We Messed With Texas; Bring on Cajun Country!

Well, actually Texas messed with us yesterday and today. But after 22 days and 900 miles of the Lone Star state, we made our escape today into Louisiana. Yesterday I had a major bicycle kerfuffle when the derailer/gear system somehow got intertangled with the spokes and nearly down I went just eight miles after leaving the small town of Cleveland. The Dude was soon to the rescue and four hours later, after finding a great bike shop, I was back on the road. Gotta give a special shout out to Ben and John at Tailwind Bikes in Kingwood, TX. In addition to being outstanding bike shop mechanics, they made a nice contribution to this journey. Great guys -- we were lucky to find them. Today marked my first thunderstorm experience just a few miles from the LA border. Giant drops of rain like I've never seen came out of nowhere and within a few minutes I was soaked, but still pedaling with no place to hide. Again, The Dude to the rescue; after 45 minutes of RV shelter, the clouds cleared and onto Louisiana we went. Something tells me daily thunderstorms are gonna be the new normal. So we're camped tonight in a small casino parking lot in Starkes, LA eating beans and tortillas, with a side of Cheetos. After over 1,900 miles and five states, bring on the crawfish!