Not too long after we finished our spring tour, Dave and I started talking about other areas of Texas that we would like to explore by bicycle. There are several nice reservoirs in southeast Texas that neither of us have been to and so I started researching the area. As everyone knows, Texas is a huge state that offers lots of different options for tours. We were looking for something that wasn't too far of a drive from Houston and would provide a different landscape that Houston and the Hill Country.
We are going as far east as you can in Texas on this trip - spending several days in Louisiana before circling west and coming back into Texas. East Texas is known for its piney woods, so we'll be enjoying lots of forested areas along with plenty of hills.
The weather has finally turned to fall here in the last two weeks (we thought it would never cool off this year!) and we are looking forward to nice riding conditions and cooler nights for camping. Days should be mid-70's and sunny, with nights in the 50's. We don't seem to get near as much of this cooler weather these years so we are going to take advantage of it.
This tour, we plan to circle around Toledo Bend Reservoir with a couple of nights on the Sam Rayburn Reservoir. There a plenty of Corps of Engineers parks, state parks, and private camping options around the reservoirs as they are also popular for fishing.
Dave is particularly looking forward to the Louisiana portion of the tour and the potential for finding some good boudin!
Neither Eve nor Elie could join us this trip as work duties prevented them from taking off. Maybe the next trip (next spring?) they will have an option to join again.
A long-time friend, Reba, (notice I didn't say "old"!) is planning to join us for a couple of days during the tour. I have known and ridden with Reba for many years - so many it's hard to remember when I first met her. Reba was touring before I even knew what it was, riding the inaugural Trans Am Trail across the US with BikeCentennial in 1976. We've done two tours together during the years and I'm looking forward to seeing her again.
Here is a look at the route I have planned. True to form - I'm sure we will deviate from this at least some but it is the lightly sketched plan for now. 😊
For those of you not from Texas (or even the eastern part of Texas!), the red dot shows our starting location and gives you a general idea where we will be riding within Texas. Basically just barely in Texas!
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