Saturdays are usually my favorite day biking. It’s the best because it is the last day before a rest day and the traffic is always quieter, far fewer trucks. Today was no exception. We started out early, 7:30am, to beat the heat of the afternoon and be done by noon to get to Abilene. We wanted to squeeze in a bike shop visit and had to get Elizabeth to the airport (😔😘). We biked from our motel which was right on the route and stopped a mile up for a donut. Everyone was happy about that. We then hit the road for real and biked 40.5 miles to Swenson, Texas. The traffic was very light so again we got to ride side by side most of the way which makes the ride go quickly. Unlike yesterday, where we biked from one town to start and another to finish with only fields and wind farms between, today we had a couple of small towns along our route which is always nice. The scenery changed from mostly cattle to a mix of cattle and crops. We saw several tractors in the fields turning the soil. The early morning was chilly but it warmed up relatively quickly and by mile 25 we had shed the extra layers and were in short sleeve shirts and windbreaker vests. Thankfully no wind today. It was a relatively flat ride with just a few rollers. Our only wish was for a smoother road. Our bodies were jounced for the majority of the ride but all other conditions were great.

We ate a quick lunch on the side of the road out of the truck and then drove to Biketown in Abilene. The young man who services the bikes fit us in despite a very busy day and we were very appreciative. He put new, heavier tires on the ebike and we are hoping for less flats. He also said the chain on my bike was pretty worn so he changed that as well. I purchased new biking gloves as my palms are developing calluses from the bumpy roads. We left happy and hopeful! We were sad to take Elizabeth to the airport. She was so positive and upbeat this week and really helped me push through. I am grateful that we could ride so much of the week side by side and just chat. She also gave her Auntie Re a run for her

money in cards. Some trash talk all week between the two of them which was fun.

After dropping Elizabeth at the airport, we went to our hotel. As we pulled in, Marie noticed and pointed out a roadrunner under a small tree. We were able to get a picture. We were so excited to see one as we had been looking. As Dale commented when he saw the picture: Beep beep, Wile E Coyote 😊

We are picking up my friend, Kay Malloy, tomorrow at the airport. We are looking forward to next week sharing the experience with her, I am so incredibly blessed by the support of my family and friends!