[trikes] Fwd: 1week 42 mile tour- not completed

Tue Apr 14 16:41:11 PDT 2009

I wrote this for the bike touring list. If you don't want to read it just click DELETE. 

This is a report of a tour I started and will start again probably Sunday when the weather is not storming. I was going to leave Friday but that is the worst day of the storm according to the weatherman and we should get 2-4 inches of rain. Not good riding weather. 

Ok. I left home on a Lightfootcycles Greenway trike(I changed the cassette under the seat so I could get even?lower gears then they put on there)?pulling a 6 ft trailer weighing approx. 270 lbs. I was totally self contained and could survive probably a couple weeks without any more stuff or food. Yea I know it was heavy. All the roads after I got on the hiway (5 miles from home)?have very wide shoulders plus it is nothing but rolling hills. I averaged 2.4 mph with my fastest being 20 mph going down 1 hill and usually 1.9 going uphill. That was for the 42 miles. The first night I stayed at the Cowboy church in Kosse and was very tired. Also the wind never stopped and I was heading right into it. I traveled 10.8 miles that day. The cowboy church had a brand new metal bldg. with a porch about 20x20 and covered. Guess where I pitched my tent. The bathroom was brand new and was about 100 ft behind the church near the rodeo arena. Really neat. All new cedar and trimmed with about 6 inch bark side of the trees. I had elec. on a pole there also where I could charge my phone. My dau and her hus came by and we talked about my route. They said there weren't any shoulders they was I wanted to go so I changed my route where I had shoulders as wide as the road lanes. 

The wind was relentless. Never stopped. Didn't even slow down. I was in it from Friday til I left Monday morning. I wanted to go to church Sunday so stayed another day so I could. Since they had a work day Sunday after church I had company all day. 

Monday morning took me a little over an hour to pack up. Was going to be in the 30's so decided to set up my stove and water for oatmeal(Sunday night)?Monday morning and I wouldn't have to be up so much in the cold morning just getting breakfast ready. I have a coleman stove that screws on top of a bottle and it worked really well. Don't know how long it will last tho. 

The wind was blowing out of the north very hard and that was the way I was heading. The next town Kosse was only about 5 miles away. I got there about 1:30?? and decided to eat at the cafe at the corner of hwy 7 and 14. I have a fairing on my trike so I didn't get hit so hard with the wind ( my torso)but it still made riding a little slower. I was ready to call it a day and had a friend who lives there so figured I could camp in her yard. Of course she would't hear of it cause it was going to get 27 during the night and I stayed in the house. Went to a church meeting with her and then got home and was ready to crash. My bedtime has really changed in this last week. To bed at 8 was unheard of before but not now. 

Got up and went outside about 8 and had frost on my blue tarp? that covered the trailer and on the top of the canopy on the trike. Was 50 when I left and headed to the next town 9 miles away which was Thornton. There was an old man who was driving a pick up real slow (speed limit is 70) back and forth and kept looking at me. Well my pastor was coming back from somewhere and stopped ( he passed me on his way to whereever he went) and we were talking and he brought me some gatorade and some chex bars. Figured I need some electrolites. Anyway that old fellow came by again and I told him he had been cruising back and forth. 

About a quarter mile from the intersection to the Thornton he came back only this time with a women. They were slowing down and I saw her door open so I knew they were stopping. I stopped and she asked if she could take a picture. Sure so we got to talking and I asked about a church my pastor told me about as I was looking for a place to stay the night. I told her my mission and she said "You can stay with me if you want". I was concerned about how far off the hwy she lived because I had to go 1.5 miles out of the way the night before. At 1.9 mph thats a long time. Just so happened she lived right on the next corner. The old man asked me if I needed any money and I said I would next week. He pulled a $20 bill out and handed it to me. Was glad to get that too. ?So they left and it took several minutes to get there. The old man was here dad and he was 80. He told her she had to come and see "this thing" and didn't know if I was man or woman. I ride with my face partially covered to stay out of the wind.)I could see her running around to a travel trailer and wondered if that is where I would stay. Turned out it was and so? niceeeeeee. Private, comfortable. I showered in her house and she washed my clothes. Fed me supper and by 8 I was about to pass out again. I threw my sleeping bag on the bed and that was it for the night.? 

She furnished the trailer with milk and cereal for breakfast and then for supper she fed me tuna sandwiches and fried chicken the first night. I ended up staying the night , the next day and night. She said I could stay as long as I wanted. I was pretty rested by then and left out of there at 8 the next morning. I call her my road angel. 

Figured I would stay in Groesbeck the next night as it was about 8 miles away. Seemed like 10 miles was about all I was going to be able to make in a day with that trailer. I had the wind at my back for the first time and it was so nice. I was in Groesbeck by 10:30 and decided it was way too early to stop. I did stop at the first place I found to potty tho. It was a donut store and I got 1 choc covered donut. When I returned to pay he just waved me on so I had my first free donut. I walked around in the parking lot eating it so I could exercise a little. I would try to stop at least once every hour to get off the trike and move around some and of course find a snack too. 
I knew there was a Subway there and was going to stop and eat lunch and take the other half sandwich with me. Before I got there I saw a fellow across the street taking my picture. When I stopped along the curb at Subway another fellow asked if he could take my picture. Sure. He ran and got his camera on a tripod. He owned a book store around the corner. After I got my food he was still there and wanted to know if I would mind riding around the block so his wife could see the trike.They both rode Specilized bikes. ?She worked in a clinic and I said sure, why not. I did and he walked beside me. Thats how fast I rode. You could probably walk faster then I pedal. Ok so she sees my rig but can't stay. She has a patient and I am off again. I need to eat so find the back parking lot of a big church and eat. Some senior citizens must have been having some activities in there because I saw a couple people drive up and look kinda strange at me. When I finished I wanted to go potty and wash my hands before I left and asked a lady going in where the restroom was. I am not too sure what she thought about me. Maybe I looked homeless.

I had just returned to the trike and started up and a fellow parked in front of me and got out and asked if I had a few minutes. Said sure. (why not) Turned out he was the same fellow taking my picture from across the street. He was the newspaper man. Oh so now I am famous huh? We talked a minute and I told him why I was trikeing and he asked about me being a cancer survivor( 7 year breast cancer survivor). The lady I had stayed with in the travel trailer called him and alerted him I was going thru the town so he found me. I will be interested in seeing the paper Wed. and see whats there. 

I continue heading north toward Mexia and start looking for a place to stay about 1:30 ish. Getting tired. There is a state park called Fort Parker so I decided to try that. I had passed a couple trailer parks right on the road but didn't want to pay to stay. Didn't know I would have to pay at the park. LOL Not very smart. Anyway I paid and then asked how far the camping was and he said not far. Probably a mile. Ohhhhh. I was beat and another mile to pedal. Uggg. I did and it was hilly and not long sloping hills but shorter and steeper. Gravely in places. Not good for my rig and me. I did encounter a place I couldn't get up and had to turn around and go a little farther to turn. I realized I would not be able to get out of there in the morning. What a thought. I continued to the primitive campground and called my son. He was going to be gone for the next 2 days so that day was the only day I had of getting out. He hooked the trailer up and came and picked me up.? We stopped at the office and I didn't know if I would get my $11 back but got lucky and did. I don' t think the other lady would have given it to me. 

I got home and unloaded and the next day changed trailers out. My son had worked so hard getting my blue trailer ready for me to take and he kept telling me "mom you're not as young as these 20 year olds and you need more stuff" so I just finally gave up and decided I would take the blue trailer as far as I could take it. 42 miles and 1 week was it. It was not hard to pull just heavy and too many hills. 

I have since packed a Burley Nomad I have had for about 7 years and never used. It weighs about #70 loaded and don't know how much I have on the trike.Not that much. Maybe half. ?I think my blue trailer weighs about #65 unloaded. I have packed about twice getting what I can survive with. All the luxury items will stay home this time. I will continue from where I stopped. My son will drive me back to the park entrance and I will continue from there. As long as I have a shoulder to ride on I will keep going. In Mexia I will turn east on 84 and see how far that will take me. I planned to leave Friday but now we are expecting 2-4 inches of rain so guess I'll wait til that overwith. I shoud be able to go twice as fast as last time. Thats fast for me. I know its not for you bicyclists. 

6 1/2 years ago God spoke to me and told me I would ride my trike town to town and give my testimony in the different churches. I haven't told many people this and most just think I am touring. This is my second attempt at this as my first trip lasted 11 miles and 5 hours. I got sick first night out and it was 11-3-04 and it was 40 degrees and? very windy. I couldn't get my tent up and had bonked and started shivering and decided I had to bite the bullet and called my husband to come and get me before I got hypothermia. I was going to go to Virginia to visit my son and his family. 1 year exactly to the day later his wife died from bone cancer . She was 39 with a 5 year old son. Strange timing. Anyway he came back home and is here with us now. 

So now you know my story . I thought I might have someone to ride part of the way with but looks like maybe not now. Company would be a plus. I will be 71 in May so hopefully I will still be pedaling somewhere and can celebrate on the road. I like that idea. 

So if anyone is interested in seeing what I ride both my trike and both trailers on the lightfoot website under trailers. www.lightfootcycles.com. I don't know how to put the info on her for you to click. I will update you probably when I get back or find a computer somewhere to use. Fran 

Save money by eating out! Find great dining coupons in your area. 

A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! 