Day 36: Cleveland to Silsbee, Texas

Day 36: Cleveland to Silsbee, Texas
Miles: 63.51 ------------ Total Mileage 1,971.10
Theme: Ants in the Pants

Today I don't have too much to say. We had a relatively easy ride, but I would have to say a bit boring. There really wasn't much to say about the scenery. There were pine trees most of the way - other than where they had been logged. We did have some logging trucks pass us today, but it wasn't too frightening - thank goodness! There were some nice wildflowers on the side of the road in places. Most we had seen before, other than some very large thistles that were gorgeous. I took a few photos, one of a thistle with a butterfly resting on it. But that was really all there was as far as scenery.

We were told at the map meeting last night to be careful at the Sag stops not to step on or kick the top off of dirt mounds. In error, you could be upsetting an ant mound and red ants can give a nasty bite! So - if you have to use the outdoor facilities - do so with care.

Well, I was careful, but I still found that I had ants in my pants today -- figuratively speaking, not literally. We started off at a really good pace. We were just rolling along quite happily. As the day went on however the pace slowed down --- and yes I got a bit antsy! After around mile 50, I decided I just needed to go at my pace for the rest of the ride today. Everyone was doing okay -- just at a slower pace than what my body wanted to go at. So - off I went. It felt good to be flying a little faster (around 20 or 21 mph). I did feel a bit guilty not riding with my buddies however. At one of the intersections I decided to take a break and wait up so we would all ride in together. It was good for me to fly along at my own pace for awhile and get the ants out of my pants however.

Today Diane was riding with Tex, Kathie and me. At one point she asked me what happened to Kathie. I replied, "She stopped to flip her map over. She will catch up. Well Diane has a bit of a hearing problem. What she heard was "She stopped to take a nap." Needless to say we all had a good laugh about this! Diane really enjoyed riding with the three of us. At the end of the ride she said to us, "I want to join this sorority. How do I join????" She loved the support and camaraderie that Tex and Kathie and I have. We told her it is an open sorority with no initiation.

So tonight we are in Silsbee, Texas. It is our last night in Texas. The population of Silsbee is about 6,000. It appears that the biggest industry is scrap metal and car salvage. I think the name for the place came from people saying "Yup, you Still Be in Texas." In time it was shortened to Still Be. However with a bit of drinking and the fact that the town cartographer had a lisp, it ended up being recorded as Silsbee. And hence the town of Silsbee, Texas is where we are staying tonight!

Hope your day went well!