"The average amount of sleep required by a person is five minutes more."
          -  Wilson Mizener  -

"When people tell me 'You're going to regret that in the morning,' I usually sleep until noon because I'm a problem solver."
          -  unknown  -

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My internal alarm clock didn't wake me up this morning. It's that timer in your brain that throws guilt in your face as it taunts, "You've slept long enough, you lazy bastard. It's time to get up and do something productive like cure cancer or end world hunger." The main reason it didn't wake me up is because I crushed it with a sledgehammer years ago, so after nine glorious hours of not even twitching I finally slid out of bed.

I could've slept even longer, but I didn't want to miss the free breakfast at the hotel. They have Belgian waffles, the kind where you cook them yourself in the waffle iron, as well as scrambled eggs, sausage, cereal, juice, and about twenty other items.

After breakfast I checked my email and found that my computer's shipping date was delayed again.

(sigh)

The first thing I did was ride to the bike shop, Hill Country Bicycle Works, where I bought a new tube, a new tire, some better patches (read: made in this century), and a couple of other items. 

Sometimes people think that because I tour a lot I must have a really lightweight bicycle. However, my bike is designed for touring, not for speed. Not only is it not light, it’s actually heavy, weighing in at about thirty pounds without the racks and gear. It was designed to be stable and sturdy, and is practically indestructible.  

A touring bike like mine has a longer wheelbase, which translates into a less bumpy ride. Longer also means it's more stable. The wheels have a lot of spokes, making it less likely that any one of them will be bearing so much stress that it breaks. It has multiple braze-ons built into the bike frame, which enable you to attach a water bottle cage directly onto the bike without having to use clamps; on a touring bike there are three instead of two. There are also braze-ons for front and rear racks. Many touring bikes have simple shifters, like my bar-end shifters, which are easier to repair in the field.

Adam Salladin, the store owner, was the first person ever to recognize what kind of bike I ride. That includes previous bike shop owners I've met. He even met the guy who designed it, Bruce Gordon. My bike is old, purchased in 1997, but I love it.

Adam knows about bikes because, about 8-10 years ago, he and his wife rode around the world on their bikes. They took off three years to complete it. When they arrived in Kerrville, which is just down the road from Fredericksburg, they became friends with some people who live there. Upon reaching their final destination, San Francisco, he and his wife realized that they didn't want to live there any longer and moved to Kerrville where they started a bike shop. Later, they expanded and opened the one in Fredericksburg. (His wife was at the one in Kerrville) 

Before leaving, I asked Adam where the best burger in town was and he directed me to Porky's, at the opposite end of town. I rode there for lunch, then went back to the hotel and blogged almost the entire rest of the day.

That evening, I rode my bike to the Cabernet Grill. If I'd known how far it was (about 3.5 miles) and how dark the roads were, I probably would've picked some other place. However, the meal was really delicious. 

Back to the hotel, back into bed.

I didn't realize it until I was back in my room, but I didn't take a single picture today.

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distance:                             11.8 miles
average speed:                 8.8 mph
maximum speed:            19.3 mph
time on bike:                     1:20:13
cumulative:                        1396 miles