The Flooding of Texas
Mother nature won’t let up. It’s continually throwing different obstacles in my way in attempt to slow down or hault the progress of B4B. Nice try. It’s going to take a lot more than tornadoes, hail, sleet, a foot of snow, and floods to slow me down. However, these rains in Texas, are insane. When it rains, it pours.
I took off from my lodging in Duncan, Oklahoma a little later in the earlier. Mostly because I looked out my window to the south and saw some severely dark clouds looming in my path. Radar indicated that some storms may hit. Initially, I wanted to wait it out, but after an hour of waiting, I got too anxious and hit the road. Of course, the rains never came. Dang weather forecasts. The headwind however, was ever present. Just like the previous 9 days of riding, the wind was blowing from the south.
The ride was slow. The roads had solid shoulders that made riding relatively comfortable. Here in the south, everyone is calling me sir. It’s kind of weird, and I honestly don’t really like it. Don’t call me sir. Call me Matt. I don’t like being called these different names that make it as if I’m better than others. I’m not. I’m no better than anyone else in this world. I’m just a human being. I know in the south, it’s just out of habit, but it takes some getting used to.
I finally crossed into Texas. I definitely think Texas has the greatest anti-littering campaign that I’ve seen thus far. Their signs state “Don’t mess with Texas” a great way to utilize the infamous Texas tagline. I’ve previouly been warned of the rampant driving ways of Texas motorists. It doesn’t help my nerves when the welcome sign to the state encourages drivers to drive friendly. I’ll try to remain on some of the highways and roads with wide shoulders in order to increase my buffer between traffic, but I’m sure there will be times when I can’t help but travel some more than risky roads.
As I indicated in my previous blogpost, this stretch from Denver to Dallas has been tough mentally. Mostly because of lack of hosts. However, while riding towards Decatur, Texas I got a flat near a big time fruit and vegatable stand and BBQ stand. It turned out to be my best flat ever. Thanks to the kindness and generousity of the BBQ stand owners who were amazed about B4B, they not only provided me with a half rack of ribs for free, but they also paid for my hotel in Decatur. I could NOT believe it. The BBQ was also one of the best I’ve ever had in my life. If you’re ever traveling down Highway 287 towards Decatur, you’ve got to stop by Smokin’ Gunz BBQ. You won’t regret it.
It’s a good thing they paid for my hotel room, because otherwise I would have been camping along the side of the road once again. The rains began to pour. Many places in the area got between 5-8 inches overnight. That’s INSANE. Between my phone routinely alarming about flash floods warning, and the bolsterous kabooms of the thunder overhead, I was happy to have a roof over my head for the night.
The next day, while indulging in the continental breakfast, the TV blared footage of flooding taking place exactly where I was scheduled to ride. Great. I was hesitant, but realized that more than likely, I would just have to take a few detours to make it to Globe Life Park AKA The Ballpark in Arlington. There was definitely flooding, and detours had to be made, but the short 58 mile ride was a relaxing one. I even got to bike past the historic venue where my Packers won the Super Bowl in AT&T Stadium.
I snapped a few pictures in front of the ballpark before heading to the hotel that the gracious Diamond Dawls (a fan group of Rangers fans) put me up in. These Diamond Dawls were great. They knew they’re team, they knew the players, and they loved their Rangers baseball. I was scheduled to go to the ballgame on Sunday, but they invited me to tag along Friday night. More baseball? Sure, I’d love that! I even got to see two of my all-time favorite Brewers take the field in Prince Fielder and Yovani Gallardo. Plus, it was a gorgeous night for a ballgame.
With Josh Hamilton playing his second game back in Texas, he pleased the crowd in delivering not one, but two home runs! His first home run even got everyone in the ballpark free Denny’s! If you want to win over the fans, the best way to do it is to get them all free Denny’s! Hi5 Josh!
The Red Sox fans were ever present in the ballpark, and a low strike zone resulted in both John Farrell and Mike Napoli being tossed from the game. The Red Sox couldn’t muster up enough for a rally, and ended up losing the game. The Rangers are playing some great baseball as of late, and the fans are jumping back on the bandwagon. It’ll be interesting to see how the AL West ends up this year.
Thanks again to the Diamond Dawls who really spoiled me with the ballpark experience. From brisket to packing an extra Fielder jersey for me to don, they really made Arlington a ballpark to remember. Plus, I still get to go to another game on Sunday! Woohoo!
Today, I’m enjoying an off day. Yes, you read that right. An actual off day. Since April 24th, I’ve ridden just under 3,000 miles and have had only one off day. Right now I’m getting two, and boy am I enjoying every second of it. I slept in until 8:15 this morning, and it felt so, so good! I’ll head out of Arlington for Houston on Monday.
I’ll stay dry here in Dallas as the rain continues to pour. I’ll enjoy my off days, and enjoy some relaxation. Then I’ll be ready to hit the ground pedaling on Monday.
Matt