Summer 2007 Tour - Day 00

Day 00
Friday, June 8, 2007
Houston, TX to Longview, TX
240 miles



When I arrived at work this morning, I expected an easy day. Perhaps I’d work a little on the never-ending project that always had something in the pipeline and then tidy my disaster area of a desk for a little while. Instead, I found a barrage of emails and a surprise permit submittal that needed to be coordinated. Having hoped to leave the office early, I was disappointed to find myself still dejectedly staring at my phone waiting for the reprographics firm to call as 4pm came and went.

It has long been my philosophy that, when touring, valuable vacation hours should not be wasted getting out of the immediate area. There is no need to dally on roads that can be ridden any old time.

With this in mind, when I finally left the office at 4:45, I had only a quick 200 miles of slab in 91 degree humid heat to look forward to.



I flew north on US59 through the East Texas Piney woods. The tree-covered, gently-rolling landscape has become very familiar to me over the past year. US59 has become my gateway to Arkansas and several memorable weekend rides.

Just south of Henderson, TX, I pulled over onto the shoulder to put away some electronics. Despite a very non-threatening radar picture (I checked before leaving work), the road was obviously wet, and I could *see* the rain on the road ahead of me.



In the 90 degree heat, a little rain would have been welcome. Unfortunately, I managed to completely miss it.

Longview, TX, my destination for the night, owes it’s growth to the East Texas oil boom. A vivid double rainbow led me into town. I found myself wondering if there was a pot of *black gold* somewhere out there, waiting to be found.

Perhaps tomorrow?