The first thing I noticed about Texas was that there were oil pumps everywhere. The air smelt of oil. This state is massive and sits on a huge oil reserve, they're a rich state because of the oil and a lot of people have jobs in the industry. It's no wonder fuel is so cheap and they all drive big trucks, it keeps their economy rolling.
The first town of note in Texas was called Plains, a suitable name! We went to a supermarket to buy dinner and a lady called Estelle invited us to the Thanksgiving church service and after service meal! Estelle was married to a really nice guy called Evertt and we met their son Michael and his family. They were an interesting group of people, and we chatted to them while eating the excellent thanksgiving food!
Michael and his family have renounced their US citizenship and don't use money. They believe that Western society is bad, that people are becoming far to reliant on imports and other people and can no longer look after themselves. They are trying to become self sufficient on a small farm. They believe that sooner or later, there will be a war that ends society as we know it and when that happens they want to be prepared. So while that doesn't mean they can't use modern technology, they try to not rely on it. It's an interesting idea, and while I definitely think people in the West are becoming too reliant on technology and other people, I'm not sure how the family will benefit by removing themselves from it. Interestingly, although devout Christians, they follow the laws of the Torah, for example; circumcision and not eating pork.
Evertt was a really good guy. He was very knowledgeable on American history and told us about Texas, the cival war and slavery. He's a strong republican and had some very sensible arguments supporting Bush and against Obama and although I didn't agree with them, I could see his points. He also told us about the current drought in Texas, which was ruining farmers crops and had caused animals to be shot because there wasn't enough food to feed them. Him and Estelle were great hosts and we really enjoyed our night there.
Rain! The next morning we experienced the first rain in 3 months in Texas. The family were delighted as was the rest of the state! We weren't and couldn't help being a little bit annoyed by the rain's timing! As we left, Michael gave us a letter to read later on that day.
We cycled through the plains to Brownfield, where we got out of the cold and the rain in a Mexican restaurant. It was really cheap and the fajitas were delicious. Dave, the really friendly waiter gave us unlimited hot drinks and desert on the house. He also told us he'd be on Austin at the weekend. And if we were there, we should meet up.
We read Michael's letter and it was very interesting although contained a lot of animosity towards the US society. Also it told me that he and his friend Dallas had been praying and detected "pain and suffering" in my heart. I was a bit shocked they'd told me this and very confused because as far as I know I'm very happy right now!
With a lot to think about, we cycled to Samesa, where we met a guy called Arthur who phoned his church who offered to put us up in a Motel. It was really kind. I told the pastor we only needed a place to pitch the tents and he said he loved what we were doing and wanted to give us a comfortable night out of the wet and cold! Great guy!
We woke up in the Motel then headed over the road to a burrito cafe where Arthur had told us he'd buy us a couple of burritos for breakfast. Really generous people in Texas so far. We cycled on with nothing exciting to see and arrived at Big Springs, a thoroughly average place full of fast food restaurants. We went to a thoroughly appalling Mexican restaurant with the worst service I have ever seen. They brought the wrong drinks, then the wrong food for Harry, added the bill up wrong and charged Harry extra for food he hadn't ordered!
We cycled through some pleasant farmland that afternoon and saw deer running through fields. We camped on a ranch that night. We woke up wet in the tent the next morning. It was really hunid. After a slow start we cycled 18 miles to Sterling City, so many stupid trucks! We decided to take a route via Austin, it's supposed to be a cool place and we could meet up with Dave there.
Advertising Americans fantastic geographical awareness, a man who I was asking about where to eat told me there was a good place when we got you Sterling City. I pointed out that's where we were, there was a big sign saying so behind us! We had an utterly appalling burger at Dairy Queen then spent the afternoon cycling to San Angelo and playing 20 questions to pass the time. I got a puncture. We went to a supermarket for dinner then we left the town shouting Alan Partridge quotes. Texas was very monotonous by this stage!
Nothing happened all morning the next day. We arrived at Eden around midday on Thanksgiving day. We were invited to a Motel for lunch. A really nice family who own it put in a massive thanksgiving lunch for anyone who wants to turn up. We were welcomed in and ate turkey with about 20 other people. A girl who'd been on American Idol sang and we were educated in the ways of American Football. The mother owned a caravan in the next town, about 30 miles away so we cycled there in the afternoon and stayed there that night.
Finally, the following afternoon, Texas delivered some pretty countryside, hills and woods. We enjoyed the riding for the first time in a few days despite the headwind. We got talking to a fantastic family outside Maccy D's and the forces 20 dollars into our pockets to "buy a good meal". Fantastic people!
That night we found our good meal! In fact it was the best meal I've had on the entire trip. A pit BBQ called Coopers. We enjoyed massive pork chops, BBQ'd jacket potatos and salads. We got talking to a family who'd been hunting, the local people's favourite hobby. We were told how they pay money to a land owner then are allowed to hunt deer. They are taught as kids, how to track, shoot and prepare animals. The father uses a bow and arrow. Really cool thing to do. The state has laws limiting the number allowed to be hunted and they can take the meat home to eat. At the restaurant, another 20 dollars was donated to our food fund and as we left, we were given a massive steak each, "for the road"! It might not be the most exciting state, but the people are so kind.
That night we slept in a tunnel under the road again. Unfortunately at about 11 o clock it started raining, heavily! The tunnel started filling up fast and everything was in danger of getting soaked. We rushed out, put the tents up and moved everything in. The only casualty was a corner of my sleeping bag, which fell into a puddle, but on the whole, not bad! It was great being in the tent with the thunder and lightening outside.
That day we cycled into Austin. Dave contacted us and told us where he was staying, the doubletree hotel. We cycled there and it turned out to be the Hilton! We pushed our dirty bikes through the sparkling reception and amazingly were allowed to take them up to the room. We had a quick wash and found the most respectable of our clothes, half of which were damp after the thunder storm the last night. Then we headed out into Austin, we went to a few bars, then the famous 6th street. Was a good night and good to get off the bikes for a night.
The next day, we had a slow start, watched Star Wars in the hotel reception then did about 20 miles in the afternoon. We camped at an RV park that night.
The less said about the next couple of days, the better. It was incredibly boring cycling around the outskirts of Houston, the 3rd biggest US city. I think we must have seen over 100 Mcdonalds. It was one big shopping centre. There was drive-thru/drive-in everything: restaurants, banks, pharmacies, churches, cinemas, liquor stores, a place where u can buy an alcohilic drink, post offices. I just don't understand where evolution decided that it would be great to be so lazy that getting out of your car becomes such an inconvenience! You can even get married in a drive-thru wedding chapel in Vegas. Unbelievable.
We were so bored that we tried to work out how much packaging Mcdonalds gets through in Houston. We guessed 500 restaurants in the city area, most are 24 hours, they probably average at least 30 people being served a meal every hour so that's 360,000 meals per day in Houston. If an average meal packaging weighs around 50 grams, that's 18 tons of rubbish per day and 6570 per year!
The gas-guzzling trucks were more present than ever and the worst thing I saw was a church flashing the following message in LED light on a sign outside: Christ has risen, Christ is the Son of God, therefore Islam is false. There was a mosque down the road, I wonder what they think of that! I never experienced any animosity towards Christianity in Asia, but here in supposedly good and great America they are flashing that message past millions of commuters every day.
I was becoming disillusioned with American society but it's important to remember the great bits of the country I've been through too. The final night in Texas restored my faith in Texas! We were invited into a young guys house, who was BBQing a deer him and his mates had shot with a bow earlier that day. It tasted amazing, we talked to the hunting group about stalking deer and whether they preferred shooting with a bow or a rifle! There were a lot of weapons around, but I have no problem with people owning guns for hunting, it's only when they own them for 'self defense' that I don't think it's right.
One more days ride brought us into the swamps near the Gulf of Mexico and finally the Louisiana State border. We cheered as we escaped Texas! Not the most exciting bit of the ride, but important to have experienced. The main positive to take from Texas is the Texans, who although often unusual are almost all very kind and friendly people.
The first town of note in Texas was called Plains, a suitable name! We went to a supermarket to buy dinner and a lady called Estelle invited us to the Thanksgiving church service and after service meal! Estelle was married to a really nice guy called Evertt and we met their son Michael and his family. They were an interesting group of people, and we chatted to them while eating the excellent thanksgiving food!
Michael and his family have renounced their US citizenship and don't use money. They believe that Western society is bad, that people are becoming far to reliant on imports and other people and can no longer look after themselves. They are trying to become self sufficient on a small farm. They believe that sooner or later, there will be a war that ends society as we know it and when that happens they want to be prepared. So while that doesn't mean they can't use modern technology, they try to not rely on it. It's an interesting idea, and while I definitely think people in the West are becoming too reliant on technology and other people, I'm not sure how the family will benefit by removing themselves from it. Interestingly, although devout Christians, they follow the laws of the Torah, for example; circumcision and not eating pork.
Evertt was a really good guy. He was very knowledgeable on American history and told us about Texas, the cival war and slavery. He's a strong republican and had some very sensible arguments supporting Bush and against Obama and although I didn't agree with them, I could see his points. He also told us about the current drought in Texas, which was ruining farmers crops and had caused animals to be shot because there wasn't enough food to feed them. Him and Estelle were great hosts and we really enjoyed our night there.
Rain! The next morning we experienced the first rain in 3 months in Texas. The family were delighted as was the rest of the state! We weren't and couldn't help being a little bit annoyed by the rain's timing! As we left, Michael gave us a letter to read later on that day.
We cycled through the plains to Brownfield, where we got out of the cold and the rain in a Mexican restaurant. It was really cheap and the fajitas were delicious. Dave, the really friendly waiter gave us unlimited hot drinks and desert on the house. He also told us he'd be on Austin at the weekend. And if we were there, we should meet up.
We read Michael's letter and it was very interesting although contained a lot of animosity towards the US society. Also it told me that he and his friend Dallas had been praying and detected "pain and suffering" in my heart. I was a bit shocked they'd told me this and very confused because as far as I know I'm very happy right now!
With a lot to think about, we cycled to Samesa, where we met a guy called Arthur who phoned his church who offered to put us up in a Motel. It was really kind. I told the pastor we only needed a place to pitch the tents and he said he loved what we were doing and wanted to give us a comfortable night out of the wet and cold! Great guy!
We woke up in the Motel then headed over the road to a burrito cafe where Arthur had told us he'd buy us a couple of burritos for breakfast. Really generous people in Texas so far. We cycled on with nothing exciting to see and arrived at Big Springs, a thoroughly average place full of fast food restaurants. We went to a thoroughly appalling Mexican restaurant with the worst service I have ever seen. They brought the wrong drinks, then the wrong food for Harry, added the bill up wrong and charged Harry extra for food he hadn't ordered!
We cycled through some pleasant farmland that afternoon and saw deer running through fields. We camped on a ranch that night. We woke up wet in the tent the next morning. It was really hunid. After a slow start we cycled 18 miles to Sterling City, so many stupid trucks! We decided to take a route via Austin, it's supposed to be a cool place and we could meet up with Dave there.
Advertising Americans fantastic geographical awareness, a man who I was asking about where to eat told me there was a good place when we got you Sterling City. I pointed out that's where we were, there was a big sign saying so behind us! We had an utterly appalling burger at Dairy Queen then spent the afternoon cycling to San Angelo and playing 20 questions to pass the time. I got a puncture. We went to a supermarket for dinner then we left the town shouting Alan Partridge quotes. Texas was very monotonous by this stage!
Nothing happened all morning the next day. We arrived at Eden around midday on Thanksgiving day. We were invited to a Motel for lunch. A really nice family who own it put in a massive thanksgiving lunch for anyone who wants to turn up. We were welcomed in and ate turkey with about 20 other people. A girl who'd been on American Idol sang and we were educated in the ways of American Football. The mother owned a caravan in the next town, about 30 miles away so we cycled there in the afternoon and stayed there that night.
Finally, the following afternoon, Texas delivered some pretty countryside, hills and woods. We enjoyed the riding for the first time in a few days despite the headwind. We got talking to a fantastic family outside Maccy D's and the forces 20 dollars into our pockets to "buy a good meal". Fantastic people!
That night we found our good meal! In fact it was the best meal I've had on the entire trip. A pit BBQ called Coopers. We enjoyed massive pork chops, BBQ'd jacket potatos and salads. We got talking to a family who'd been hunting, the local people's favourite hobby. We were told how they pay money to a land owner then are allowed to hunt deer. They are taught as kids, how to track, shoot and prepare animals. The father uses a bow and arrow. Really cool thing to do. The state has laws limiting the number allowed to be hunted and they can take the meat home to eat. At the restaurant, another 20 dollars was donated to our food fund and as we left, we were given a massive steak each, "for the road"! It might not be the most exciting state, but the people are so kind.
That night we slept in a tunnel under the road again. Unfortunately at about 11 o clock it started raining, heavily! The tunnel started filling up fast and everything was in danger of getting soaked. We rushed out, put the tents up and moved everything in. The only casualty was a corner of my sleeping bag, which fell into a puddle, but on the whole, not bad! It was great being in the tent with the thunder and lightening outside.
That day we cycled into Austin. Dave contacted us and told us where he was staying, the doubletree hotel. We cycled there and it turned out to be the Hilton! We pushed our dirty bikes through the sparkling reception and amazingly were allowed to take them up to the room. We had a quick wash and found the most respectable of our clothes, half of which were damp after the thunder storm the last night. Then we headed out into Austin, we went to a few bars, then the famous 6th street. Was a good night and good to get off the bikes for a night.
The next day, we had a slow start, watched Star Wars in the hotel reception then did about 20 miles in the afternoon. We camped at an RV park that night.
The less said about the next couple of days, the better. It was incredibly boring cycling around the outskirts of Houston, the 3rd biggest US city. I think we must have seen over 100 Mcdonalds. It was one big shopping centre. There was drive-thru/drive-in everything: restaurants, banks, pharmacies, churches, cinemas, liquor stores, a place where u can buy an alcohilic drink, post offices. I just don't understand where evolution decided that it would be great to be so lazy that getting out of your car becomes such an inconvenience! You can even get married in a drive-thru wedding chapel in Vegas. Unbelievable.
We were so bored that we tried to work out how much packaging Mcdonalds gets through in Houston. We guessed 500 restaurants in the city area, most are 24 hours, they probably average at least 30 people being served a meal every hour so that's 360,000 meals per day in Houston. If an average meal packaging weighs around 50 grams, that's 18 tons of rubbish per day and 6570 per year!
The gas-guzzling trucks were more present than ever and the worst thing I saw was a church flashing the following message in LED light on a sign outside: Christ has risen, Christ is the Son of God, therefore Islam is false. There was a mosque down the road, I wonder what they think of that! I never experienced any animosity towards Christianity in Asia, but here in supposedly good and great America they are flashing that message past millions of commuters every day.
I was becoming disillusioned with American society but it's important to remember the great bits of the country I've been through too. The final night in Texas restored my faith in Texas! We were invited into a young guys house, who was BBQing a deer him and his mates had shot with a bow earlier that day. It tasted amazing, we talked to the hunting group about stalking deer and whether they preferred shooting with a bow or a rifle! There were a lot of weapons around, but I have no problem with people owning guns for hunting, it's only when they own them for 'self defense' that I don't think it's right.
One more days ride brought us into the swamps near the Gulf of Mexico and finally the Louisiana State border. We cheered as we escaped Texas! Not the most exciting bit of the ride, but important to have experienced. The main positive to take from Texas is the Texans, who although often unusual are almost all very kind and friendly people.
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