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Day 24 - May 18 - Playing the Storm
"If I'm not comfortable driving in this weather, I sure as hell shouldn't be biking in it."
Hi, and welcome back to my bike blog.
An Optimal Day
Today, by most measures of perfection, has been optimal. It could have gone differently.
The forecast predicted thunderstorms from way-too-early am until around 4pm, which
would have meant a late start, a day of worrying, and four and a half hours of biking at
the very best.
Instead, my eyes were glued to the weather forecast. I was out the door by 7, and I refreshed the
weather forecast every few minutes. The storm was delayed further and further, until I finally
saw that it was supposed to hit Denton at 11:00am. I got there at 10:30, and ate my breakfast
in a warm, dry, diner, as the weather outside went from dark, to windy, to lightning,
to pouring rain.
During a short break from the thunderstorm, I rode my bike for about 10 seconds to the
cafe on the other side of the town square, and sat there for two hours working on
mathcamp classes.
By 2:30pm, the storm was over, and a few minutes later, I was on the road again. I expected
to finish late, and not even get close to the amount I wanted to bike today, but I ended
up finishing my day very early, half an hour faster than Google predicted. So I decided
to do a small push today, and finished off with 130km.
I found a campsite, showered, and I'm looking forward to my cozy and comfortable sleeping bag
which I've really gotten more used to than any bed along the way.
The Image Gallery
Technically, still not a controlled exit highway, but pretty damn close.
I biked through a lot of suburb to get out of the Dallas metropolitan area. It
always amazes me how much of the same there can be in these residential areas.
Picture of the storm coming. Those dark drooping clouds are signifiers
that there is potential for tornadoes.
After the storm, I was greeted with this amazing sky. This picture is
not a sunset! It was taken at around 4:00pm!
I met this guy along the way. He's been biking for about six years, from
China to Africa, South America, and now to Alaska. Crazy!
This picture is for Sarah, who asked me if the cows here look different.
I laughed at the idea, but she's right! They do look different!
The Map
My bike is in need of a bike shop. That, or some duct tape TLC. I hope to find something in
Wichita Falls tomorrow.
Thanks for reading! See you tomorrow!
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