Low humidity, 60°, no wind and brilliantly sunny; perfect for a Sunday morning ride.

One would think with two huge oil refineries and Lamar University that someone would be stirring at 8:00 in the morning, but the roads were empty.  It took us about eight miles to get through town; then a long straight road offering basically nothing in scenery except for oil refineries in the distance.  Rice production was the largest industry in the 19th century, until the “Spindletop” oil gusher in 1901, the town’s population tripled in two months.  Both still thrive in the area, but the refineries dominated this road.  Two hours into our ride, we stopped for a biscuit break.  Shortly before 11:00, we approached a two mile, very tall bridge over the Neches River.  Thankfully, we had the newer of the two bridges,so not quite as tall as the southbound bridge, but tall enough.  The view of Sabine Lake and then further to the Gulf, was serene.  Other than this view, our entertainment was counting the various number of paved road surfaces we traversed; can’t imagine having missed any.

A few supply stops (beer & wine) on the way to the hotel and we were checked in by 1:00.  Staying close to the interstate and far away from everything, required pizza delivery with our (previously purchased) bottle of wine.  It wasn’t fancy, but a nice finish to a comfortable 40 mile day.