so I want to skip boring stuff and catch up to speed quickly
but I end up being boring and showing maps like always, bleh.
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| Overview of progress Sept 16th |
Kilgore, TX to Longview, TX.
The last bastions of Texas on the eastern border are quite nice.
I liked Kilgore. It had a small quaint town feel to it. The community college was pretty and it was relaxing sitting in front of the library.
Yay, I'm in a place with forest trees. Cities start to resemble the New England suburb I grew up in. I feel a familiarity like I'm back on the east coast.
LOL. Eat your fortune cookie. Don't feed the fishes.
I wonder how many fish died to ill fortune.
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| Me wan tah Fohtune Kooky |
Sunday, September 4th.
Longview, TX.
Longview is a fairly large city with a loop of highway 281 to the north densely filled with shopping, dining, and lodging. Journal entries from that day were cranky. I think the heat and traffic congestion were getting the better of me. Stupid city, why are there so many people! You'd be awesome if you didn't just barely suck. No wait, I always sound like that.
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| Hinsley Park |
The chain got stuck and while yanking on it, I jammed the crank arm so it pulled out. The arms wobbled unsteadily afterwards.
It took me forty minutes, after a day of wandering around unable to find a good place to chill. I was hot and sleep deprived and fucking pissed that the old lady made me need repairs on the bike again. (It wasn't her fault. I shouldn't shift gears while climbing from a stop. But if she wasn't there, it wouldn't have happened.) Stupid old lady. Stupid city.
Monday, September 5th
Longview, TX
A fortuitous timing had me introducing myself to another bicyclist at LeTourneau University. It's a Christian school in the black neighborhoods to the south of Longview. I think he was 'stealing' some printer paper home, hehe, from the office.
Telling him about myself had a therapeutic effect. I'd been in town a couple of days without much of anything going right, even though the place seemed really promising. Well, I kinda resigned that this city would screw me over and that was all there was to it.
I felt in a state of pseudo-zen i-dun-giv-a-fuk pleasantness. But having someone listen to the highlights of the trip restored some balance to my self-worth. Yeah, I suppose all that other stuff was purdy good.
The coolest part about talking with my new friend at LeTourneau was he and I were just a couple of guys who enjoyed similar recreational things. No talk around the obvious difference of our beliefs, we had plenty else to make conversation, and I didn't get the religious pamphlet talk at all. I appreciated that.
My new acquaintance was totally into the outdoorsy bicycling nature scene. He was responsible over the student residence and he offered to help. I hadn't been able to find a shower in town on my own for days and my griminess was wearing down my civility toward old ladies. I was still mad about my damaged bicycle. A shower really helped turn my mood around.
I was let into an unused dorm. The shower was wonderful. I hadn't had a private room to shower in ... well, for a while. Usually it's slipping into a opportunist gym locker room, sampling an assortment of least-damaged too hot or too cold sprays, air drying over a sink, and peeling the same gross sweaty clothes back on afterwards. Thirty minutes just loosening up under a warm, steady stream of cleanliness with nobody watching. Ahh. Nice. Welcome back to society, Jonathan.
And with no one around, I could sing in the shower as much as I pleased. : - )
And also, there was a party sized tub of vanilla ice cream in the kitchen freezer. There was no one else around to eat it... yummm. I had to explore the place a little, come on.
Tuesday, September 6th
Longview, TX.
Got my bike fixed north of town at Wooley G's. The mechanic was a young man who worked diligently and had a great attitude. I watched him make repairs and he explained the process patiently. About two hours of labor and he only charged me an affordable price for the parts.
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| Sweg |
They even had a shower they invited me to use. I didn't need to be persuaded. They knew what a traveler needs. Two showers in two days! I was spoiled! And the resident Dogey was happy to play fetch with me.
I got a few critical problems fixed. A cup on one side of the bottom bracket had a thread gap three times its original size, where the cup jumped outwards. My brake pads were worn to bits.
My saddle bags touching the rear brake arm prevented me from adjusting the pads close enough to have stopping power. The bags would tap the arm and engage the brakes unintentionally. The mechanic added a spacer to the bicycle rack bolt so the rack would push the bag farther away from the brake. His idea was a winner, even if the spacer was insufficient, and I added more spacers a few days later to achieve full clearance.
In the afternoon, I revisited my friend at LeTourneau to receive some dehydrated meals and travel gear. The headlamp he gave me has been useful to keep my hands flashlight free at night, and effective at flashing obnoxiously at potential hit-n-run motorists. I swing the lamp around my head, depending on whether the darkness ahead is more dangerous or the traffic from behind.
I had nothing else to do that evening, and I wanted to shoot baskets. We talked for a spell and then before moving on to some other business, he escorted me into the Recreation Center. This was great! Bicycling across the country wasn't stopping me from doing what I do. I made a hundred free throws and twenty three pointers. Them knees got well sore. Reminded me basketball took a heavy toll. I felt heavy in the legs the next day and appreciated how easy bicycling was by comparison.
Three nights in Longview already. My bicycle was fixed up, and good things had come about. Was time to get back on the road. Need to keep momentum going. Motion creates motion and stillness creates stillness. My legs already losing their traveling form.
Texted my LeTourneau friend the next morning, on the road out of town. I think he prayed for me to accept the Lord, as any good Christian would - I think that is what they all mean when send their prayers, although I equally believe it meant plainly to have a safe and prosperous journey. Which was pretty cool of him.
You grumpy old man.
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