Ranch Country

Texas has lived up to our grand expectations. I want to call the landscape “alien,” but that’s not exactly right – it’s only alien to me. It’s wide open and rolling; it seems wild, less shaped by human influence. Over the last week we rode out of the bayous, through the heavily-logged woodland, and out into ranch country.

It’s a good thing we gave ourselves a lot of time to reach Austin before Christmas, because we’ve encountered hills, headwinds, and rain. But halfway up some sweaty climb, I realized I was actually enjoying myself. It’s been fun to be challenged on the bike again. Three months ago I would’ve told you I’d be glad to never see a hill again, but after months of flat-and-straight roads, I suppose I was wrong. It got boring. Shifting and steering on hilly terrain takes up a lot more mental space, so it’s easier to get out of your own head. Plus, it’s a very good workout, so it does a better job saturating those endorphin receptors.

Measured by our peanut butter consumption, there’s been a corresponding uptick in our appetites. (Current record: 2/3 of one jar in a day.) Texas, fortunately, has delighted us with its food, especially the Mexican cuisine. I bought some $2 tacos from the back of a grocery store, and they were better than anything I could’ve ever gotten in Brooklyn. The stores, too, have totally different stock. Right over the Texas border we started seeing a huge variety of peppers, beans, and tortillas, along with interesting condiments (chili-lime salt!), instant micheladas, and a variety of imported Mexican sweets.

Culturally, Texas is more self-referential than other states. The shape of Texas seems to be a popular motif. I don’t think I could recognize any other state flag, but I’ve seen enough of the Lone Star to remember it. It made more sense to me once I actually read the historical background on the back of our map – Texas was (briefly) its own country! Perhaps Texans are just embracing that part of their identity. I feel like there’s a little more bite to the culture here, a little more independence. Maybe it’s all the gun jokes. Still, we’ve met a lot of big-hearted people over the last week: our Warmshowers hosts in Coldspring, the owners of Checkpoint Harley, and a fellow in Burton who bought us a coke and paid for our dinner that night.

Tomorrow we’ll be in Austin, which I hear is a very different sort of place. We’re looking forward to taking a week off there, and having a proper Christmas celebration together!