October 21, 2014
Day 43: To Denton, Texas
On the road just before 9 AM. Kind of late, but today should be flat and fast. South on US 377 through Madill, towards Lake Texoma. Heavy traffic, with a wide but extremely rough shoulder.
The bridge across Lake Texoma is a mile long. It's a reservoir on the Red River which forms the boundary between Oklahoma and Texas.
The area has red clay soil, making the river noticeably red. The lake is less red because the clay apparently settles to the bottom.
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My welcome to Texas wasn't so wonderful because the road was chip-sealed for a few miles with an incomplete layer of huge rocks.
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Lunch was at a Pizza Hut on the north edge of Whitesboro, along US 82 (an east west highway). It was getting hot and there's not much shade, so the air conditioning was welcome. This Pizza Hut didn't have a lunch buffet like the other Pizza Huts I visited during this tour.
US 377 has less traffic south of US 82. It's pleasant for cycling because most of the traffic is a few miles west on I-35. I imagine this was a busy highway before about 1960 when I-35 was built.
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The day was warm and sunny. I started in short sleeves. By afternoon I was so sweaty that it was difficult to operate the grip shifters. I resorted to grabbing the shifters with a bandanna in my had to get a better grip.
Overall I can hardly believe how high the humidity is on a cloudless sunny day. I would not want this to be my normal everyday weather.
I had a gentle headwind all day but it didn't slow me down much. My average speed was exceptional today because the terrain was so flat.
I took a long rest laying down on a park bench in the gazebo in downtown Pilot Point. It's a charming little town. Downtown is kind of a courthouse square without a courthouse.
A few miles south of Pilot Point I veered right, southwest, on FM 5324 to Aubrey. Another cute, but much smaller town. Then I continued on FM 428. still southwest towards Denton.
I'm coming into Denton from the northeast and all the motels are on the far west side of town. With a population of 123,000 Denton is the biggest town on the tour, not counting the start and finish points. The town has two universities, so it actually has bike lanes and some off-street bike trails. I rode on a little of both getting across town on Windsor Drive and Bonnie Brae Ave. The final miles had awful traffic on 8-lane University Blvd. I got a reserved room at Days Inn for $56. Old and run down, but serviceable. Dinner was at a nearby Panera Bread.
Today was sunny all day with a high of 82F. Super high humidity. The highways always have a shoulder but the traffic is LOUD. Scenery is mostly flat and boring. It's just a travel day. One more day to Fort Worth.
Distance: 77.7 mi. (124 km)
Climbing: 1732 ft. (525 m)
Average Speed: 12.7 mph (20.3 km/h)
Today's ride: 78 miles (126 km)
Total: 2,159 miles (3,475 km)
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