I ended up spending 2 nights in Angleton to wait out a big rain storm. After another good night's rest I was ready to go again. Every day I ride closer to the coast the days have started off warmer. Wow does it feel good. I was staying in a funny run down motel off a big highway that was mostly occupied by people living there. The trike was kept outside my room protected from the rain by the seat cover because the door was too narrow to bring inside. I locked the trike to a post and everyone living there got a real kick out of seeing it making fun comments. This morning was so warm I didn't need to wear my jacket. It has been a very long time since that has happened. Leaving Angleton, I rode passed lots of oil refineries. They are so interesting looking. There was also a sign saying the local commissioner was named Dude Payne. What a name, huh?
View from Intracoastal Waterway
The ride was refreshingly flat and the biggest hill I climbed was a bridge over an intracoastal waterway. At the top of the bridge I got my first view of the gulf coast and, wow, did it feel good to see the ocean again. The downhill took me into Surfside Beach where I stopped to look at the waves. There were cars carrying surfboards! What a difference from just a mile inland. Some of the houses were super cute and all raised on stilts high above the ground. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and as I turned to ride along the coast I picked up a nice tailwind. The temps were probably close to 70 and I was in heaven riding in short sleeves and no socks, woohoo!!
Video of arriving at the Gulf
Cute Surfside Beach homes
Colorful raised homes with no stairs.
Interesting raised housing
I had read that camping along the beach is allowed but it also looked like high tide could make camping hazardous. There's a campground at the end of the peninsula at San Luis Pass just before a bridge to Galveston Island. At least according to the app, AllStays. I went to the office and was told they used to offer free camping but visitors abused the facilities. After telling my story and explaining that I was kind of counting on being able to stay, she relented and said I could camp by the pavilion. Yah! It was still quite windy and I set up my tent next to a raised walkway on a patch of grass. This was terrific until I saw the sign warning about rattlesnakes in the area. Supposedly, snakes are hibernating now so I expected to be ok. There is a marina with another RV campground and I walked around enjoying the ambiance. The pavilion where I was camped had lights, water, power outlets and there was a bathroom close by too. Nice set up!
Camping at San Luis Pass campground
San Luis Pass pelicans
San Luis Pass campground video
Wayne from England
It was warm in the morning and the tent was dry. The wind was blowing strong and I took my stove to a picnic table on the other side of the office building to make breakfast. The people in the office came out to offer me fresh brewed coffee. After getting packed up I started over the bridge to Galveston Island. There's a $2 toll and I was charged because my load registered on the scale, haha. I loved the ride even though the wind was howling at my side. The skies clouded up as the day wore on. As I approached Galveston it started to rain lightly. I was riding on the seawall for miles enjoying the ocean view. I got to a newly opened Motel 6 just as the skies opened up and there was tremendous lightning and thunder. Great timing! Galveston is a tourist town and the hotels are expensive but this one just opened and had a special for $39, oh baby! While I was checking in, the front desk people told me there was another touring cyclist staying. They gave me his room number and I went over to introduce myself. This was Wayne from England who has been on the road touring the world for the last 6 years.Wow, such stories, this guy spent 2 years cycling just in Africa!
On the bridge to Galveston Island
View from the Galveston Seawall
Galveston fishing pier
Ferry to Bolivar
The temps in the morning were cold but the skies had cleared and I got packed up. Wayne expected to stay another day to explore Galveston and I pushed on. It was cold and I had a headwind. Luckily, the road was flat. After a few miles I took a ferry to the Bolivar Peninsula. There were small quiet communities and a lot of barren beach. The road ends where it was damaged by Hurricane Ike in 2008 and has never been repaired. Going inland meant the wind was changing and I had an easier time. There were some big bridges over more intracoastal waterways. These bridges are the only place to get a view of the area. I ended the day in Winnie at a very run down motel for $40. This room wasn't worth even a penny more but, after riding into the strong winds all day, I didn't have the energy to look at any other places.
Video from the Bolivar Peninsula
Ferry ride
Lighthouse on the Bolivar Peninsula
Handicap ramp shows how high these homes are
Winnie Elementary School sign
I used my sleeping bag on top of the bed and slept well. Today's ride would be shorter because there wasn't anything within a reasonable distance beyond Port Arthur. I also had a good tailwind and the ride went quickly under bright sunshine. Port Arthur is a oil refining town that doesn't have enough housing. The motels are full with contractors and more expensive than other towns I've stayed in. I ended up at a Motel 6 for $68. The guys at the front desk were great helping me get Myrtle in the room and offering me a ride to Walmart to shop for supplies. So cute! The motel was very nice too. The guys explained some about the local economy. Low oil prices are making Port Arthur a nervous town. There are 3 big refineries and one has been shut down which has a ripple effect through out the region. There's rumors another may shut. Walmart is also closing 174 stores in Texas which has everyone even more worried.
Motel 6 Port Arthur
Leaving Port Arthur
Bridge out of Port Arthur
Welcome to Louisiana
Google maps plotted a cycling course right through a refinery out of Port Arthur. The ladies at the gate were very excited to see me because they said I had been on tv a couple of days ago. How fun and this was the first I heard about it. I had to turn around to the main road which took me over a bridge and then I was on a quiet canal road. There was no boat traffic in the waterway. I saw one tanker being filled at a giant Valero facility. I took some pictures and a security guard came out to question me. He was very serious asking me for my license. Soon he was smiles and I got a picture. It felt like there should be a lot more activity but with the oil slump commerce on the waterway was quiet. Once I crossed the bridge over Sabine Lake I entered Louisiana. Wow, a new state. I have been in Texas for over a month riding more than 1,000 miles. This area of Louisiana was devastated in hurricane Rita. The abandoned damaged homes stood next to the newer trailers. With all the recent rains there is water everywhere. The ground is completely saturated and being at sea level the water has no where to go. I wondered if I would see gators but none were visible today. I was riding into a terrible headwind when Wayne, the English cyclist, caught me. We rode together for a few hours and the conversation was a helpful distraction from the misery. We took a ferry together just passed Holly Beach and there was no charge. Wayne was very nice to ride with me for so long. Doesn't it figure that when we got to Cameron, my destination for the day, the wind died away?! Even though the sun was setting, Wayne kept on riding looking for a place to wild camp. I thought about camping with him but rain was expected overnight. I was completely exhausted and in need of a shower. Hopefully, I'll see Wayne again down the road.
Security guard who wrote down my license number with a giant Valero tanker in the background
On the road with world cyclist Wayne from England
Shrimp boats
The hotel in Cameron is very expensive. This owner seemed to know if you need to stay here he's got you over a barrel. It was a very ordinary room for $70 in a town with little to offer. The other people staying were here to fish or work. Cameron has been wiped away by 3 hurricanes and always rebuilt getting smaller and smaller each time. There is talk that 2 LNG plants are going to be built here though. I went to the Anchor's Up grill for dinner and the food was really terrible.
Great scenery
Crossing into Vermillion Perish
In the morning I awoke to blue skies and very wet roads. I was happy the rains had stopped and pushed on. Today's destination was a Warm Showers host on Pecan Island. This area is so desolate, if the host hadn't responded to my request I would have had to change my route. It's days like today that I wish I had the courage to wild camp. But until I can get that figured out I have to be sure of the day's destination. The profile for this host was so unusual I was hesitant. They don't cycle, have lots of dogs and are smokers and drinkers. Hhhmmm.... The pages of positive reviews completely set my fears to rest. This couple has hosted hundreds of cyclists and everyone left enthusiastic comments. Many cyclists stayed for days and even weeks and the hosts seem to love it all. This sounded like an experience I shouldn't miss.
Crossing a drawbridge on the way to Pecan Island
Pecan Island scenic ride
Above ground cemetery
Life on Pecan Island
Live oaks that have survived 3 major hurricanes
Google maps put the mileage at 45 very flat miles. I started out and when I got to what I thought was about 20 miles from Pecan Island I stopped for a break at a convenience store. All the reviews for this Warm Shower's host were so amazing I wanted to bring something to celebrate all they do for touring cyclists. Since they said they drink, I picked up a bottle of bourbon. The cashier in Grand Chenier said Pecan Island was much too far to cycle to in a day. She thought I had at least another 50 miles to ride. That would be too far for me, for sure! I showed her the map and the info from Google and she said it couldn't be right but to ask further down the road at a wildlife refuge. The Rockefeller Wildlife refuge is a huge place where biologists live and work. I stopped in to ask about how far I had left to ride. When I told the guy where I was going he said the woman is his cousin and pulled out his phone to call her. Google maps is shy about 10 miles for the route and she said I had another 25 miles to go. Just keep riding and look for the Warm Showers sign in the front lawn. It was about 2 pm and I knew I could get there before dark. The ride was very beautiful with lots of live oaks and swamps and grasslands. It was another beautiful day and the winds were calm. I arrived at Jaunita's house and she welcomed me with a herd of 6 dogs. Her husband was away for work so, unfortunately, I wouldn't meet him. She was so young looking I could hardly believe she is 62 years old. We walked around and she introduced me to the dogs, 3 cats and lots of chickens and ducks. There are also horses in a pasture out her back door. We parked the trike in a shed and then she showed me to an alcove off the living room where so many cyclists have stayed over the years. A young man had left a few days before after spending 4 weeks at her house. Incredible.
Juanita's front yard welcoming cyclists
Juanita with most of the herd
I could already tell this was going to be a memorable experience.
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