In Rivera, I found a dead end road--it lead to a house--but I slept along the side of the road under a tree leading up to the house. Good places to sleep have little traffic, are quiet, and have little light. They are also on public property, usually, as was the case here in Rivera.

This little town of Sarita reminded me of my sister Sarah--in Spanish, as you probably know, the diminutive form of a word is formed by adding ito or ita--Sara becomes Sarita, meaning "little Sarah". So this pic is for you, sis! A town with your namesake! Thinking of you:) Hope wedding preparations are going well!

I had to take a picture of these pines to get that deep green beauty they possess. Pines/evergreens live at pretty much any latitude I am learning--They live in the tundra of Canada, the live in my backyard in Maryland, they are abundant in North Carolina, they are here in the tropics of Texas, and will be present throughout my journey, I posit (I like that word today).

A typical strech of road recently--a wide shoulder on a highway stretching for tens of miles. Plenty of time to think about things, people, things to do, etc. Farmland, and ranchland mostly on either side. I saw lots of cars towing cars, with the rear car painted with "IN TOW" on the rear window. I posit that they are people being hired to transport cars, perhaps to Mexico. Perhaps they are used cars, perhaps which have a big market in Mexico. I also saw lots of campers with car in tow, but that I think is a typical thing for Mexico vacationers to do--bring a car for jaunts out from their camper. But I just thought, "can you burn ANY more fuel? They must be getting 0.5 miles/gallon! Then I thought, well, I use zero gallons/mile, so I get infinity miles per gallon! I want to make a sticker with something like that on it!

A typical tree here--scraggly, low to the ground. Starting to remind me of the type of trees I saw in Brazil and Bolivia when I was there in 99 and 98 respectively, doing community service with Amigos de las Americas. Part of the idea of this trip is to get a sense of the gradual transition of culture and ecology as I head from my home to my destination.

Yeah, this is where we are, in the Texas tropics. Sometimes people plant palm trees in semi-tropical areas--like in South Carolina--where they wouldn't grow naturally, but because they want to FEEL or THINK that they are in a tropical location. Often these trees will wilt and brown in the winter. But here in southern-most, Gulf-Coast, "the Valley" Texas, in December, palm trees show they belong here.

A lunch stop at the side of the road going from Rivera to Raymondville. Trees for shade, and a small pond between the highway and the train tracks. I posited there may be alligators there, but seeing none, I reasoned that no food source could consistently safely reach this water source (like deer, I suppose) because of the highway and train tracks. Therefore, alligators could not live there. (Plus, it was probably too small and shallow, but the fact that I wondered if alligators were there shows that they were on my mind:))

A raptor sits at the top of this tree--one of dozens of raptors of varying species I have seen recently. Sometimes the raptor sets aflight as I approach and flies almost right above me at about the same speed allowing me a great view of its wings and gracefulness.

The future of 69. So this area wants the notoriety associated with "Highway 69?" Perhaps it is because this area has one of the more sultry climates in the United States--more humid and tropical. Perhaps it is because of the dirtiness and ambivalence they feel dealing with the border issue with Mexico. Perhaps it is the sultriness of the Latin influence. Well, if 69 gets built, hopefully it will be welcoming and accomodating of cycing tourists--or transcontinental cycing commuters.

Entering Willacy County, I was greeted by two rows of palm trees advertising the region's tropical location. They reminded me of the Palm Trees lining down the median strip on Canal Street in New Orleans.

Entering Raymondville after 57 miles on 77 from Rivera without much in the way of civilization or amenities. Finally a place to rest. I stopped at one little convenience store that adverised that it made tacos, but it turned out they weren't making food at that time of day, and they were too poor to offer me anything for my journey. They suggested I try other restaurants ahead. I wished them luck with their business.

A bridge in Raymondville, TX, where I am now. This is where Route 77 and 77 Business Split. The bridge has icons of Texas on either side--the shape of Texas, and the "Lone Star" representing Texas when it was its own country.

Me and this dude Jose who I met in Raymondville. He spoke just Spanish, I think, cuz we only spoke in Spanish. He had seen three girl-biker-tourists the week before pass through, have some coffee, and he gave them six oranges. I showed him a photo of a girl--one of the Canadians--Sasha--who I know passed through recently. Jose said he believed one of the girls was indeed Sasha. He said one of the girls spoke good Spanish and the other two did not. He also said the one girl who spoke Spanish just met the other two girls. All of these facts could describe Sasha, so perhaps it was her. Jose then gave me some fresh fruit he was selling. Thanks, Jose!

Joe of the San Antonio Dorothy Day Catholic Worker House, myself, and some of the residents of the house, including Osita who is riding on my tent on the back of my bike! I took here up and down the street, and pretended like we were going to Mexico and Brazil. I think she really wanted to go with me on the trip! A cutie, but we had to part--I am sure her mommy would have sent someone after us if we actually took off!

I helped the Dorothy Day House prepare and serve a lunch to the local homeless.