Texan Double Six Shooter = 66!!

Day 12. 45 mi. 4:20 hrs. 1308 elev. 10.4 mph. April 15

Today would be a very good day to have a good day! (Cue Michael Franti😊). It’s my 66th birthday today. I was 63 when I started this ride in 2020 and here I am now 3 years older.

I was looking to have a good time today…so it started off with a 6 mile pedal to New Waverly for breakfast. Lucky us…we found Honey’s Coffee! They’re famous for their “orange biscuits”. That was like cake for breakfast. Yum..perfect start.

Unusual sighting today of 3 logging trucks. We were along the National Forest for several miles today.

Before we left breakfast it began to rain. More like steady drizzle. Rain jackets were on. First time since Arizona in 2020. It was warm and humid. Temps were comfortable. I think Curt was in heaven today. The shoulders were cruise worthy, the asphalt was fairly smooth, and the hills were low elevation. We didn’t see him for miles until Cold Spring. Another good stop (birthday celebrating still happening), The Hop had milk shakes and Boudin Balls…Cajun pork and rice balls, deep fried of course! Nothing to get too excited about.

Back on the road, another short bout of rain. Jackets on, jackets off. 10 miles left to our camp at Shepherd Sanctuary. Eclectic group of little cabins, outdoor shower, outdoor toilet area and also the indoor bathroom called the Tinkletorium. A little flashback to 2020 Marathon Texas Hostel. I think there might be a few other guests here but we haven’t seen them yet. The owners name is Peaches and her friend that helps is Candy. Candy even gave us a ride back into town (about 3 miles) dropped us off for dinner AND picked us up! Wow. So kind and generous! Talk about Texas hospitality.

It was a nice break from the Texas sun today. That meant no sunscreen (except some face). No arms, no legs. I like to wear my pink spf 50 long sleeve shirt most of the time. It’s very light and comfortable and I don’t have to wear arm sunscreen. I use the sunscreen that has zinc oxide (the white stuff). It works really well but it sure is hard to scrub off at the end of the day! So a sunscreen free day was welcomed.

Really can’t think of a better way to spend my birthday. I feel very fortunate by to have the good health, time, money and loving husband that enjoys the same adventures, to be able to take on this lifelong desire to pedal America! Thank you Jim and Curt for making this happen in 2022.