Day 6 – Bug Bombed

Tyler, TX to Sulphur Springs, TX

Saturday, June 13th

We slept so soundly at Les’ house that we didn’t wake up until after 7.  He and Kristen were already up and about, so we chatted with them for a bit then Les offered to drive us to the grocery store to stock up on oatmeal and peanut butter crackers.  We ended up buying a pound of fresh strawberries, too (which we completely consumed once we returned from the store).

Back at the house while we ate our oatmeal, Blake and Katie showed up – Blake to test ride the bikes and Katie to take a morning walk with Kristen.  So while the ladies went walking, Dad took Les and Blake to try out the bikes.  Since I’ve fallen way behind on the blog, I stayed inside to catch up.  Since we still hadn’t decided on our destination for the day, much less planned a route, Dad and Blake worked on that while I continued on the blog.  The family went to breakfast (I think) while we were on the computers and packing, and returned just as we were walking out the door to load up our bikes.  We talked a bit more then said our thank yous and goodbyes, rode down the driveway and onto the road as they watched us ride off.

It was about 11:30 as we made our way through Tyler, and whether it was the time of day or the day of the week or both, we turned more heads than we have in ANY other town (except maybe Tallahassee).  We caught the eye of almost everyone on the street, and of more than a few people in their cars.  We got stares, smiles, nods and cheers from men, women and children of all ages and races.  I got quite a kick from all the attention.

We ended up taking Hwy 69 again heading North out of Tyler and it was, as expected, a very rough ride.  After Mineola (where we stopped to lunch on fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy (with Dr Pepper and sweet tea)) we followed 80 West for a bit then took back roads up to Alba, dodging untied, unfenced dogs all along the way.  From Alba we took FM 17 North toward the Lake Fork Reservoir, crossed the lake, turned right (into a headwind), and crossed the lake again (”Didn’t we just cross this lake going the other direction?”).  After clearing the bridge we realized we’d taken a wrong turn.

Thankfully, the wind – now a tailwind – scooted us back across the lake pretty quickly and we were soon back on track.  The headwind took a lot out of us though so we stopped at the only convenience store in the area to recover.  I couldn’t get off the bike so I just took a rest in my seat and checked my voicemail while Dad staggered inside to get Gatorade and DP.  He came back, drinks in hand, saying the store was closed.  I knew my brain was functioning about as well as my legs, so I asked him to explain.  The owner had closed the shop but hadn’t locked the register, so when Dad tried the door the guy noticed him, asked him what he needed and helped him get it.  Thank God for people like this – we were on the edge of collapse, with no other options and he was kind enough to put aside his schedule to help two people in need.  We were very grateful.

We loitered around the store even after the owner had left, slowly recuperating.  We sat around joking at each other to help the recovery process along (laughter really is good medicine) then I started talking about all the bugs that had been hitting me (I counted over 15 bugs large enough for me to *feel* them hit me, two of which made kamikaze runs while I was mouth-breathing) and Dad remarked “I haven’t felt a single one.”  I couldn’t believe it.  I was being dive-bombed by flying bugs of all types – they hit me in the chest, the shoulder, the nose, the sunglasses, the forehead, and smack on the chin – and Dad hadn’t been hit by a single one.  I couldn’t figure it out, but I think it has something to do with the aerodynamics of him on the bike.  They run into the bottom of his shoes or don’t hit him at all!

We made it back on the road and continued on our way, eventually taking FM 2297 into Sulphur Springs (causing two stampedes along the way – one of goats and one of cows).  When we rolled into town, we parked on the first corner and with the help of my mom and sister and the GPS, found the nearest motel – The Royal Inn.

After cleaning up and settling into the motel room we walked to the Dollar General and stocked up on liquids (1/2 gallon of milk, 1 gallon of grape juice, and two liters of DP), Reese’s, applesauce and vanilla Snack Packs.  For dinner we finished almost all the milk, all the grape juice, half the DP, all the applesauce, all four Snack Packs, and several bowls of motel-microwave-made rice pudding.  Yum!

Today’s Quick Stats:

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

MiniWini             75.51                  17.1                          548.57

Sti(ck/g)            75.19                  17.2                          551.49

Stampedes: 5

Roadside Pees: 1