Amazingness in the midst of pain:

These past few days have only followed suit with the entirety of my trip. Perfection is never something that can be planned and never what you originally expected.
My second day in Texas started off like my first, not so fun. Had a few honks and a bit of attitude from the store clerk but I wasn't about to let her ruin my day. I started riding and it ended up being a beautiful day, hot and windy, but beautiful. I got to this little place in rye, tx called the cookie jar and there were about 5 people eating in there, all of whom had questions for me. I talked openly and asked them.about their lives and it was great. A couple of the people cleared out and it was just me, 2 brothers in their 70's and this 40 year old man who had just quit his job after 22 years. I'm sitting there talking and the brothers get up to leave and one of them tells me that they paid for my meal, to have a safe trip and they leave. I'm completely blown away. Then the 40 year old guy leaves and wishes me luck and I wish him the same. I sit down and listen to the waitress and the cook, both cute younger women, talk about anything and everything. While I'm sitting there I start figuring out where I'm going to stay and try calling the shepherd sanctuary but there's no answer so I leave a message. Then the 2 girls come out from the back and start talking to me about my travels and give me a box and I stand there and look at them. Apparently the guy who just quit his job came up and tried to pay for my meal but found out that the brothers did and so he bought me my next meal of a turkey club and fries that could travel well. He didn't even mention it to me! He just walked out and without asking for anything or mentioning any financial burden, these guys completely hooked me up. It completely blew me away. I walk out front with the 2 of them while to smoke and here's where there's a little icing on the cake. We look to the left, coming from the west and we see a cyclist hiding from the sun under some tree limbs. I jump on my bike with my helmet still hanging from ny bars and ride over to where he is and invite him over. Nathan is in his early twenties and he only started the day before out of Houston. He's heading to the east coast and then back to Houston. The girls give us some lemonade and I give him the sandwich and fries so graciously given to me. He tells me that he started really late that say but stayed at shepherd sanctuary and that its awesome and for only 10 bucks! I always am happy when a camp site is 10 bucks or less. We part ways and I head to the most amazing little treasure in the world. Peaches is the owner and I don't share more than 5 minutes with her but she seems super nice. Lorin is the caretaker and I is absolutely one in a million. She has a heart of gold and I had a blast with her and their friend from when the were kids (Mr. Gates but I can't remember his first name) until around midnight. I could live in a place like that. There was decorations and amazing stuff everywhere you looked. 22 acres of paradise. I slept on the deck, under a blanket, looking at the stars.
The next day I rode out and again, didn't make it quite as far as I should've. I stopped in Richards, tx and stayed at a ranch with a pool and again, slept out underneath the stars. :) the owners are this precious couple who met in Germany while the husband was stationed over there and she was living over there. (She's German and he's American) they were just super sweet, she introduced me to all the animals (cows, bulls and donkeys) and let me help out with feeding time. Then I went swimming, made some dinner and went to bed.
Again, I didn't make the miles that I wanted to the 3rd day, (Thursday) but I found out from the owners of the rv park that I can shorten my trip by a day. Hopefully the next time you hear from me on here, i'll be in Austin.
The road can be brutal with the wind, hills and heat but I'm in love with it. It's such a freeing experience that I can't describe with words. Maybe you get an idea from reading this but I guess, if all else fails I'll catch ya on the road.