| Cross-Country Ramble 26: We
Declare Victory Sent: 96-06-09 21:20:28 EDT
We had the best weather of our trip yesterday as we pedaled east
from Galveston along the Gulf coast. A storm and weather front had
come through the day before, taking both the temperature and
humidity down from their accustomed 90's and the day was bright,
clear and breezy. We started our day with a 20-minute ferry ride to
the Bolivar Peninsula, where we found that our route was a flat
coastal road lined with places to stop and snack every 5 or 10
miles. During our previous two months' journey in sparser parts,
we'd learned to go inside and pig out every chance we got. Now, we
had to resist the urge to go into every cafe we saw. But we didn't
resist much--we indulged ourselves at several with a variety of
fresh-baked pastries. Many parts of the route were lined with summer
beach homes up on stilts. As we rode side-by-side on the broad
shoulder, we discussed which ones we wanted. By lunch time, we'd
finished our short 27-mile trip for the day. We rolled into High
Island's restaurant and had catfish baskets, featuring hunks of fish
coated on the outside with crispy cornmeal but tender and juicy
inside. Just up the road, we checked into the Birder's Haven B&B.
This area is on a migratory flyway and is apparently a birders'
paradise. However, the migratory season is over and we have the
whole place to ourselves.
This was one of the best days of our trip, except for two little
things: my knees. After first experiencing knee problems near Del
Rio, I asked for and got lots of good advice from bicycling
colleagues on the Internet. I had hoped that resting my knees for a
week, getting to flat ground, using my new low gears, moving my seat
back, keeping my cadence up and never pushing hard would solve the
problem, but it didn't. Only a few miles into the day, the pain
under the kneecaps was back again and after only 27 miles, even with
several rest stops, it was worse than ever.
Last evening, we briefly noted a common thread that ran through
the advice we'd gotten: Continuing to bike on hurting knees risks
permanent damage; stop if it hurts. We went to bed still planning to
bike eastward along the Gulf in the morning.
This morning we confronted the reality of our situation and
decided to declare victory here and now, 1763 miles and 59 touring
days from Ventura. We rode down to the Gulf, dipped our tires into
the water, sprinkled and blessed one another (without benefit of
clergy or aspergillum) and thankfully recalled the support we've
gotten from so many of you on our journey.
We've arranged to take the train back to Ventura and should
arrive there Wednesday. This tour is over; reflections will follow.
Ken
Itinerary
- Day 55-57: Galveston, TX
- Day 58-59: High Island, TX
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