Introduction

Last year I cycled the eastern third of the ACA Southern Tier route from St Augustine FL to Ocean Springs, MS along with my dog Blanka towed in a wagon. The journal can be found at: https://southerntierpart1.blogspot.com Due to the extreme summer and winter weather, the Southern Tier needs to be ridden in either the spring or fall. I'm a college professor and am unable to get off work during these months. I decided to split the route into thirds and ride during my spring breaks. I'm only given a week off but need two weeks to complete each segment. Last year, because I was teaching remotely, my students had no idea that I was Zooming from hotels. This year classes are back in person, and I've  hired subs for the extra week. I also won't be towing Blanka this time. The second segment is essentially a crossing of Texas. From my perch here in liberal Brooklyn, NY I admit that I have trepidations about crossing Texas by bicycle. That said, I had similar feelings last year about Northern Florida, and I ended up really enjoying the experience and people that I met. After my recent mostly off-road experience in mountainous Mexico, I'm looking forward to riding on asphalt, being on a major route, and hopefully connecting with other cyclists.



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