Day 32: Denton to Terrell, TX

Let me just start this post with a note of caution: we have just returned from dinner at a Chinese buffet, so I'm tired, have a belly full of MSG and as such I might not make much sense.

Some of the furtunes are worth repeating here, although they seem more like aphorisms than fortunes...

Team work makes the dream work.

This seems appropriate for the occasion. Today's ride included an expanded roster of teammates as we were joined by a large group of students from Dallas Baptist University. Most of them rode the first twenty miles, and several others continued on with us into the heat of the rest of the day. It is really nice to have some fresh faces around, and the DBU crew were an enthusiastic bunch. They are a group of student builders with the Fuller Center who have jobs on campus during the summer, and we enjoyed their company. Andy took a spill while passing a parked car, but seemed to shrug it off in style. Marvin deserves special mention, since he rode 40 miles of the route on a mountain bike. Someone get that guy a road bike! He showed real heart. Tyler rode the full distance, but since finishing an Ironman distance triathlon recently (2.5 mile swim, 100 mile bike and 26.2 mile run!), today was child's play for him.

Our route rolled through 85 miles of Texas hill country, and included some very busy roads that skirt around outlying Dallas bedroom communities. Tony detoured off course to a bike shop for some new shoes, and Josh somehow managed to get a strap from his Camelbak wrapped into his front wheel, causing him to flip over the bars. Good thing he's think skinned, I can't see a scratch on him. Kids these days...

The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination.

To illustrate this point in a roundabout way, consider this. At the 64 mile rest stop, our truck was out of water but Dani had bought ice. Within twenty minutes of riding, I noted out loud how my ice was already melted. Josh saw this as good; the water was cold. All I could think about was how it would soon be warm. Seeing the difference in our respective outlooks allowed me to shift perspective. That is really at the core of this ride; to help people shift their view on the need for affordable housing.

Music melts all the separate parts of our bodies together.

Much like the last ten miles today. Melted roadway. Recent resurfacing efforts had left behind a strip of the La Brea tar pits. 100 degree heat helped soften the road to a chewy consistency. Good times indeed.

But upon rolling into the shade of the First Baptist Church in Terrell, we were met by jan from the Terrell Tribune, who was waiting to interview us. Seems the paper ran a story about the ride in yesterday's edition (that's how the church folks found out we were coming!), and Jan was here to get the scoop for Friday's paper. Thanks, Jan!

Tom, Katherine's hubby-to-be, drove from San Antonio to help us build tomorrow. He brought his bike, so he will get to ride with us Saturday. The more ther merrier!

And lastly, let me leave you with this gem, from the chopstick wrapper at tonight's feast:

Welcome to Chinese Restaurant please try Nice Chinese Food With Chopsticks the traditional typical of Chinese glorious history and cultural.

I couldn't have said it better myself. And right this minute, it makes perfect sense.