeze

  Had more than I wanted today!

    Last night in Sanderson, I went for a bike ride down the Main Street of town, just to see what the town was like. I had ridden into town against a stiff headwind, and it was still going last night. The wind pushed my bike back up the hill toward the motel. I began to worry that the same wind might be in place today.

    My goal for today was a 90 mile ride, only because there was no supply points listed and no motels until Comstock. There was only one other town on the long route today, the town of Langtry.

    I left Sanderson about 5:45am, riding by flashlight in the pitch dark. Without the wind, I had 13 miles by 7am. The wind began to pick up, and so did the hills. The route was listed as a moderate downhill, but in fact the climbing was brutal with more than 50 large rollers. Some were a quarter to half mile long, and it seemed I was always climbing. By noon, the headwind was full speed in my face. This was the first significant headwind of the trip, and it made everything hard. Water consumption was way up.

      The temperature was warm too, so I stopped in Langtry where a small convenience store was open. I was told yesterday that it might be. I went in, could find no one, and picked out some waters and a Diet Coke. I paid at the counter with no one around, noting that someone else had done the same. I went back to get two more waters and the owner came in. Nice guy, very interested in my trip, but wanted me to hang around until the sun went down some. Couldn’t do it.

  Langtry also has a very nice tourist center and a museum of sorts on Judge Roy Bean, billed as the “Law West of the Pecos”. Six dioramas tell his story. I was pressed for time and the wind was getting stronger, so I didn’t hang around. Bean was famous in the late 1800’s.

  Immediately out of Langtry, the serious climbing began. Over and over, big rollers
had to be conquered. Later than I hoped, I ended up at the Comstock Motel after 91 miles.

    Hoping the headwind is gone tomorrow, I will head for Del Rio and the end of another map segment. Late morning, I will start map 4 of 7 and will follow the suggested route. Essentially, that map segment will also be hiily. At the end of it, I will move into Louisiana where there will be no elevation facts. Glad for that!

    I am going to get a shower and turn in early. The headwind and early departure beat me down. Borders agents are around quit a bit as the Rio Grande and Mexico on the other side are very close again.

    Join me again tomorrow, we’ll begin to experience Texas hill country, right after we have spent nearly 3 weeks celebrating everybody’s mountains!

By David Freeze

Setting up the next long day!

  I’m sitting in the Outback Oasis Motel in Sanderson, Texas, getting ready to watch the Yankees and White Sox in the Field of Dreams game. I asked last night over the phone whether we could get the Fox channel to see the game.

    But back to the bike ride. I left Marathon this morning amid a light drizzle. The first 20 miles were steady moderate climbing. Still on US 90, the sky cleared and it warmed up. Then the terrain leveled out and even turned downhill on occasion as we, the bike and I, left the high mountains behind. I faced a steady headwind for the last five miles and it is still blowing outside. My ride today, from Marathon to Sanderson, included no other towns or anything especially interesting. No radio and sparse cell phone coverage. A car or truck about every 3-5 minutes, and lots of empty unmoving train cars. I cycled in the road.

    Everything about today was a setup for tomorrow. So few towns, or supply points, leave me with a challenging 90 mile ride tomorrow from Sanderson to Comstock. All I can count on is a water stop about midway, and a motel room already assured in Comstock. No food, if I don’t get there before 7pm. I plan to leave to ride at least the first hour in the dark tomorrow.

    Once I got to Sanderson today, my first stop was a truck stop convenience store. Remember my craving for ice. Then I went across the road to my motel. While checking in, I was treated to a live reptile exhibit. I learned that there are 65 varieties of rattlesnakes alone, many of which were in glass aquariums to see. One black rattlesnake was captured near my room just a couple days ago.

    Bar none, this is the best motel that I’ve stayed in on the trip. Good price, huge convenience store across the road, and wonderful motel owners. And plenty of available ice. It’s an old motel, but I love it.

    So, tomorrow will be tough. Then I have figure out how to proceed farther east into Texas. I would like to ride through San Antonio, although Adventure Cycling wants me to turn north and ride more hills. I will close out the third map panel out of seven total for the whole ride on Saturday morning. While the game is on tonight, I am going to study the Texas map. I’ve loaded up on snacks and water for tomorrow.

    That is it for today! Send those wonderful prayers, both for stamina and the right decisions. I appreciate all the support from readers as this journey continues. See you back here tomorrow!

By David Freeze

There are good things even on bad days!

  My ride started out in Van Horn early, but not early enough. I was in the Central Time Zone and had to wait forever to get enough light in the sky to ride on Interstate 10. Even with another great burrito for breakfast, I felt behind all day.

  I watched the sun rise while facing it amid light traffic and cool temperatures. While my map called for 89 miles without services, there was a truck stop at 20 miles. Nothing afterwards for the rest of the day. I was hauling extra water and food.

  My only goal of the day was to cover the 89 miles between Van Horn and Fort Davis. I knew it had a bunch of climbing, but I had no idea how much. From 37 miles on, I climbed and climbed, always on a rough road. Near the end, I wanted to see the McDonald Observatory. Top elevation was 6,000 plus.

  There was so much climbing that I fell behind time wise. I saw the observatory from a distance only, as I was still riding at 9pm. More on that later. I will get my story done, grab a shower and then turn in. It has been a very long day, but something good happened near the end.

    Mindi Falls stopped and asked if she could take me to Fort Davis, the next town. In fact, the only town for miles. I had a sort of reservation at an unusual motel. Mindi got me there in time, just in time as he was about to close for the evening. I really enjoyed meeting her. she prayed over my ride just before leaving.

  Only 86 miles were completed since Mindi picked me up in the dark. I will go early and ride that part tomorrow morning, then head on at least to Marathon. The supply point issue is going to be big for several days to come.

  This morning as I started to ride, I thought the weather was the best yet. Clouds came and went, helping to keep the temperature down. Kent and Fort Davis were the only towns. There was no cell service and no radio reception. But I did get caught in a brief downpour.

    So, I am going to grab a late shower and hit the bed. I need to do both!

Thanks for riding along. See you tomorrow!

By David Freeze

Why I love this so much!

    When I chose the Southern Tier trip, I saw some of the challenges and thought that I had done those things before. But as the first 15 days have developed, with the topper being today, I wouldn’t want to have missed any of it. The heat and lack of supplies has been part of the whole trip. In fact, I’ll try to explain why I do love these adventures.

    Today had a particular challenge. I had to cover close to 100 miles and get to Van Horn, Texas, the jumping off point for yet another big challenge for tomorrow. I got in late last night, got my writing, planning and shower done way late too. Just as I shutting down for the night, I realized one of the two straps that hold the bike cyclometer (juiced up odometer) to the bike was broken. I had a pull tie and only one, but it was defective. If the cyclometer fell off, I would not be easily able to keep up with my mileage. I went to sleep with about 4 1/2 hours until I would start today.

      Up early, I tried the truckstop across the road, the county rescue squad in Fort Hancock and a 7 Eleven. Nobody had one, but the woman at the rescue squad suggested trying the tire place.

    I had been riding on flat roads within site of Mexico for the first three hours of the morning. Border patrol was on hand in several places. I saw some of the wall early but as I traveled east, but then it had disappeared farther on. There were lots of abandoned houses and other buildings, and very little traffic!

    Needing to fix the cyclometer binding, I did ride up to the tire place and happened to ask a county deputy if I could ride on the interstate. Another had told me yesterday that I could, and this one confirmed the same. The tire place had the pull ties that I needed and I secured the odometer as it should be.

    My Adventure Cycling map called for us to ride the interstate a little later in the morning, but after the Arizona State Trooper didn’t want me on the freeway, I made sure. I rode it the rest of the way today and will start on it again tomorrow. Early on, I had a tailwind and flat ground. The only towns all afternoon were Sierra Blanca and Van Horn, where I am tonight after 97 miles.

  Riding on the interstate is Ok because the shoulder is usually smooth and the Texas 80mph traffic doesn’t bother me. In this area, the traffic isn’t very heavy. Late this afternoon, some storms started against the mountains and changed my tailwind to a fierce headwind. I climbed the last mountain of the day and wind was less on the other side. The time zone changed to Central just before I arrived in Van Horn. My plan was to stay at the Knight’s Inn that I called last night, but the desk person wouldn’t give me the promised price. I had lots of choices and half a block away will spend the night at the Value Inn for even less money.

    Already, later than I hoped to be in the room because of the weather, I found a great convenience store where I bought ice cream, pizza and a sandwich, plus three ice cups and some pineapple. I am always so hungry.

    Tomorrow’s challenge includes midday climbing to over 6,000 one more time. It’s 90 miles with no supply points and no motels, so I have to carry lots of stuff tomorrow and make it to Fort Davis. It will likely be a very long day!

    Join me for a report tomorrow. Bet something interesting happens!

By David Freeze

Crossing America, one convenience store at a time!

  Today was very busy, but fell just short of my expectations! I left the home of Joe and Grace Myers at first light this morning. About 7 miles into it, I found a convenience store that had a woman making breakfast burritos by order and I got one. It was fantastic with egg, cheese and potato. She was out of tomatoes, or I would have had that too.

  Afterwards the riding began in earnest, I rolled through Mesilla and turned down an offer for free pancakes at a church. I pedaled through 8-10 miles of pecan tree canopy with plenty of other cyclists out there too. I then rode through several interesting Hispanic towns named San Miguel, La Mesa, Chamberino, all that on US 28. The sweet smell of hay being processed made for an even better day. Then I followed the suggested route of taking a 7 mile bike way into El Paso, before attempting to follow two sets of directions to cross the east side. I got lost once, but asked a border guard at one of the Mexico entrance points for directions. He pleasantly helped, then I had to deal with a detour before finally getting on US 20 East for the rest of the afternoon.

  Traveling though the center of El Paso was very crowded and hilly, plus I saw no bike lanes in that area. I did not enjoy that part, especially the endless intersections. Gradually as I moved on east, there were Socorro, Clint and Fabens. I am spending the night next to Interstate 10 at the Fabens Inn Motel. I paid too much, but it was the only option for 25 more miles. All this after 87 miles today.

  All afternoon, I kept refueling at convenience stores and it was hard to delineate one town from another. With daylight running out, I gave up on my plan to go way over 100 miles. Storms were in the area too. It will be many days before I have lots of supply points available. They begin getting scarce tomorrow.

    I did have a very pleasant conversation with Carmelo Morales of El Paso who said that if he didn’t have to work he would doing this too. He is the first person I have ever met that offered me a tire tube that fit my bike out of his truck. Carlos gave me plenty of insight on the road ahead.

    Starting tomorrow, I am going to be limited in supply points and places to stay. But still, I have big plans for the day. Big ones too for the next day. I will explain all of this tomorrow.

  I was reminded today how the most famous river in the area keeps showing up, same as the Ohio River did on my Underground Railroad adventure. The more I see the Rio Grande, the more I understand how the local economy relies on it. Agriculture is everywhere!

    Thanks for riding along today. I am going to start on some ice cream in an effort to keep the massive calorie burn fueled.

    See you tomorrow with possibly yet another great story!