Texas---"But what? Everyone has a big "But... C'mon, Simone, let's talk about your big "But..."

I left Dumas...pronounced Doo'-mass...around 6:30 in the morning and covered about 38 miles before Karen and Patty caught up with me. They found a place that made homemade tortillas...yum!




It was great riding, but oh, so flat. We saw corn and wheat and range land with lots of cattle. At one wide spot in the road there was a collection of windmills that were very cool...donated by a man named J. B. Buchanan.










The temperature, however was not cool. The day kept heating up and by the time we were finished riding, the mercury was in the mid 90's. We had a cross/headwind the last 70 miles, and both Patty and I were spent by the end of the ride.




The good news is that with the early start, and an acceptable average, we would be able to get to our overnight stop at Coldwater Lake and maybe...maybe be able to relax for a couple of hours.
Which is what we did. Sorta. We got to Coldwater Lake and drove around for awhile looking for a spot to camp. Karen took the lead and knocked on the door of a trailer which just happened to be the trailer of the caretaker/manager. She had us follow her to the other side of the lake where there there was a covered area that we could claim as our own. Which is what we did. When we asked her about the camping fee, she said she wasn't going to charge us...evidently cyclists hold a special place in her heart...and now she holds a special place in my heart too. Thanks for accommodating some weary riders.
The wind came up and a shower came across the lake, but under the shelter we were fairly dry. We even set the table with a tablecloth and cooked a wonderful meal of rice with carrots and broccoli and some brisket and pork ribs.








The weather forecast was not good. Wichita was expecting high winds and thunderstorms. And the direction of the winds? From the east, of course...the direction we were heading in the morning. Sigh...I went to bed hoping that the winds would change their mind. Stats for today: 100.6 miles. 14.2 average, 466' elevation gain.
maybe you can't...because you won't...k