Sunday, October 6, 2013

Arrived In Dallas!

Day 14
Roadkill count:4 (last ninja turtle, 2 raccoons, 1 possum)

Last night we stayed in Athens, Tx. We couldn't find a place to camp, so we decided to get another hotel room. Normally, getting a hotel room in a small town, in the middle of Texas, in October wouldn't be a problem, unless you were in the particular small town we were in, in the middle of Texas, at this particular place in time. Apparently, there is a HUGE flea market sale that happens at this very point in time in a town 30 miles away, called Canton. This sale draws such a crowd that hotels fill up in towns for 50 miles! This also causes the hotels to triple their normal rates for the weekend in anticipation of said sale.
Motel 8, not normally known for its first class accommodations, was the first place we checked. They should have changed their name for the weekend to the Ritz because they wanted 100 dollars to rent a room! All they had available was a stinky smoking room with two twin sized beds. There was no way we were paying that much to stay in that room at a Motel 8.
After searching for a little while, we finally found a motel for a reasonable 45 dollars. We walked into our room and quickly regretted our latest decision. We should have camped on the side of the road. Our tent would have been cleaner! You know a place is bad when someone who has been bathing with insects and smells like fish turns their nose up at something!
We showered with flip flops on because of the filth in the shower. We crossed our fingers and our toes in hopes that we wouldn't get bed bugs from the bed. We were pretty sure the sheets haven't been changed in at least a few visits. This place had a nightly rate, and an hourly rate as well, I'm sure.
Once we awoke in the morning, we hurried out of the door and headed to the next town. The scenery was pretty, and the ride was hilly, as usual.
We were headed to a town called "Gun Barrel City". I know what you are thinking. The name of the city doesn't exactly make you grab your kids and pack grandma into the car for a day of family fun, but even the name wouldn't prepare you for this town. Unless you are in the market for a pay day loan or are looking to sell your large gold collection, I definitely don't recommend visiting Gun Barrel City. This place almost beat our motel room from last night for the "most likely place to catch syphillis from the toilet seat" award.
We waited at the edge of town for my Mom to get here. She wanted to meet us and grab a bite to eat. Once she arrived, we hopped in her truck and headed to the next town, Seven Points. We stopped at a brewery for a bite to eat and some barley pop. We enjoyed the break! We headed to my Mom's place soon after.
Now that we have arrived in Dallas, we had a chance to reflect back on all that we have endured. The trip was physically challenging for sure, but the mental side of it was the toughest. We had to overcome multiple challenges ranging from bike problems to park closures. Every day had some new problem to overcome. We had to beat these obstacles while physically exhausted. We had to dig deep to find the strength to do what we had to do. 
Sometimes one of us would feel like giving up. Rheann and I would have to lift each other up; and just when it seemed like it was too difficult for us to bear, someone would come out of nowhere to help us. We encountered many good people on our trip. People were the reason we got through our trip. They were our strength when it felt like we didn't have enough. When it seemed like fate was against us, we thought about everything people had done for us. This kept us going. Consider our faith in the human race restored!
I owe a big thank you to everyone for keeping track of us so far. The blog posts will slow down this week while we take a short break, but we will be back on the road soon! I have enjoyed writing this and I hope you have enjoyed reading!

4 comments :

  1. So glad you made it to Dallas! What a trip. I haven't driven that far, so you should both feel great about you have accomplished at this point!

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    1. this is the farthest I (rheann) have even been, so each pedal forward has been an amazing experience

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  2. Awesome trip, you two!
    I sent a message to you in the bikeforums and FB. Don't think I'm stalking y'all, but I've been cycling around the Dallas/Fort Worth area for years. So, if you need anything, let me know. If you need route options around or out of town, give me a shout.

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    1. thank you! We are getting as much relaxing in as we can, Brian's family is sure taking good care of us lol! I will definitly let you know if we need anything :)

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