Day 2 – Bumps & Bonks

Tuesday, June 9th

Lockhart, TX to Waller, TX

Even after staying up late to visit with my Dad’s cousin and his wife, we still managed to get an early start.  Unfortunately, the morning mist wouldn’t burn off for several hours.  Each new hill pushed us up into the clouds and every valley dropped us into stuffy, humid air which quickly fogged our glasses, mirrors and displays.  But despite the mugginess, the surroundings were beautiful and the traffic light.  Even when we had to change our route due to a dirt road we couldn’t ride, we found a beautiful substitute and decided to take our second breakfast (consisting of peanut butter cookies, hard-boiled eggs, honey and an avocado) there on the roadside.

Throughout this beautiful morning, the only problem I encountered was a lack of facilities.  Between Lockhart and La Grange we passed one corner store, which was not yet open when we rode by.  As you can probably guess, I’ll be starting my tally early on this trip.  So here it is – Roadside pees: 1

And while I’m in a tallying mood, let me relate today’s road kill:  3 rabbits, 2 turtles, 2 snakes, 2 armadillos, 2 dogs (and one dog-like bleached skeleton), multiple squirrels, multiple unidentifiable furry masses, 1 bird, 1 mouse, 1 skunk and a cricket (although to be fair, the cricket probably just died of natural causes while he happened to be in the middle of the road).

Unfortunately, the joys ended after our breakfast break.  The roads leading to Hwy 71 and La Grange were rough and threatened to bring up that second breakfast.  Along 71 I couldn’t take the bike over 11mph without getting nauseated.  I desperately needed a break from the roads, so we stopped at the HEB in La Grange and (though it sounds counter-intuitive) ate lunch.  Dad bought some amazing chicken salad, along with some fruit and we ate on a picnic bench outside the HEB next to the newspaper dispensers.  Just as we were finishing up, a petite, older lady quickly walked over to the newspapers, giddy over the fact that the Sunday Houston Chronicle was available all week, and stocked to boot!  She mentioned she was from Houston and Dad piped up, “Let me guess, you’re from West Houston?”

Amazed and amused, she exclaimed in her very distinct accent, “How did you know that?!”

Heading out of La Grange, we missed our turn to head East and ended up in Round Top.  It was easy enough to meet up with our route eventually the connecting road and most of the subsequent roads were unexpectedly hilly.  By the time we reached CR 159, I had used up most of my batteries and was about to bonk.  Thankfully, there was a convenience store in Industry where we were able to plug in the bike and get some fried chicken.   Though we rested for awhile in Industry, I bonked again in Bellville and had to rest at a gas station.  Most of the rest of the afternoon is a blur of hilly, bumpy roads.  (Note that Austin County has horrible roads.  Avoid them if you can.)

Things got a little more interesting as we neared my dad’s friend’s house; we caused a few stampedes, faced some rough headwinds and got stuck behind an industrial-sized mower at work, but even the sight of a goat-and-sheep stampede wasn’t as wonderful as the sight of Dad’s friend greeting us as we rode up to his house.  Randy welcomed us and we sat to chat for awhile as we cooled off outside.  When his wife got home, we gathered our things and headed inside to get cleaned up.  We met their sweet dogs and settled our gear, then while getting my bike situated in the garage, Randy introduced his motorcycle collection: a BMW for him and the wife to enjoy together, a dirt bike modified to into a street bike that’s apparently a lot of fun to ride, a Kawasaki he’s prepping for his attempt at 200 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats, an older Honda Supersport with a Russian “Sputnik” sidecar that was so awesome it got him and his wife fired from a volunteer position in a local annual charity event.  (Yes, it’s THAT awesome.)

We met their sweet dogs and settled our gear, then after we cleaned up they agreed to take us into public.  They drove us to a Mexican restaurant in (or near) Hempstead and practiced their Spanish while ordering what turned out to be uniquely delicious appetizers (some of which were Randy’s own creations, I think).  The food was wonderful, but the company was even better!

Today’s Quick Stats:

Bike              Distance (mi)    Average Speed (mph)     Trip Odometer

MiniWini           123.69                  16.0                           215.46

Sti(ck/g)          125.85                  16.6                           217.16

Stampedes: 2

Roadside Pees: 1