Day 2- Lucky and Unlucky

Day 2

Origin: The Canterbury Estate, Waco, Tx

Destination: Centre Square, Temple, Tx

Weather: Excellent temperature,  (18km- 8km)

Distance ridden: 62 miles (100km)

Key Notes:

Left Sarah's place early, Navigate to finally find right road into city, without being on interstate. Ride into town on main ride, potholes and traffic allowing for some challenging riding. Blog Update at Common Grounds coffee house

Waco incredibly contrasted between University and everything else. High poverty no matter what street downtown. Cyclesoutback to buy light. Turns out back up light was on some stupid setting so actually worked.

Straight west on highway to McGregor (home of rocket testing facility)

As turn to pull into LasCancun Mexican stand, bike topples. Manage to roll out of it, not too injured. Just roadrash, strained wrist. Turns out bike had just obtained puncture and just threw off this backheavy bike's centre of gravity further. 

Talking to Paco (affectionately called Amigo) the owner. Was enjoyable to listen to his passion of food, background and a little of his outlooks on life.

Change tire no worries, stop into service station to hydrate with 3L of water and fountain drink. Indian attendant, talking about his outlook on Texas life and isolation.

only 10km further down the road, tire deflated. Worried that I only had one more tube left and without footpump to achieve required pressure it would pinch, I give it a second chance and handpump it up again.

Lasts another 8km, I arrive in Moody to re-pump it against where you would have watered your horse. Ghost town with 3 out of 20 shops offering something. Google maps takes me down desolate area. Houses inhabited but with what could be seen as structurally hazardous. Heart breaks a little, at certain sights.

Country road time, with rolling hills of Texas. So many dogs, all it takes is one loose canon of one and one irresponsible owner. Pump up tires every now and then. Bike feeling unstable and one hand with limited strength from fall, I continue on.

Come across boys on road and girls on horses in paddocks, which houses Alpacas. There is a foreign dog interacting with their dog. Boys tell girls to go shoot it, 'properly Texas' style. Turn the corner and the girls exclaim that they are kissing each other, as dogs wrestle.

On back roads come into more junkyard areas. Pumping up bike for umpteenth time, a local comes out. Once again unfortunate situation where a lot had been taken from him, but talking of things in life, area and of course, sport. Sunsetting, I think I can see temple.

Wrong it is still 15km out and loose coordinates with google, elect to go old highway before it runs out, not sure where I am and with only a tail light take the same path as these trucks on what turns out to be ring road. Ran into a google map road, on track again.

Down industrial way, go to pump up again... Needle snaps trying to hard to pump. Hope it gets me into town. End up just short of downtown before it is flat as a pancake, I walk around (maybe bit naively)  trying to find town centre and wait for Damon to call me back. He is at work, all good made it safe.

Find outside internet, call my nan to wish her happy birthday and Damon picks me up and takes me to his work. Sorts me out with Australian birthday philly, wings and beer. Temple have interesting crowd. Night ends late with laughing about politics with Damon and his uncle Steve. Was constantly trying to drink enough water, all about the hydration.