Southern Tier East Texas Local Info & Aid

[umberto71]

I posted this in a response to another post, but I thought I would create a new topic on this as I have been considering this for some time.

I am not what you would call an avid bicyclist, although I have been known to take to 2 wheels from time to time.  I am, however, an avid backbacker and outdoorsman.  

I have property in the Big Thicket of East Texas within three miles of the Southern Tier Route as it passes through Romayor, TX.  I have encountered many of you biking this route in the past.

Given the growing concerns with safety in our society and my own personal biases/experiences, you might say that I am very sympathetic towards those of you who choose these long-distance adventures.  The Big Thicket of East Texas can be a risky place due to the character (or lack thereof) among its denizens.

In the past, I have hosted bicyclists travelling the Southern Tier.  So, let me go ahead encourage all here to feel free to contact me for any local information.  I enjoy meeting new people and am happy to encourage all who pursue these ventures.

Regards,

Don Strohm

[dstory]

Hi Don,

As a local of East Texas, let me ask you about the weather for biking in summer.  I am planning a trip for next summer and will travel from late june until early august.  if i bike early in the morning until noonish, is this do-able?  I have done a TransAm before, but never so far south.

Thanks for your help.

don

I posted this in a response to another post, but I thought I would create a new topic on this as I have been considering this for some time.

I am not what you would call an avid bicyclist, although I have been known to take to 2 wheels from time to time.  I am, however, an avid backbacker and outdoorsman.  

I have property in the Big Thicket of East Texas within three miles of the Southern Tier Route as it passes through Romayor, TX.  I have encountered many of you biking this route in the past.

Given the growing concerns with safety in our society and my own personal biases/experiences, you might say that I am very sympathetic towards those of you who choose these long-distance adventures.  The Big Thicket of East Texas can be a risky place due to the character (or lack thereof) among its denizens.

In the past, I have hosted bicyclists travelling the Southern Tier.  So, let me go ahead encourage all here to feel free to contact me for any local information.  I enjoy meeting new people and am happy to encourage all who pursue these ventures.

Regards,

Don Strohm

[umberto71]

This is an old post I know, but if you are still lurking, here is what you were asking about:

Obviously, the further you get into summer, the more inhospitable the heat.

Anything is doable, depending on your physical condition, but if you are not acclimated to Texas heat, August and September tmeperatures can only be described as brutal. 

You may be fine if you only travel through to noon, but hydration will be critical as well as protection from the sun.  Even in the morning this time of year, the humidity will be high.

[Westinghouse]

I cycled across Texas in summer and September. Talk about needing hydration. I was guzzling 2 1/2 gallons to 3 gallons of liquids a day, sometimes more, and I did not urinate for three and four days at a time. It bled out of me as fast as I took it in. Six 46 ounce drinks and many more other drinks disappeared down my gullet every day. There was no wind. Some days it was 98 F in the shade which made it about 120 F on that blacktop pushing that bike over hills in the direct rays. I would drink a forty-six ounce gator-aide type drink before going to sleep, and wake up dehydrated.

Proper hydration is extremely important for cycling across Texas during the hottest time of year. It's doable. I did it in my fifties. But you have to be able to tolerate that insufferable heat. When it is beating on you, and the road is all hills, and there is not a cloud in the sky to shield you, and a wooden bench that has baked in the solar radiation all day is too hot to sit on, you will thank god for every cold drink machine, convenience store, shop, grocery store, and bar where you can lounge in the air conditioning and gulp icy cold beverages which have begun tasting like nectar from the gods.

Choose your route carefully. Make sure it is plentifully watered.

[AggieOO]

in '04 we left austin and went northwest to Lubbock and then into NM.  We left on June 1st and it was over 100 degrees.  Road temps were about 120.  Definitely need to start early, finish as early as possible, and drink lots of fluids.

[bsweet]

Don,
Are you still willing to host cyclists?
How do we contact you?
Heading out on southern tier (W-E) end of January.
Please contact me if still available.
telesweet@hotmail.com
Thanks
Brian Sweet