February 6th, 2008 | categorizilation: all categories,USA (Texas)
Today’s distance / ???????: 46.2 miles / 74km
Average speed / ????: 8.0mph / 12.9km/h
Time on skateboard / ????: 5h 45m
Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 2429mi (plus 266mi) / 3909km (plus 430km)
Ascent / ??: 470m
Descent / ??: 580m
End-of-day GPS coordinates: N30.08.38.4, W096.43.56.3
Warm when I went to sleep last night, I woke up at 7am shivering. The cold northwester was doing its thing. Chilly. On went the layers. Two very lightweight merino wool base layers, a mid-weight merino wool jacket, a down vest, and a waterproof jacket to block the wind and to keep any wayward warm air from escaping from between the layers into the atmosphere. Below I have a merino wool pair of long johns and a pair of nylon trousers on. I make a mental note to get some fleece trousers…
The roads for most of the morning were not kind. A very wide shoulder but rough chipseal. At times I am moving at no more than 5mph uphill into the cold headwind on the rough surface.
The air is clean and crisp however, and I am feeling good.
Stopping in at a small grocery for water, locals Ben and Bubba treat me to a hot cup of coffee. Thanks guys!
The road approaching Brenham did have its good spots, with some stretches of smooth asphelt. Nice rolling hills made the going interesting, with more to think about than just counting to 15 over and over (15 pushes with each leg on the flat). I am getting a little compulsive with this counting thing now. Because I am counting over and over for over 6 hours a day, I find myself counting the weirdest things now. Counting chewing repetitions. Counting breaths. Counting page turns on books. It can’t be healthy.
The rough roads returned entering Brenham, and a narrow slither of conctere in the form of a gutter was the only refuge for me.
Brenham is home to some wonderful old Texas homes.
After the compulsory Brookshire Brothers lunch stop, I headed out of Brenham on the super smooth but super busy US290 highway towards Austin. I have told Kelly, a friend of a friend, than I will be there by Friday. At 87 miles, I should make it no worries.
The wind was cold, but the sun was relentless in the afternoon. Once again I reminded myself that I need to devise some sort of sun visor for my helmet.
By the end of the day, I had made it as far as Carmine on US290. Any small towns along this route seem not to have benefitted much from having a major highway cut through them. The only highway-front stores are antique stores, of which there are a plethora.
Camping tonight in another thicket of trees off the side of the highway.
February 5th, 2008 | categorizilation: all categories,USA (Texas)
Today’s distance / ???????: 54.7 miles / 88km
Average speed / ????: 8.4mph / 13.6km/h
Time on skateboard / ????: 6h 29m
Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 2383mi (plus 266mi) / 3835km (plus 430km)
Ascent / ??: 470m
Descent / ??: 530m
End-of-day GPS coordinates: N30.23.03.6, W096.06.41.5
The weather was seriously dubious today. Will it rain, or won’t it? The forecast was for thunderstorms and all sorts of badness. It did sprinkle a little in the morning, but on the whole, the rain held off all day.
I traveled through the little town of Montgomery today. It has a population of about 480 people, but has one of the biggest high schools I have seen. Ever. The birthplace of the Texas Star, apparently, the city of Montgomery seems to be having some difficulties keeping peope there.
It is also the home of the Lone Star Cowboy Church. How I wish I had been here on Sunday.
Moving right along, and finally hitting some smooth roads out of Montgomery, I was well on my way towards getting to Navasota before dark.
Just as I was approaching Navasota, the forecast NW front arrived with force.
The frigid dry air hit the southerly flow of warm damp air with a vegance, with every intention, it seemed, to push it out of its way with ease. Not so, said the moist southerly. The warm southerly wasn’t giving in easily. The cold dry northwester ploughed on anyway, driven downwards, undercutting the warm southerly, which projected upwards in a massive dark wave. The northwester took one one airborne particle at a time and turned it to the dark side, pushing with all its might towards the south. The southerly continued to resist, stalling the northwesterly in its track. The warm southerly flow rose up and up and up, arcing over the cold air that was rushing in underneath it.
As this battle was raging overhead, I rolled on silently below. Looking behind me from a safe distance, I could see what looked like the underbelly of a massive ocean wave, suspended in the sky. Ten minutes later, I arrived in Navasota to see all hell break loose.
As the air particles rubbed against each other, electrons were lost. Great arcs of energy streaked across the sky. Vertically, horizontally. Flashes of blue-white illuminted the darkness. Ear splitting cracks of thunder reverberated and shook the earth.
I counted my blessings that the northwester was stronger than the southerly, pushing the comotion away from Navasota. I took shelter in the wonderful Brookshire Brothers anyway, just in case the southerly made any last ditch effort to stop the marrauding northwester.
This Brookshire Brothers is a great thing. It seems to be the only major gorcery store in Texas. Or in the smaller towns at least. They have a deli area where you can get fried chicken. Lots of fat and protein, but they are rather thin on the carbs. So…I buy either some of their fresh baked french bread or some tortillas, and have a couple of pieces of fried chicken as filling. Add an avocado and a tomato, and you’ve got a great massive calorific delight for not too many pennies.
I camped tonight at the far end of a half-finished residential development area just outside of Navasota, the lightning lighting my way in the dark.
February 4th, 2008 | categorizilation: all categories,USA (Texas)
Today’s distance / ???????: 46.5 miles / 75km
Average speed / ????: 7.5mph / 12.1km/h
Time on skateboard / ????: 6h 11m
Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 2328mi (plus 266mi) / 3747km (plus 430km)
Ascent / ??: 305m
Descent / ??: 270m
End-of-day GPS coordinates: N30.32.04.2, W095.30.06.3
Farm and Market Road 150. Would have been very nice had I been on a bicycle. The rough chipseal was tough going on a skateboard though. Tough, tough going. But hey, I’ve averaged less than 12km/h on my bike before.
Before the rough road madness began, Liz treated me to a great ‘Southern Breakfast’ if biscuits and sausage gravy. Basically a thick white sauce with great big lumps of tasty sausage meat mixed in, the gravy is smothered over freshly baked scones (they have funny names for things here in this part of the world). Stick-to-your-ribs type breakfast that promised to keep me going.
Warren and Liz Henley are a retired couple who since retiring have settled just out of the small town of Dolen. Their 100 acre property is made up of 50 acres worth of water. Old gravel pits have since filled with spring water, and are home to all sorts of wildlife; one of the Henley’s dogs got eaten by a 9-foot alligator. The alligator didn’t last long. After it’s second visit, it got aqcuainted with a blob of lead. As did another that decided to grace them with its presence. Harsh, it seems, but I’m sure an alligator with a mouth the size of your leg would make you reconsider your nature-loving tendencies.
Skating out of Dolen, I passed numerous ranches, all with glamorous main gates, in grand Texas style.
The roads are being re-surfaced however, and just out of Coldspring, I had the downhill of the skateboarding trip so far. Super smooth blacktop, brand new. The downhill was only all of half a mile, but it was great stuff.
For the 13 miles approaching New Waverly I had to share the road with heavy traffic, and very narrow shoulders. In times like this, it is a process of skating a few hundred metres, pulling off the road for the approaching traffic to pass (I skate towards traffic when the shoulders are narrow), and then resuming skating for another few minutes before I have to get off the road again. Very frustraiting.
I ended up camping just outside of New Waverly in a thicket of woods. Dinner was tuna, cheese and hot sauce tortillas. Very good.
February 3rd, 2008 | categorizilation: all categories
Yes. In a massive change of plans, I am going to skateboard across China.
(Image courtesy of NPR’s On the Road In China series)
14th of April 2008. I am booked on a flight to Shanghai, China. While I’m at it, I figure I may as well make history. The first person ever to skateboard the breadth of The People’s Republic of China. It should also extend the current world record to about 7,000 miles.
I am booked on a flight that leaves from Los Angeles, California. I am certainly not going to cut my trans-US journey short. I have just over two months to skate to Los Angeles, apply for a Chinese visa at the Chinese Embassy Consulate in Los Angeles, and get on the plane.
Why? To be honest, I was never really all that keen on skateboarding through central America. Or sailing across the Pacific, for that matter. To really do a skateboarding journey justice, a certain level of guaranteed skateable roads is required. China offers this. A 3,000 mile long slither or brand new blacktop that stretches from the northwest Kazakhstan-China border, to Shanghai on the mid-east coast of China. Highway 312. While I’m in skating shape, I may as well go for it.
Also, a long time blog reader, Jean, recently asked whether skateboarding through civilization lessened the sense of adventure. The answer is a definite yes. I yearn for the raw adventure of Asia.
I will fly to China, spend April, May, June and part of July skating across the country, then fly home to New Zealand.
It will be an epic expedition. 3,000m plus high road passes, the remote and hostile Takla Makan and Gobi deserts, communication and language barriers, tough bureaucracies (I was arrested last time I was in China). The expedition will be totally solo and unsupported. No back up vehicles.
Raw and real, this will be an expedition to stay tuned to.
February 3rd, 2008 | categorizilation: all categories,USA (Texas)
Today’s distance / ???????: 32.6 miles / 52.5km
Average speed / ????: 8.9mph / 14.3km/h
Time on skateboard / ????: 3h 39m
Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 2282mi (plus 266mi) / 3672km (plus 430km)
Ascent / ??: n/a
Descent / ??: n/a
End-of-day GPS coordinates: N30.24.53.6, W094.54.03.2
First of all a massive thanks to all the folks at Honey Island Baptist Church, especially Pastor Mel, for putting me up last night. It was great to attend your service this morning.
The church service kept me out of the rain this morning. A good thing, as it really rained hard. By 1pm I was away however, and the skies were looking good. A smooth road paved the way to Dolen, where I just made it in time for the evening service at the Dolen Baptist Church.
All along the route, I began to feel the slow change from lowland to the wide open plains that I am looking forward to so much in west Texas.
Decay of old ranches, forests cleared for rearing cattle.
Tonight I am staying with Warren and Elizabeth Henley tonight, a lovely couple from the church.
February 2nd, 2008 | categorizilation: all categories,USA (Texas)
Today’s distance / ???????: 56 miles / 90km
Average speed / ????: 7.5mph / 12.1km/h
Time on skateboard / ????: 7h 28m
Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 2249mi (plus 266mi) / 3620km (plus 430km)
Ascent / ??: n/a
Descent / ??: n/a
End-of-day GPS coordinates: N30.23.41.9, W094.26.08.9
Fantastic day. Awesome. Great enough to feel good and jump for joy.
Highway US96 was a super wide, concrete runway.
There was a stiff headwind, however. That’s why it took more then seven hours to so the distance I did.
All in all, however, a great start to the state of Texas!
February 1st, 2008 | categorizilation: all categories,USA (LOUISIANA),USA (Texas)
Today’s distance / ???????: 47 miles / 75.7km
Average speed / ????: 7.5mph / 12.1km/h
Time on skateboard / ????: 6h 16m
Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 2193mi (plus 266mi) / 3530km (plus 430km)
Ascent / ??: n/a
Descent / ??: n/a
End-of-day GPS coordinates: N30.38.17.8, W093.54.05.9
Feeling fairly good today after a restful day out of the rain yesterday. It was dry and sunny all day, with smooth roads for a change all the way along US Highway 190 in Louisiana, right up to the Texas border. I was elated at hitting some good hills at last, with gentle ups and downs towards Maryville in Louisiana.
For the first time in the US so far, I met some more long distance human powered travelers. I met Stephane and Sheri Marchiori at the Louisiana-Texas border. They have been cycling around the world for the last four years.
We exchanged notes on gear selection, road information. They were well kitted out, and apparently living very well on the road.
I arrived in Kirbyville after dark, after struggling on rough chipsealed roads. Highway US96 seems to be a smooth superhighway, so was a welcome change. I set up camp between small pines in a field.
