The Natives Talk While I Bike Atascocita South – Walden – Huffman
I managed to leave a little earlier today (11:33) thinking I might see the Amtrak train at the Old Atascocita Road railroad crossing. The train travels from Houston to New Orleans on Friday’s. My timing was a little off. About 1/2 a mile from the crossing I heard a train horn blowing but I could tell from the sound it wasn’t the Amtrak train but a freight train. Maybe next time. I think the Amtrak takes alternate track through Crosby most of the trips east.
The “Atascocita South – Walden – Huffman” route is slightly longer than the route I rode yesterday although it covers many of the same street. On Atasca Oaks at the Atascocita Road traffic light a car pulled beside me and rolled down the window. The driver asked if I was crazy to ride in the heat (95 degrees) and I said it wasn’t that bad as long as I am moving and drinking ice water. I noticed he had an Astros t-shirt on and we talked about them until the light changed.
Riding through Atascocita South I passed two pools but there weren’t a lot of people there. I suspect it was a little too early (12:30 or so). I was tempted to take a dip though. Crossing W. Lake Houston Parkway I made my way through Walden on my way to FM1960. I remembered something I needed to tell my wife so I stopped in some shade and called her. She was startled because I usually don’t call. I told her nothing was wrong but that I forgot to tell her something. Back moving again the heat from the partly cloudy sky was hot, much different from stage 6 of the Tour de Swiss I watched before leaving today. It was snowing at the top of the mountain the stage finished at, all of the crowd was dressed for winter.
I arrived at the Huffman Chevron a little after 1 PM. Two ladies were washing the stores windows and my usual resting spot was wet though it might have felt good to sit there. I asked one if she was enjoying playing in the water and getting paid. She laughed and said yes. I took these pictures of the Stradalli resting at the station.
My resting spot was to the left of the front wheel in the cool shade where a breeze could blow and help dry out my jersey. I bought some blue Powerade and sat down to eat a couple of snack bars while I rested for the 12 miles back home. The Elemnt screen when I arrived and the weather before I left.
I think the 90 degrees is a little low but the 98 “feels like” is closer to what it really was. When I was getting ready to leave I talked with a couple sitting in their car in the shade at the store doors. They asked how far I was riding today and then we talked about what food to eat. It was a great conversation. They wished me a safe trip as we each left.
Since I went a different way when I crossed FM1960 earlier in the ride when I left the Chevron station I stayed on FM1960 all the way to Pinehurst Trail and turned right there. Two advantages to this route is the road is flatter and Pinehurst Trail is smoother than Atascocita Shores Drive. Once I was back to W. Lake Houston Parkway I rode it all the way to Kings Crossing Drive rather than riding through Kingwood Greens. At Kingwood Drive I quickly rode across the east bound lanes but the west bound lanes took longer due to the traffic. I was glad to stop the ride at 2:42 as I pulled up to our mailbox. The heat and sun were baking me. I sweated a lot at each stop along the ride.
The forecast for Saturday calls for slightly cooler temperatures and more clouds. I think I will watch the Tour de Swiss ITT after I go for ride allowing me to start earlier, I hope.
[iframe http://ridewithgps.com/trips/9506230/embed 600px 600px]
[iframe https://www.strava.com/activities/612268277/embed/5c1a2fce9b6cca1abdeacc13fbffeba665c72023 590px 405px]