Silsbee, TX

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/619129216

Long ride today, but light winds and flat terrain made it a nice cruise.   I was pleased to average 12.8 mph for the day. We have gone from desert to bayou in a matter of days.  

Since it was a quiet day, I thought that I would take a few minutes to describe this life on the road.

We wake up about an hour before sunrise. Today sunrise was 7:30, so that was 6:30.  Every day, two people are cooks and they get up early and heat water on a campstove for coffee and oatmeal. 

Shortly after waking, we eat breakfast and prepare our lunches.   Breakfast is normally cold ceral, yogurt and oatmeal.   Lunch is often a banana, peanut butter sandwich and various snacks (cookies,  bars,  chip's).

If you followed the timing on this, it is normally dark and done by flashlight.  Next we pack up our stuff and leave camp about the sunrise.   Typical temperatures have been about 55 degrees.

We each carry all our own stuff as well as some group gear and food for the next day.

Generally, we ride at similar speeds, but usually individually.   When someone stops along the road or in town, others often stop and join them.

Very popular stops are donut shops, good pie places, breakfast places, local restaurants and we have a few folks addicted to Diary Queen and Mc donald's.   I have a picture of an early morning stop at A+ Donuts  in Shepherd, TX.

We all drift into camp at different times, depending on our riding speed and stops.   Many of us stop to get something to eat as we near town.   Burgers and shakes are popular.

After setting up camp, my priority is a shower.   The cooks need to go shopping to get food for the evening meal and breakfast and lunch the next day.  All transported by bike. 

Often, someone buys some beer (we take turns buying).   The cooks usually buy a snack for us to eat while they prepare dinner.  If all goes well, we eat about 6:30.  Meals are simple and include a main dish, usually done in one pot, and we have a salad and always dessert.

After we eat,  we have a "map meeting"  when we discuss the route for the next day.

After we eat and the sun sets, we normally retire to our tents to read and get ready for the next day.

One big activity during the day is to make sure you get enough calories.   The cycling can burn up 5000-6,000 per day.   You don't want to run out of energy.  You can eat whatever you want and not gain weight.  I would not recommend this as a strategy to lose weight.