Dave and I both took the day off. His hip had been painful after only 12 miles the day before and it looked as if it could be hilly. We were able to ride with a vehicle that would be following the route so that is appreciated.
Within the first 4 miles we came across a group of riders with one rider down. It turned out that he had felt I'll and thought it was his heart. Someone had called 911 and we stayed to wait for the ambulance. The fire department arrived and started some oxygen. Then some other fire volunteers arrived in a truck. Then the next to arrive was an EMT in a truck. FINALLY the ambulance arrived. They took him to the local hospital and after a further five hours were going to release him. However they then decided that the blood test results were of concern and made plans to transfer him to Austin. He had a procedure this morning and has now told Bubba that he will be back riding with us in a week!
The most amazing thing is that his son was in Austin on a work assignment and was able to be with his father during this ordeal. That is a God thing!
Today on our rest day we took a hayride around Mexican Hill Ranch. It was really interesting as we came upon a calf which looked like it had been abandoned by its mother. Ernie and Doris brought it back to the mother and it appears that the mother has accepted it back. Otherwise Doris will need to bottle feed it.
During the afternoon, a couple we had met during Moonlight Ski nights at Big M came over to have lunch and visit with us. Sheila and Frank live in Indiana but travel to MI to cross country ski. One time they happened to be in the Manistee area and saw a notice about our Moonlight Ski event. They now come up for one of our events each year. When they were talking to us in January they mentioned that they would be in the Texas Hill Country doing their own self-supported bike tour at about the same time as we are, so they kept in contact with us and came over to see us in our "tent city". They were impressed with the logistics of a group this size!
Bubba arranged a speaker, Russell Cushman, who is an artist, sculptor and historian. He was very enthusiastic and filled us in on the local history of the Brazos valley. He was commissioned to do a sculpture of a Texas Ranger named Frank Hamer, who was the person who ambushed Bonnie and Clyde and killed them to stop their killing spree. Prior to that he took on a group of entrenched criminals that comprised the local government. They were known for lynchings and other brutality.
The area was also the home of many of the original bluesman who were the inspiration for singers such as Eric Clapton. One of them was actually the buggy driver for Frank Hamer. He was recorded as saying that Frank made the area safe for blacks again.
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