Everything is BIGGER here...

Welcome to Texas!

  

 Texas drivers have been extremely courteous and their roads are huge! 

We have a bike lane the size of a car lane... WOO-HOO!

 Team Awesome has arrived in Texas where everything is BIGGER... Our first BIG Texas welcome was the unrelenting wind that we faced after leaving Bottomless Lakes State Park in New Mexico. Most everyone we spoke with assured us that the wind would be at our backs, we were hopeful, we were disappointed ... 70 miles to next stop it took us 10 grueling hours as we pushed and pedaled and tried to wrap our heads around the difficult task ahead of us. Alas, we arrived at our stop that night exhausted yet happy to be done with our ride for the day. The next morning we awoke from our tents to the same wind which was now prepping itself to become a storm. Long story short, 60 windy, cloudy miles later that day we were picked up by an AWESOME good Samaritan "Henry", a young Mennonite farmer who pulled over and said "you guys need a ride? I probably wouldn't be riding my bike in weather like this"...pause, Shogan and Dave agreed and we loaded our bikes onto his trailer and rode the final 9 miles to Seminole... 45 minutes later we were in our motel, our butts, our knees, our wrists, our necks, our backs, everything ached... yet we were ever so grateful to be there as we listened to the torrential rain and hail and wind pound down. As "Oregonians" we are now taking credit for bringing the Texas rain.

   

Very popular garden ornaments... or... hmmm...

We ended up staying 2 nights in Seminole to sit out the storm and take a much needed rest. The next morning we all said our goodbyes as Dave took the road going towards Austin and we headed on the 180 for Dallas. (We meet back up again in Western Texas on the 24th of May)

    Shogan and I had an amazing 75 mile ride that day, little wind, cooler temps and wide open land that goes on as far as the eye can see. We arrived late that afternoon in Gail TX, our first stop, the already closed Coyote Cafe. While we were assessing our camping options for the night a local (Clay Ham) stopped by and offered us some water and a place to stay for the evening. Initially I declined but he came back and insisted we take him up on his offer as it would be more comfortable and "he could use the company", a win -win for all of us. We thoroughly enjoyed the warm bed, laundry, shower, the dinner and breakfast Clay prepared for us, and his AWESOME company! The following morning we awoke to another Texas storm. Shogan and I stopped back in at the Coyote Cafe for a cup of coffee and some fun conversation with the locals as we sat and waited for the rain to dissipate. We learned that most Texans don't talk about religion in public however given that we were technically "out of staters" they gave us the "lo-down-hoe-down" on the influence of the Southern Baptist in the business of everyday Texans. Very interesting indeed...

   Realizing the rain was not stopping we made the decision to move forward once again. It rained and thundered and oh my...everything is bigger in Texas, we eventually made it to Snyder, riding our bikes through foot deep water as we entered the town. Soaked from head to toe, rain gear only works for so long, we have just stayed the in a motel and have awoken today to semi-sunny/cloudy skies and a stormy forecast. 

   Dave, who had ridden South the day before was awoken at 2:00 AM with a storm that soaked him and all of his gear. He was forced to pack up all of his wet stuff and pedal back to Big Springs and get a motel to sit out the storm. Our subsequent conversation started like this, OMG, OMG...we were all a little shocked by the raging water for sure!    

We met this AWESOME family, Greg, Becky and Alan Obregon at Bottomless Lakes.We thoroughly enjoyed hanging out and chatting with these hip and interesting people. They are all on my keeping in touch with list!

Bottomless Lakes are caverns/sinkholes that have filled with groundwater from the 

Capitan and Sacramento mountains that lie to the West of here.

Hiding from the wind in Laguna New Mexico.

Statue of Liberty... okay folks, oil extraction stinks! This plant reeked of chemicals as we rode downwind...hmmm...

Team Awesome loves camping and hanging and riding and each other!

Nice campsite:)... again!

This is Jose Merlos, josemerlos.wordpress.com , he is riding 15,000 miles total through 48 states to raise money for a waterwell in Cameroon. AWESOME and Amazing!

Last Team Awesome pic before the split... see you soon Davey C:)

Clay Ham saves the day!

I love me some "old timers" Bertie and Leon at the Coyote Cafe in Gail TX.

Now we must ride... 

Team Awesome Loves You!

~Michelle