Day 22 - 94.9 miles - Bastrop, TX

I enjoyed my first night camping last night. I did wake up a few times during the night, thinking that a neighboring camper was snoring very loud. I finally realized that it was a few cows in the pasture just behind my site. Don't ask how I could confuse the two. Maybe it's my state of being exhausted day in and day out. This trip is turning out to be harder than I thought it would be. I have had to deal with extreme heat pretty much everyday since I left San Diego. Now not only am I dealing with 100 degree days, but extreme humidity. I no sooner rise, and within the first few miles I am sweating profusely. It's gross, to be honest. My clothes have only been washed once and that was at my friend Rick's house back in Arizona. I know I stink, but there is not much I can do about it. Even if I wash my clothes, by days end they will be no better then before. 

I left my campground around dawn, which I thought was pretty good for break down camp and packing up. These small ranch road are hard to cycle due to the horrible pavement and the roller coaster effect of up, down, up, down, for miles and miles. At most, I have a few more days of the Texas Hill Country and I should be past it. That will be a welcome relief to me and my sore legs. I biked through towns like Wimberley and Kyle, before I had to make a change. I pulled out my AAA map and noticed and more major road. Route 21 seemed to be a straighter shot and more than likely flatter. So I took it. At first it was a mistake, the shoulder was non existent and the truck traffic was heavy. After about 10 miles of the white knuckle death grip I had on the handlebar, the shoulder widen and I was able to relax. At this point I am still 20 miles from my planned destination, but I'am having a small problem. I'am overheating, and believe me, I know how that feels. I thought about calling it a day right where I was and tenting on a churches property that I just went by. I noticed a gas station ahead and made a bee line for it. They had a bags of ice for sale. As I headed over to buy a bag, a nice woman asked me if I wanted her extra ice she wasn't using. "Oh yes please", I said. My new plan is to ride with the bag of ice down my back and on my neck. I instantly felt better and somewhat refreshed. With this new trick I was able to fight my way to the town of Bastrop, where there is a State Park I will camp at. I made it, very wobbly legged. It took forever to check into a site, as a few people were ahead of me. I just felt my body radiating heat, almost like my skin was about to melt. I finally checked in and went to my site. First thing I did was to take a cold shower in the temporary bathrooms because the others are under construction. I didn't care, as long as cold water was coming from a shower head and splashing me back To life. Then I set up my tent on the sandy tent platform and ate what food I had in my bag. Which didn't consist of much, but there was no way I was hoping back on that bike and pedaling anywhere to get something for dinner. I was staying put and i'll do the best I can with what I got. I will refill my food sack in the morning. I am ready to collapse and if I were smart, i'd take a day off. As many of you know, I'am just not that bright. Do I like pain, and discomfort? I often wonder. I guess, why else would I be out here?

Photos: Texas Hill Country, aka "The Roller Coaster" - Downtown Kyle, Texas - Not a good sign to see for a cyclist "Shoulders End" - Also, not a good sign to see for a cyclist "Road Closed" - Downtown Bastrop, TX - My tent site in Bastrop State Park