Travelling Without Emissions - Wilfried Steinbach: Day 242

Day 242, 130 km and a lift of 40 km

I chose a smaller road (route 27) which on the map looked as if it went along a river to Kerrville. But it went far enough from the river in the hills so there were many ups and downs! Sometimes the views were great.

In Kerreville I fixed my second flat that day. I inflated the tire at a tire shop and when I left the place the tire jumped off the rim so the tube exploded. I continued to the Interstate (Freeway) and just when I passed a Rest Area I discovered that my tire was flat again. I took off the tube and in a bucket of water (which I was able to borrow) I found two more holes.

At this moment a guy called Olan asked me where I was going. I told him that I had planned to go to New Braunfels that day because I had got an invitation from a member of warmshowers.org, but I was not sure if I could make it. He was a bicycler and had a pickup, so he offered me a ride to Boerne, about 40 km SW from the Rest Area. From there it was only 55 km to Braunfels. I arrived there already 6:30 pm!

Kathy and Steve had prepared my visit with buying a six-pack local beer. They also had read my blog and had a lot of questions about my trip. We had a wonderful evening!

This is a picture of their living room, which reminded of mine in Stockholm. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of them so they have to come to visit me!

Day 243, 115 km

Next day I served my bicycle in Steves garage. He once had been a bicycle mechanic and had all tools I needed. Kathy had tried to find a seller for my International Caming Gaz cartridges. But it seemed hopeless to find one, so she had offered me her gas stove. I gave her instead my blanket and my bag with pecans...

I left the place quite late and when I passed New Braunfels I went into a bicycle shop to check the air pressure in my tires. The owner, Chris, was really interested in my trip and my problems along the road. He asked me if there was anything I needed and I told him about my bad tires. He recommended to insert tire liners between the tubes and the tire. He had done it when he was riding from Florida to California (in only 18 days!) and he had only got 6 flats. He finally sponsored my trip with two of those ribbons.

On the Interstate I soon passed a Rest Area. They always have some booths like in a museum with things that tell you about the surrounding. I learned to know hat there were a lot of German immigrants in the surrounding. That's why you could find places like Frederiksburg, Fischer, Braunfels, Waelder, Hochheim, Weimar, Schroeder and so on. They also showed in a booth a magazine written for German housewives in America. It was published at the same time as USA was in war with Germany!

Outside the Rest Area an old man asked me where I came from. As I answered from Sweden (I always say this because I started my trip there) he told me in German that his father was from Sweden and his mother from Germany. He spoke fluently German and knew how many inhabitants there were in Sweden and how many dollars a Swedish Krona was. He was happy to be able to practice a little German with me...

I stopped quite early that day.

Day 244, 165 km

As I got another double flat and decided that this was a good reason to install my new Tire Liners to improve the (non existing?) safety system of my Continental Contact tires.

Then I passed Schulenburg, a city with about 2500 inhabitants who were very proud about their name and their German culture. They even wrote Schulenburg on their water tower.

The fields changed from brown to green and I could see signs that it must have rained recently.

Suddenly I saw something which looked like some balls in the fields.

It was three Giant Puffballs. The biggest was about as big as a basket ball. I only took the two smaller ones.

Soon I stopped to test my new gas stove.

I slices the mushroom, used a lot of olive oil, salt and pepper (thanks, McDonalds!) and made wonderful vego burgers. They tasted something in between melted mozarella and tofu. I ate six burgers for lunch and still had only used a half of the mushrooms.

Now I felt so strong that i decided to go to Houston Center in the evening, so I could leave the city next morning. That way I would not get stuck in the rush hour traffic.
Houston was very big and it was not so easy to find good roads. But my plan worked out well. At 9 pm I passed the center.

Along the highway they had giant sculptures.

When I had passed the center I found a calm park where i could pitch my tent.

Day 245, 135 km

Next morning I found small roads leading me under all freeways out of Houston.

From a bridge near the Port I for the first time saw water from the Gulf of Mexico. But I decided that this is not really the Atlantic, I had not crossed the continent yet.

In the marshlands I decided to male a little detour to Texas Chenier Plains Refuge Visitor Center.

It was a huge building with a lot of interesting exhibitions and movies about the importance of the marshlands. And it was nice to hear birds and frogs instead of cars and trucks!
I watched carefully if i could see any Alligators but they were invisible.
For lunch I made another six vego- burgers but after I had eaten four I decided to save two for dinner.

Not only the woods were flooded but also all fields in the area. Farmers were burning straw and there were birds everywhere in the wetlands.

In the evening I ate my two vego burgers but they were not so tasty as I thought the day before. Actually I got some stomach ache and longed for a beer to help my digestion.
Late in the evening I actually found a restaurant in Beaumont where I could drink one. Strange enough I was not hungry at all (usually I eat at least five meals a day).
I was very tired after the restaurant and decided not to leave the city, but sleep close to a catholic church in the middle of the town.
I woke up in the middle of the night because I was not well. But after I vomited I felt better...

Day 246, 120 km

I woke up early and decided it was good to pack before anybody discovered me. But I still was too tired to start. So I decided to join the Mass in the church which begun at 8:15.