Day 18 (5/10/22): A Delightful Pedal Through the Lone Star State
Start: Amarillo, TX
End: Shamrock, TX
Mileage: 70 miles
Elevation Gain: 994 feet
As big as Texas is, I’m only spending a little over 2 days here. Yesterday and today covered the bulk of it. Another 15 miles tomorrow morning, and I’ll be in Oklahoma.
The drill as we hit this very hot and potentially very windy portion of the ride is to get going as quickly after sunrise as possible to try and finish by 1 p.m. or so. It’s 100 in Shamrock right now and it will get even warmer. I don’t mind the heat, but there’s no avoiding slowing down and you have to carry lots more water.
Today’s ride was uneventful and not terribly scenic. Halfway through, I switched to Miles (touring bike), as I’ll be on my own for the next 2 days. Tish headed to Dallas to visit her cousin Stan. We’ll catch up in Oklahoma City on Friday. As an added bonus, we learned yesterday our nephew Taylor, who plays baseball for The University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio has a game against TCU in Fort Worth this evening which she’s going to be able to attend. More on that below.
We received some great coverage on New12 New Jersey last night. Here’s a link to the story. They pulled most of the content from the article that ran in the San Diego Union prior to our departure, so they also believe I live in Manasquan. No matter. I’m grateful for the coverage, and they hit the important parts.
What I’m Grateful for Today
I’m so pleased and excited Tish is going to be able to see Taylor play tonight. Taylor and I went to the Rose Bowl together earlier this year, and during the day, he described what life is like on the road for a D-1 baseball player. It’s hard on so many different levels. Long bus rides, crummy (most of the time) food, challenges in keeping up with academics, uneven sleep, and just the daily grind of being a college athlete. Taylor wasn’t looking for sympathy and definitely says it’s worth it because he gets to play at such a high level. He loves baseball. It’s his focus, but like most things, there’s a downside, and I have to believe having a friendly face in the crowd is a small help. Family supports family. Go Cardinals!
Tish is staying with our cousin Stan when she’s in Dallas. Stan is Tish’s cousin by blood, but he and I have adopted each other as cousins. He’s a very close friend with whom I’ve had a lot of fun over the years. We’ve hiked, fished, drank our share of single malt scotch, and vacationed together. He was definitely one of our social lifelines during Covid. There were many Zoom calls over the months. Stan has been incredibly supportive of my ride and sends inspiring messages on a regular basis that mean a great deal to me. He’s one of the greatest guys I’ve ever met, and I’m fortunate he’s my buddy.