Day 20 - Houston to Fair Grove

After seeking advice from the locals for a good place to grab breakfast in Houston, we were directed to the Texas County Hospital which was half a mile from where we spent the night. All four of us ate a full breakfast for about 7 dollars...what a deal! We filled up our water bottles and camelbaks at the service station next door to the Inn, took a quick picture in front the the Horse Creek Inn with the owner, Pony, and were on our way to Fair Grove (70 miles from Houston). The ride to Fair Grove was a nice change from the past two days. It consisted of soft rolling hills with no real big climbs. The traffic on the roads today was very light and the largest vehicles tended to be farm tractors and combines.

During the morning ride, we stopped for a quick break in Bendavis to refuel on Gatorade and use the bathroom facilities at the local service station. Sam made friends with a couple named Brian and Diana who wandering from town to town looking for odd jobs wherever they could find them. They were such a nice couple that Sam had her dad give them a ride to the next town over. They even joined us for lunch and we got our pictures taken with them. I wish them the best of luck.

We stopped for lunch in Hartville about 33 miles into the ride. Mr. Mangum had sandwiches all ready for us in a shady picnic area next to a river. After lunch, Sam decided to jump in. She complained how cold the water was, being the good Canadian I am, I had to test the water temperature for myself. I took a good running start and did a pretty good cannonball off the bridge (see picture). The water was cool, but very refreshing! Bob joined us soon after. Waterlogged, the three of us jumped back on our bikes around 1:30pm to finish the day's ride.

The afternoon ride was very peaceful and gave me the opportunity to dry off. I saw many cows, goats, bails of freshly cut hay, clouds that looked like cotton swabs, a few Amish folks on horse and buggy. It was a prefect afternoon. We rode to Fair Grove where we were picked up by Mr. Mangum who took us to Marshfield where we are spending the night at a Hotel. While we waited for Mr. Mangum to pick us up, Sam and I bought some organic blueberries at the Fair Grove Farmer's Market. The woman who sold us the blueberries offered us a place to stay at their farm for the night. We were sorry to have to tell her that we had already had a hotel room waiting for us, but she gave us some contacts in Colorado if we need a place to stay. We've been meeting such great people on the road!

Tomorrow we ride 107 miles to Pittsburgh, Kansas. A long day, but we plan on getting an early start. Off to bed for me! I hope you all enjoy the pictures.