10/24 Houston

10/24 Cloudy day, from Marshville to Houston, 63.5miles

Yesterday night in the hotel in Marshville, before crush,I was afraid of Thunderstorm today.
Wnen I wake up suddenly, looked at the window, I saw the darkness outside, so I was hearing... no sound..
no rain?! I wonder.. I looked at the watch, it was 1:00a.m.
Oh, I see, it was midnight, and it did not still rain.

I wake up 4:00a.m. again.
It did not still rain, I heard the sound of big truck.
I wake up 6:00a.m. again and again. It did not still rain.
I checked e-mail, and checked weather forecast. Weather forecast showed me "scattered Thunderstorm, chance of rain 30%, and I checked the rader, in the rader in the future(today till 2:00p.m.) there were no clouds" I could not decide wthether we would go or stay today. So I went to the restaurant to eat breakfast.

Today's breakfast was gorgeous,
I ate:
boiled eggs 2, scrambled egg much, yogurt 2 cups, bread with butter 2, sausage 7, cinnamon roll 1,
oatmeal 2packs, milk 1cup, orange juice 2cups, coffee 1cup, pancake 3  that's it!
very good!

When I finished eating breakfast, I looked at the sky outside. It was cloudy, wind was strong. I remembered the weather forecast, and thought, and decided we would go!!

I packed rain cover on the panniers with bamboo bike preparing for rain, bamboo bike seemed so excited with going today.
I checked -out the room and received the deposit.
Bamboo bike and I started biking at 9:30a.m. ,outside wind was strong and cloudy but no rain. We ran very comfortable, enjoyed biking, we passed a few small town, Hartsville,Graff,Bendavis,Fairview,Bucyrus, and we arrived at Houston.

Today it did not rain, we were lucky! Today I decided to stay at Houston, because to start was late and I thought Houston was pop about 2,000 so, if Thuderstorm came in the midnight, I would be able to ask someone to help.

In the Graff which was a small town, I met Rodgers and talked half one hour. He talked about religion, Christ, and George Washington. At that time when we met, he just on the way coming back from the pray in Church. Today was Sunday. I felt in America someone had storng relision. I thought the number of such people was more than that in Japan.

We arrived at the city park in Houston at about 4:00p.m. Tonight we stayed at West side park (city park) in Houston. I did hardly see anyone around here. Why? because today was Sunday? I did not know.
I was afraid of the Thunderstorm in the midnight, but, it would be OK, There was a shelter for Tornade here in Houston.
After arriving at the city park, I adjusted the saddle.
Bill and Fred advised me whom I met in near Telluride (Bill) / and in Japan (Fred) . Thank you, Bill! Thank you Fred! I will get some feedback from adjusting saddle tomorrow.

After adjusting, I cooked dinner, Mexican rice, ramen, tuna-can,corn soup, pancake, a cup of coffee at the city park.
After dinner, I washed the can.
After washing can, at onece it rained. I saw flash of lightning at the sky of the north, Thunderstorm came...
Rain was getting harder and harder.
But we were very lucky, to arrive at Houston early, and stayed in Houston, and there are some tables and chairs with roof in this city park. I slept on the hard concrete tonight, but better rather than be wet by rain, I did not have a tent.
I was afraid the weather tomorrow, rain were getting harder and harder.

I remembered one phrase in the novel which I loved.
" A man were waiting for stopping rain, rain may not stop"  Rashomon by Ryunosuke Akutagawa
Ryunosuke Akutagawa is one of the most favorite novelists of me.  Takashi 2010/10/24 @Houston