Jake got an early start in the morning because he needed to get his rear wheel situation fixed. The nearest bicycle shop was in Lake Charles, about 20 miles to the south. Unfortnuately, the only major roads heading west out of the town are Interstates. It is not legal to ride a bicycle on these highways. This resulted in a lot of backtracking and extra miles for Jake.
He offered to leave early and eventually he'd catch up with me. The offer was much appreciated as my Half Ironman race is only 4 days away.
I took my time packing up and leaving Juddie Clair's, and finally hit the road.
A long, casual stop in DeQunicy let me eat lunch and check up on the internet.
I found out that our Couchsurfing host for the evening couldn't host us due to a family emergency. It was a bummer, but luckily after talking with our potential host I found out that everything was going to be OK. So, I jumped online and found a few other people who could potentially host us for the evening.
I began riding again, and soon enough passed into Texas. Wow! Texas. When I started this trip, it seemed like Texas was a world away.
My initial exposure to Texas roads was great. Texas roads came with Texas sized shoulders. It was wider than the lane for many miles. I could get used to this.
During my ride, I got a call from one of the couchsurfing hosts and they were able to host us on super short notice. They live in Orange, Texas, which is about 20 miles shorter than we had planned for the day, but it was still awesome to have a host. Jake met me at the Texas border with a brand new set of wheels. Hopefully, the rear tire issues are behind us.
We arrived in Orange, got some snacks and drinks at a grocery store, and then rode to meet our hosts for the evening. Our hosts were Allison and Jayne, two awesome girls who work at the Shangri La Gardens in Orange. When we arrived, they had a great dinner ready, and then they took us to a "Pickin' and Grinnin'" bluegrass event in Louisiana. It was out at a campground and with people just sitting around playing songs, enjoying the day. We listened to music, played on the playground like kids, then went back to the apartment to eat some pizza and drink some beer. (Allison and Jayne, if you happen to read this can you email some of the photos?) Thanks so much girls!
Tomorrow is going to be a long day, about 100 miles to Galveston.
Day 36 - 55.37 Miles
Trip to Date - 1952.55 miles
Coast to Coast - 1006.10 miles
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