Day #19 3/31/2011 - Rest Day in San Marcos - 0 miles

...hanging out in San Marcos, Texas, where we are staying with a friend of Lani's.


So...San Marcos, population 50371 and located in between Austin and San Antonio, was probably settled around 10,000 years ago in association with the Clovis culture.  The first Spanish missions came in 1689.  Steady growth followed but there's nothing like a successful institute of higher learning which took place in 1899, when the Southwest Texas State Normal School (now known as Texas State University-San Marcos) was established as a teacher's college to meet demand for public school teachers in Texas.  That's where Johann, Lani's friend, is studying.


Anyway...


...I originally took off from Gainesville on my bike wearing running shoes, using the stirrups on the bicycle pedals.  It took about one day for the constant pressure on the front of my feet to make them ache, and then burn.  After another day, the outer three toes - as well as the skin on the bottom of my foot under them was either burning or just plain numb.  The constant pressure had obviously given me a traumatic neuritis that continued even after the two non-biking days in New Orleans. For that sort of thing, recovery comes only after you remove the offending insult, i.e., stop cycling...and that wasn't going to happen for another 10 weeks.  One possibility lay in cycling shoes with clip-ins, which work sort of like a ski binding.  The hard bottom of the biking shoe better distributes the weight.   They are a little tricky to use as, once you are clipped in, you are kinda stuck to the bike.  I ordered some shoes and clip-in pedals on-line and had them shipped to our next known address in San Marcos, TX.

I practiced riding circles in the parking lot, unclipping my shoes, then stepping into them.  I only fell hard once.

Next: I had been having trouble with my chain jumping off the chain ring while I was shifting in uphill climbs, often several times a day.  There's no worse place to have your chain slip off than hill climbing. With the Texas Hill Country just ahead, I took my bike to The Hub Cycle Shop where Alex replaced my chain.

Alex from The Hub Cycle Shop replaces my chain.  Thanks, Alex.

It was fun to see my daughter enjoy the company of an "old college friend" (from two years ago).  Johann was a great host.

Lani and Johann feign an animated conversation for the camera.

Okay...try being normal.

Johann and Lani.  Thanks, Johann, for giving us a place to stay.  But, if you had not been in San Marcos, we wouldn't have been either!

Hey...remember how my iPod went missing on that disastrous day to Gulfport, MS?  I finally got it back! when the FedEx truck found me late on our last day.  Strong work, FedEx!  Way to man-up, Big Boss Matt.