A good ride

Sunday April 16th. Day 42. Shepherd to Silsbee 60 miles or 97 km. Day 19 in Texas.

After the severe thunderstorms last night it was cool this morning. It felt so much better. Sleeping inside had been the right decision. Dry, safe and easy packing. I was ready to hit the road just before 8 am. The route was pretty straight forward with a few turns I had to pay attention to but other than that there weren't any issues. 

For the 3rd day the scenery was green with trees and bushes on both sides of the road. There were many branches that had fallen onto the road and some trees clearly had been cut and moved to the side of the road so that traffic could get through. All because of the bad weather last night. Some areas were one storm away from flooding the road. Ditches and creeks were filled till the brim and there were huge puddles of water beside some of the roads.

There was, however, a difference today in that by about 10 am the road became more or less flat meaning no more heavy climbing. And this continued all day so I am beginning to believe that I am done with the hills and mountains. The other difference is that the wild flowers have disappeared. The grass is still very green but no more flowers.

The wind, mainly from the north, became quite strong around mid-morning making it challenging at times to keep a good pace. I planned to camp in Silsbee where an RV park supposedly accommodates cyclist. So when I stopped for my lunch I called the park but got the automated message.  I am still waiting for a call back. 

Silsbee is a town of about 6600 people. The properties are large with lots of grass. I saw some men sitting on their front porch so I struck up a conversation with them. They told me that the playground/park does have hydro but that camping might not be allowed. There was a big church across the road however, and there was a truck parked so I could ask there. 

The truck happened to belong to the pastor and he allowed me to pitch my tent beside the church. He also gave me some bottles of water. The church has several outlets outside so no problem charging my battery. There is shade but also sunny areas for me to sit and have my coffee. A perfect spot to spend a Sunday afternoon and I am sure that I will have a peaceful and restful sleep.