March 10, 2003

Monday, March 10, 2003 Huntsville, TX to College Station, TX

On yesterday's bike ride, my hair was full of sweat and, later, crusty electrolytes. I lamented that I hadn't had it cut before this trip. By coincidence, my motel was just across I-45 from a SuperCuts. On Monday morning, I took care of that problem first thing. The woman who cut my hair was friendly, and she enjoyed hearing about the last time I was in Texas, on my cross-country bike ride. I was so involved in the conversation that I didn't notice that she had left it long in back. I guess that's a Texas-style haircut. Since I don't like sweaty hair against my neck, on Monday night I used my razor to trim most of it off.

I looked for a nearby ride in Best Bike Rides Texas, and I decided on the Palestine Challenge. After my haircut, I drove up to Palestine (pronounced " steen" ), pausing at a roadside picnic area to change into my cycling clothes. This ride was not in my original plans, but it was on my alternate list. So how did I end up there? Adding counties, of course!

Click here for The Palestine Challenge

After my ride, I took a few pictures of the handsome Anderson County courthouse in Palestine.

After an invigorating ride (as opposed to the difficulties of yesterday's Big Thicket ride), I drove around collecting counties until 10 PM, when I pulled into the Motel 6 in College Station. Although it was only about 50 miles from Huntsville to College Station, I managed to drive over 300 miles by way of Palestine. Things were pretty quiet in College Station since most students were out of town on spring break.

Artist of the Day: James McMurtry - McMurtry paints vivid pictures with his lyrics, and his deadpan delivery suits them well. His songs unfold like short stories. With only six albums in 15 years, he is far from prolific, but nearly every release has been worth the wait. My favorite is Where'd You Hide The Body.

Honorable Mention: Slobberbone - I haven't heard a lot from them, but I like Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today. This Denton band plays great straightforward rock & roll, like a seventies Rolling Stones sound--some electric, some acoustic, with horns and steel guitar thrown in here and there.

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