Sunday morning, I got packed up after a great stay with Steve and Gail. I love Warm Showers and this was another wonderful experience. It was also very cold in the morning. Charles left earlier and I waited for the thermometer to rise above 32. Looking at the weather map, I noticed that the daytime temperatures are the same inland as along the coast but the night time and mornings are much warmer at the coast. I decided to go to the coast. I picked up Hwy 36 just a couple of blocks from the Gay Hill cycling clubhouse and it is a very good road with a wide shoulder. A few miles outside Brenham, Gail was driving back to the house and pulled over to say goodbye. They are such nice people and I hope to see them again.
Gay Hill cycling club recycle bins
Gay Hill one lane bridge
The road had a lot of rollers but nothing crazy. I rode through historic Brenham and then by lots of ranches. There were more and more majestic live oak trees. The day ended at the very inexpensive, $35, Star Motel in rundown Sealy along Interstate 10.
Lots of rollers
There was plenty of room but, seriously, why is the rumble strip in the middle of the shoulder?
Tricycle outside an antiques store
After a decent night's sleep I started out, again, in very chilly conditions. Once the sun rises the air warms up but the first couple of hours riding are tough. I have to wear gloves, buff over my nose, skull cap and plastic bags around my feet to keep warm. It's been so cold I started preparing my lunch in the motel so I don't have to fumble around in the cold. Usually, I pick up bread rolls to make sandwiches with hummus, avocado, cucumber, onion and spinach. I keep them in my cooler bag and that works out really well.
Even though it is so cold, my destination was Brazos Bend State Park to camp for the night. Today's ride on Hwy 36 was flat. It has been a long time since I've had a flat ride. I pulled into a convenience store hoping to pick up some veggies and the guys there said Brazos Bend was closed for hunting season. That was unexpected. There wasn't anything on the website about the campground being closed so I called but no one answered the phone. I ended up going into busy Rosenberg checking into a Motel 6 next to Interstate 10 for $40.
Cowboys getting ready for a round up.
Tuesday morning I could tell I was getting closer to the gulf. What a relief to have warmer temps to start out the day. Turns out Brazos Bend isn't closed and I had a delightful ride on back roads to the state park from Needville. I came upon a real cowboy scene where a herd of cows were being rounded up to separate the babies from the mommas. It was fun watching the guys but I felt sorry for the cows. Tough day for them, huh? One cowboy had a little dachshund wiener dog on his horse. Adorable! They were all interested in my trip and I gave them my card.
Rounding up the cattle
Video of cowboys having fun with the little dog
It was a beautiful day and Brazos Bend State park is gorgeous. There's an alligator zoo which looks worth a visit but I got there too late. Setting up my tent in a primitive site was $19. The campground is about 4 miles from the entrance and the tent area was a swampy mess. There was so much water I couldn't understand how they offered these sites. I called the office and they gave me a site by the main gate which meant riding back another 4 miles. It was a very beautiful ride and I would have had to ride it in the morning anyway. The only drawback to this camping section is there aren't any showers. One night without a shower will be ok. Just after I set up, a couple in a camper pulled in. They invited me over for wine and we had a very nice evening yakking away. This couple has traveled all over the world for many years. While making a last trip to the bathroom, I saw armadillos scurrying around in the trees. So cool - armadillos!
Swampy mess in the primitive sites
Cooking up a delicious dinner at Brazos Bend
Brazos Park road
Unfortunately, a group of young kids showed up setting up at the other end of the loop. They got really drunk and starting howling at the moon while swearing loudly. No bueño! In the morning, the camp host for the loop apologized saying she was too scared to confront them and there weren't any security people on duty to call for back up. They were so nasty I would have been too scared to confront them as well. Brazos Bend is a beautiful park but I really had a unfortunate time there.
Leaving the park
Needville landmark
Angleton mural
The temperature in the morning was much more reasonable. The kids were all passed out and I made breakfast in peace. It was another beautiful day with lots of sunshine and I was able to strip off my jacket, gloves, scullcap and rain pants. What a relief! The ride wasn't very interesting and I was seeing more and more companies servicing the gas and oil industries. Boy was I tired and only made it 27 miles to Angleton where I found another very inexpensive hotel.
Tomorrow, I should be at the gulf. It will be very nice to see the ocean again!
It was a beautiful day and Brazos Bend State park is gorgeous. There's an alligator zoo which looks worth a visit but I got there too late. Setting up my tent in a primitive site was $19. The campground is about 4 miles from the entrance and the tent area was a swampy mess. There was so much water I couldn't understand how they offered these sites. I called the office and they gave me a site by the main gate which meant riding back another 4 miles. It was a very beautiful ride and I would have had to ride it in the morning anyway. The only drawback to this camping section is there aren't any showers. One night without a shower will be ok. Just after I set up, a couple in a camper pulled in. They invited me over for wine and we had a very nice evening yakking away. This couple has traveled all over the world for many years. While making a last trip to the bathroom, I saw armadillos scurrying around in the trees. So cool - armadillos!
Would like to see the Angleton Mural. Can you tell what business it is on or some other way I can find it?
ReplyDeleteThanks for following along. This trip was a while ago but I think Angleton is so small that finding the mural should be very easy.
ReplyDelete