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Saturday, November 10, 2001 - Stampede on the Banks of the Colorado
70 miles. near Fayetteville, TX to Country Inn, Wharton, TX
We awoke to another foggy morning, which is better
than rain. There seems to be a pattern to the weather, overcast or foggy or rain
until around 11:00 or noon, then it clears off and is a pleasant afternoon and a
clear evening. Fog is forecasted for tomorrow morning.
Since we have turned off route, we are on our own for
finding the route and guessing where there will be places to stay. We have only
the state map to guide us. It was cool for the first 15 miles as we rode thru
the fog, passing thru Fayetteville (pop. 314) and Frelsburg (pop. 75) but as we
moved south we left the fog behind and rode into clear, warm sunlight for the
rest of the day with a high of about 72*.
My assumption is that the cold front we were in stalled
out and could not press all the way to the gulf. After lunch in Columbus, TX
(pop. 3,620) by the Colorado River, we began a long run south on T-102, a great
farm road with light traffic. The terrain now became very flat and visibility
was extreme. Large harvested rice fields became visible in all directions as we
approached Eagle Lake (pop. 3,786).
Cattle were grazed here in considerable numbers and
south of Eagle Lake we started probably the best stampede ever. At least 30 of
them took off running with us for a quarter mile at about the pace we were
riding, as we watched with satisfaction. We also made acquaintances with three Brahman
bull cattle that showed great interest in us when we stopped to read an
historical sign next to their pasture.
Towns following in succession were Bonus(pop. ?),
Egypt(pop. 26), Glen Flora (pop. 219), and finally Wharton (pop. 10,048). We
passed large fields of just planted cotton, in its characteristic raised rows,
awaiting winter rain for germination. We also passed thru a significant natural
gas field with its drilling and supply accouterments.
This was a great route because major routes into
Houston radiate out like spokes on a wheel and we were riding down the east bank
of the Colorado River with major concentric, to Houston, roads to the east and
west of us. Hence our route carried only light local traffic making for pleasant
cycling. As we rode I gave Joan a primer on the Texas War for Independence from
Mexico since we are near the decisive battlefield at San Jacinto and the city
named after the architect of Texas independence, Sam Houston. Texas was indeed
fortunate to have a man of Houston's ability to lead it into battle while Mexico
was saddled with the vainglorious ! Santa Ana.
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