Day # 18... Slow, Steady, and Distracted: Losing Ground in La Grange, TX

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Sunday April 13, 2008, 73 miles (117 km) - Total so far: 1,724 miles (2,774 km)

Today I lost some ground on my 100 miles a day average, only riding 73 miles. The least I've done since I left San Diego except the first day, which was only a half day anyway.
The hills and wind were pretty relentless this morning, both in my face. I made it to Bastrop by noon with only about 35 miles done. I got some lunch, went to the store, went to the bike shop, made some phone calls, and then met Paul Callaway and his wife, who is driving a motorhome as a support vehicle. (Anyone want to follow me??) You can follow their trip at... http://venturavelo.org/_wsn/page8.html
They're stopping all over the place visiting landmarks and family and doing it all in style. I hung out in their motorhome for awhile and that ate up some time too. By 5:00ish I was in La Grange, and could have made it another 30 miles to the next town, but when I called to reserve a motel, everything was booked so I had to stay here. Oh well. Tomorrow I am going to try to get up really early and make it a long ways to get my schedule back on track. The goal is about 135 miles, we'll see. Hopefully the wind is cooperative. If not I'll have to do another early stop.

The highlight of today's ride was riding through Bastrop and Buescher State Parks, along a narrow ribbon of pavement running through tunnels of woods. It was a nice change from riding on a road with heavy traffic.

Another interesting thing I saw today was thousands and thousands of other cyclists. Today was the big BP MS 150 ride, and over 13,000 people rode! wow! I had never seen so many bikes in my life. I came around a corner and it was just a constant stream of bikes. Like locusts swarming.. or bees. Everyone I've met today has assumed I did the ride, which is ok. "Make it to Austin!?" "Like riding with all those other people??"

On a funnier note, I was sitting on the side of the road today talking to Brook, when I notice a pig hanging out with a flock of cows. The pig must have decided it was more cool to hang out elsewhere, and escaped the pen and was grazing on the side of the road on fresh clover. I was a little concerned it might get hit, so I went over to the house and let the guy know his pig was out of it's pen. "Hey, uhhh.. I don't know if you know this or not, but your pig is hanging out by the road." .... how often do you get to say that? I even got a few pics.

I'm at a real computer again so I'll put some photos up now!