Day 33 - Richards, TX to Shepherd, TX

61.9 miles today
1,802.5 total trip miles
13.3 mph average
1,984’ climbing
FF - 4
MP - brother-in-law Dave Prom (RIP) & family.  He always had a story to tell, but was interested in your story too.  Skilled maintenance mechanic.  Loved the Land.  Worked hard, played hard, died young.

It took a few miles to get the legs working this morning after our off day.  The off day was sunny & warm.  Everyone was happy to have it.  The ride today wasn’t too bad - a little wind & a few hills.  The worst thing today was the traffic.  There was a nice wide shoulder to ride on, but the surface was really rough on the shoulder, so everyone wanted to ride on the road.  When a car was coming from both directions it was prudent to move to the shoulder.  The problem with that was a rumble strip that was deep & about 12” wide.  Every time I crossed it was a jarring experience.

We rode through the Sam Houston National Forest & if I didn’t know I was in Texas it could have been Northern Wisconsin.  There was even a large lake with fishing boats out.

I think the most interesting part of the day is the place we are staying tonight.  It is a home built facility with some indoor spaces.  I am sleeping in my tent.  This place was certainly not designed or built professionally & would not have a chance of passing any building codes.  The woman who owns it says that her interior design plan is to find stuff along side the road & bring it home to add to the collection.  Seeing the place, I believe her.

The above is just a small sample of the construction & here is her idea of art.

Everyone is turning in early tonight.  The weather forecast is 90% chance of rain & thunderstorms for tomorrow.  We were supposed to be camping again tomorrow night, but Bubba has found us an indoor space to stay in.  We still have to ride 60 miles tomorrow because the schedule doesn’t allow any off days.  Everything is reserved for us to stop every night & with a group this big it’s hard to just move things back a day.  All part of the adventure, but everyone is ready for some stability.  I’m impressed that the attitude of the group is still quite upbeat considering the challenges we have faced.

WDYLT - ILT Sam Houston is the only person to have been elected governor of 2 different states.  First in Tennessee, then Texas.