How can anyone not get a big ol' bowl of gumbo when passing through Louisiana?  I'm not sure and John and Chris were no exception either.  Fortunately for them they decided to stop in the little town of Jennigs, LA and popped into a local restaurant.  The name on the window says, "Babineaux's" and upon entering all that could be smelled was goodness with lots of folks laughing and smiling!  After being asked some questions by some local patrons, a pretty lady came up and introduced herself as the owner, Brenda Babineaux.  Brenda then explained that the she wanted to buy our lunch for us so we immediately placed an order for Surf N' Turf!  Just kidding... we both had a big bowl of GUMBO followed by a piece of cake for dessert.  Let me tell ya folks, if you're ever in that part of Louisiana you have to stop in at Babaineaux's Cafe!  

Well, John crossed safely over the bridge and into Louisiana!  He was joined on the final day in Texas by a number of runners.  Some of them are members of the Golden Triangle Strutters (GTS).  Among the GTS runners were Jeremy Fermo, William Fermo and Ivy Pie.

Well, John keeps chugging along through Texas.  Austin really is a beautiful city filled with some of the nicest people.  While staying there we were put up by Vitek and Angela Boruvka.  Angela is Chris Russo's cousin and one helluva cook!  Vitek is an avid race car enthusiast who has built his own new machine and recently hit the track with it.

The road from Austin to Houston did not seem so rough for John as he was joined by Bob Becker for about 113 miles over the course of Bob's 4 day stay.  

We made it to Austin, TX yesterday and were greeted by a couple of news reporters.  Here is a link to one of the news bits.

Click here for News!  #1

Well, after being in Texas for a while, we looked up and noticed we crossed the half-way point of Texas.  However, and more importantly, we have crossed the half-way point in the journey.  The wind has taken a little bit of a break, thank goodness.  It's been about 5 days of running straight into a headwind.  And we're talking about 30-40 mph headwinds.  Here is a picture of the beautiful colors we are now seeing after all the browns of the desert.

Not too much to report about the current happenings.  John has been moving steadily along and putting the miles behind him.  As we travel east through Texas it is impossible not to notice the change in scenery and humidity.  Everything is starting to turn more and more green and less and less brown.  Which is a welcomed change after all the browns of Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas.  We are just about half-way through the state and will actually pass the half-way point today.  It would be a shame if while in Texas we did not post a picture of a "Texas Tea" pumper so here you go...

The wind was a blowin’ all along Route 10 today in western Texas.  Most of the day was spent uphill and into the wind.  The only thing missing was the snow to make it a “into the wind, in the snow, uphill both ways” stories!  Toward the end of the day a storm system rolled in and dropped a few raindrops on our heads.  Fortunately, the day was done by the time it really started raining.  There was a bit of a lightening show prior to the nighttime drenching.

A special shout out to the folks at La Quinta in Ft. Stockton, TX with a big THANK YOU to Dennis Rudner.  Dennis is the General Manager at La Quinta and was kind enough to give us a complimentary room.  A nice thing about this particular stay was the fact that Dennis gave us the room via the telephone and no arm twisting was required.  Not that we’re arm twisters but we do what we have to do sometimes!  

John logged 41 miles and not to say it was an uneventful day but not a whole lot of anything special happened with the exception of getting a complimentary room at another Hampton Inn in Ft. Stockton.  The General Manager, Leena Ghandi, was gracious enough to do so without ever meeting with us.  The front desk woman named Nora was a pleasure to deal with and she went out of her way to make sure our accommodations were very pleasant.  Overall, it was another wonderful stay at Hampton Inn!

After another couple of days in Texas oil-land and steer country we crossed the 40 day mark.  John did so with a bit of a bang and covered 43 miles for the day.  He followed that day up with a 41 mile day and is feeling stronger as the journey continues forward.  At the urging of his crew, John has increased his daily caloric and protein intake.  

While we were passing though Van Horn, TX, the folks at the Hampton Inn were kind and very generous.  So much so that they put us up for two nights pro gratis!  The staff was outstanding and if you’re ever in the area make sure to stay at the Hampton Inn of Van Horn, TX.  Please ask for Holly Bailey when checking in.  Holly is the General Manager and a simply warm and loving person.  A couple other staff members you want to say hello to are Natasha Brewster, Paul the Maintenance Engineer and Melinda.  Natasha Brewster is a newly expecting mom-to-be and if she lets you maybe you can rub her belly!  Paul always has a smile on his face and Melinda is a friendly soul.  Overall, a great crew at Hampton Inn of Van Horn.  Oh, and no worries if you are travelling with your pets as the hotel is pet friendly!  Bella gave two paws up!