We left Freeport heading to Northeast to Galveston. The roads in Texas are wide, as are the shoulders. Not at all like North and South Carolina last year. I put in three five mile stints as it is so hot and humid and one needs a break to cool off.
Galveston is an island city on the Gulf of Mexico. It was founded in 1839 and named for Bernardo de Galvez y Madrid. Originally it was a part of Spain, then Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the U.S. Confederacy, and the U.S. after the Civil War. The “Juneteenth” Holiday (June 19th) commemorates the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston learned that President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation giving them their freedom – two-and-a-half years earlier.
When we got close to Galveston and the GPS said six miles to the ferry to the Bolivar Peninsula was 106 minutes, we were a little puzzled. Come to find out, the traffic line to the ferry was backed up for miles. Meanwhile, we decided we needed to have some Texas barbecue before we left Texas. Luckily we stumbled on to Queenie’s and had the best barbecue beef brisket and pulled pork sandwiches I have ever tasted.
After 3 1/2 hours we were on the road again, to Port Arthur T. It is the home of the largest oil refinery in the U.S. I put in another five miles on the bike and arrived at our RV reservation thirty minutes before the office closed. We will cross into Louisiana tomorrow on the same route we rode on the “Pedal the Gulf” Bike for the Cure ride in 2013.
Mary Ann