Blog 181 Paris to Texakarna

5th April

County Road 7532 runs along the 82 east and the gravel trail. The road is easier on the tyres on tarmac. I’m super spooked by my few days when I punctured 15 times. I simply can't face any more punctures. I'm through the business loop 82 of Clarksville. Ace hardware and the State Bank, Dairy Queen, they'all here like a field army feeding half the town but instead I followed the signs for historic downtown which might be something to look at that isn’t a field or trailer trash rubbishing wherever it ends up.

The shortest route from LA to New York using interstate roads across the USA is 2964 miles. Using anything else will up the mileage. My home country of the United Kingdom is 32 times smaller than the USA.

By comparing this scale representation with Australia and it is equally vast. I am a cyclist that can sometimes ride 140 miles (225 kms) in a day but more often 120. Cycling is a slow way to cross continents but faster than walking and slower than anything else.

Texas is 2.8 times bigger than the UK and as someone said to me, if you place the southern tip of Texas on the Mexican border, the top of the Pan Handle will just about touch Canada.

Crossing Texas

It’s a scratch in my head a road like this, it’s like a route I’ve been on so many times, easy two lane routes enabling quick access to the good bits.

In it's day (more) way the 380 had its character - the 380 Community Association known to every minute community and those behind the trees. There are clearances on the right, rusty old cars and vans like round topped little trucks the bakers' ran and across the way someone was mowing around the community gas tank. So, highway 82 east. It's not yet planned.

58 miles nice frontage road,. Flipping from busy to incredibly quiet. At any moment the wideness of everything allows for wideness of gaps between cars so wide the whole countryside is suddenly silent. Apart from the sound of my pedalling and gently quiet whirring motor. A hum.

I'm gone.

Map of the Day