Danny’s Ride

We were in the motor home driving back to Laguna Park by around 6:30 a.m and were on our bikes by almost 8:00 a.m.  It was a beautiful start to the day.  The roads were flat, the clouds were thick and the breeze was refreshing.  We crossed over a large bridge that took us over a beautiful lake.  It was a great start to the day.

Twenty miles into the ride, we stopped at a gas station in Hillsboro.  I checked my tires and found the back one needed a little air.  As I took off the cap, I heard all the air come bursting out of the tire.  When I took off the tire, the small stem came with it.  I told Danny to go ahead while I changed the tire.  I went through several tubes before I found one that would hold air.  I checked three to four times the inside and outside of the tire to make sure there wasn’t anything that would be puncturing the tire.  There wasn’t.

I was extremely careful to make sure the tube was not being twisted so it must have been I was pinching the tire as I put it back in.  Eventually with Ken’s help, I got the tire inflated and was back on the road.  I noticed that Highway 22 which we were staying on to Corsicana, took a hard left turn without much notice.  I immediately called Danny to make sure he had made the turn.  He was biking and couldn’t hear his phone.

So, I continued biking.  Fifteen minutes later, Danny called back.  It turns out, he already knew he had biked almost 18 miles in the wrong direction.  Because he was using his new replacement phone, he did not have any of our phone numbers.  I called Ken and told him about Danny’s situation.  He said he would go immediately to pick him up.

Meanwhile, I met up with  Charlene Collins.  Charlene was a bandmate and high school classmate of Danny’s.  She had seen Danny on TV last night and drove two hours to see Danny!  From the little time I had to talk with Charlene, I quickly see that she is a terrific person with a big heart.

She headed back to meet with Danny as Ken had dropped him off where Highway 22 turned.  I continued biking and twenty minutes later, it was raining.  I called Ken and within minutes he was there to pick me up.  Ten minutes later, the rain let up slightly and I hit the road again.  Not long after biking, the clouds parted and the sun came out.  It warmed up in a hurry and was a welcome change to the rain.

We met in Corsicana and ate at Whataburger.  The cashier had seen Danny on TV last night as well!  He was quickly becoming a celebrity in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.  We then went down the street to a bakery that Charlene had highly recommended.  It was delicious!  Both Danny and I ate a slice of apple pie.  After hearing Danny’s story, the cashier at the bakery purchased our slices of pie for us.  Thank you!

We went down the street and checked into the Comfort Inn.  The front desk clerk, Gene Zellar, gave us a rate of $54.99 and when we came back in, he was on the phone with the hotel manager, Shashi Naik.  The two then donated a room to us for the ride.  Thank you Gene and Shashi!  We really, really appreciate it.  It is a beautiful room.

We are going to get a good night sleep and hit the road again tomorrow!