I never did any mileage like Immaunz's on that trip, but it was a good time, and after the weather cooled my mileage went from 70 to 80 to 90 and such. In fact, I got in way too much saddle time sometimes in Texas hill country, the reason being that in many areas it was a matter of having sheer rock wall going up to my right, and sheer rock wall going down to my left, or vice versa, and unless I wanted to sleep in the emergency lane or on the other side of a guard rail I had to keep going until I could find a spot to camp. That meant sometimes cycling till 11:30 p.m. Some parts of hill country reminded me of the Alps. It was not too bad though. It was okay. It was kind of touristy in places. I went through Johnson City.
I slept out with three mosquito coils burning, and my exposed skin coated in Cutters spray. If I did not spray the bottoms of my feet the dastardly little critters would drain me from there.
It was about a 56 day trip overall. I think there were drought conditions. I had only 30 minutes of rain in Slidell, Louisiana, and a very slight bit of very light rain for a few minutes in hill country during the entire trip.
There is one piece of advice I can give you for making an August run across the S-tier a bit more comfortable. It has to do with headgear. I am very well aware of the great fashion in the USA for wearing caps, and they are just fine in their own places, but the top of your head while doing a summer tour across the S-tier is not necessarily one of those places. It allows the solar radiation to cook your face, neck, and shoulders. It also forms a mini sauna on you skull and scalp. Instead of a cap use a broad-brimmed straw hat with open spaces between the weaving on the upper part. It shields your face, neck, and part of your shoulders. It lets in a cross ventilation which carries heat away from your cranium. The difference in comfort between a cap and a straw hat is quite substantial, and one you will feel and notice. Of course, a straw hat offers no protection in a fall, and it does catch the wind, and you can feel it catching the winds and slowing you a bit, but the extra comfort was worth it to me. Definitely also wear sunglasses.
In winter, the cap is the way to go.
This message was edited by Westinghouse on 12-25-08 @ 5:48 AM