Category 2025: TEXBIRD

Day, 11/01/2025; 19 miles, 560 feet of climb I did it! I have FINISHED THE SOUTHERN TIER BICYCLE ROUTE!! It was an easier day than I expected, despite the headwinds…I think it was mostly downhill into Austin.  I spent some…

Today was more scenic than I had anticipated! It was another beautiful day in Texas, and was my second longest day of the trip both by total miles and total time in the saddle.  —— When David and I rolled out…

Thursday, 10/30/2025; 31 miles, 1018 feet of climb Today was another great day for biking. It started at a friend’s house, ended at my son’s house, and in between was perfect weather for big city biking with all its conveniences. …

Wed, 10/29/2025; 42 miles, 1909 feet of climb What a day! I feel like I’m nearing the end of a movie, with all the characters coming together and everything building to a climax. Today I had three great meals for the…

Tues, 10/28/2025; 51 miles, 1889 feet of climb Today was a great day for biking! Peaceful country roads, perfect temperatures, and the winds shifting just at the right time. It was the same distance and almost the same amount of…

Mon, 10/27/2025; 53 miles, 2319 feet of climb Wow, today was an unexpectedly hard day. I guess I’m too trusting of Google Maps. The last part of the route was through the “Texas hill country” that suffered such a devastating…

Sun, 10/26/2025; 36 miles, 2861 feet of climb —— Another great day biking the Southern Tier — that’s two in a row! Like yesterday, today featured perfect weather with no wind. Unlike yesterday, or any day yet, today also featured…

Sat, 10/25/2025; 50 miles, 1317 feet of climb Today was a great day. It felt like a normal bike trip in good ol’ Wisconsin — gently rolling hills with no traffic and light breezes. And I am so grateful to…

Fri, 10/24/2025; 33 miles, 540 feet of climb This was a hard day. Hard day of biking, and hard day of tech issues. But at least I ended up indoors for the Big Storm coming through tonight.  —— I was…

Thurs, 10/23/2025; 7 miles I AM TOTALLY RESTORED!! Everything on my bike is like new again…like I am starting from scratch! And the weather looks great from here on out. I am SO EXCITED to get back on the road…

I made it to Del Rio, which means another REST DAY! I saw a couple of magnificent bridges, and enjoyed authentic real TEXAS food for dinner.  —— Charlie Gandy and I woke up around 6:00 am in the fellowship hall…

Tues, 10/21/2025; 30 miles, 712 feet of climb Today’s weather was unlike any day yet. It started out cool with high winds even before dawn (16 mph), but after noon they started calming down. (It’s usually the other way around.)…

Mon, 10/20/2025; 44 miles, 575 feet of climb Today was a very discouraging day. It was actually the easiest riding of the trip so far, but technical tragedy really got me down, not to mention the four-day forecast.  —— I had…

Sun, 10/18/2025; 7 miles, 163 feet of climb I LOVE REST DAYS! I didn’t used to take them, but they are so helpful to renew mind and body.  And spirit, too — I went to church this morning at Grace…

Sat, 10/17/2025; 64 miles, 1424 feet of climb Wow, what a day! It was the longest day of this trip so far, and almost the most feet of climb, but the biking part was super easy with the blasting tailwind…

Fri, 10/17/2025; 41 miles, 596 feet of climb Today was a SPECTACULAR day for riding! TAILWINDS!! It was not without its problems, but the kindness of strangers helped soften the blow. And I ended up in an old 50s trailer…

Thurs, 10/16/2025; 38 miles, 531 feet of climb Finally — I got the EASY DAY I was so looking forward to! Not only was the weather great, with the winds shifting to tailwinds as the day went on, but I…

Wed, 10/15/2025; 41 miles, 1491 feet of climb, Holy cow — talk about unmet expectations! I had envisioned an easy day of 35 miles, starting with a great pancake and egg breakfast at the café across the street and culminating in…

I am on the road again! It feels great to be pedaling across open spaces on my last segment of the Southern Tier Bicycle Route. However, it was a pretty tough day for biking. My original plan was to go…

“And at last, here I am on the hill overlooking El Paso — I can see Rosa’s Cantina below.” I thought of those words from verse 6 of Marty Robbins’s famous 1959 song as our plane came in for a landing.…

Okay, it is time to FINISH riding the Southern Tier Bicycle Route. This coast-to-coast route from the Adventure Cycling Association winds its way from San Diego to St. Augustine, Florida. I would love to ride the entire 3300 miles at…