Wayside_Wisdom Heard Along the Way
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McCANALENBURG MISERY The last Saturday of 2008, we rode the second annual "McCANALenburg Classic." It’s a bike race and tour sponsored by a south Texas organization which promotes outdoor recreation. The ride runs between McAllen and Edinburg along the main irrigation canal. Hence the name, a combination of the names of the beginning and destination points and the route: McCANALenburg Classic. We rode it last year and had a great time. Last year’s ride was well planned and organized. In 2007, the ride began in McAllen and went north to Route 107 (University Ave) in Edinburg and returned. We rode only seventeen miles of the possible twenty-three but enjoyed it. The service road on which we ride is rough but we didn’t have to contend with much traffic because the service road we were riding on is not open to the public. Also, each intersection was managed by law enforcement personnel. Some of the sights along the way are interesting and there were food and water stops every few miles all along the route. So this year we registered to ride it again. Four others from our RV park went with us. We left our park a little before 8 am to get there in plenty of time for a 9 am start. We got there with time to spare, but the Porta-a-Pots never made it! We should have taken that as an omen for what lay ahead.
This year there were two water stops within the first three miles when we were still well supplied. After that, nothing! I had consumed all the food I had with me before we were halfway to McAllen and my water bottle was empty by the time we got there! In brisk headwinds, sunshine and 80 degree temperatures, lack of water can be serious. Fortunately, our friends each had an extra bottle of water and were generous in sharing it with us. By the time we made it to McAllen, all the security personnel who had been helping us safely cross the highways had left. At one point on the return trip, a car speeding around a blind curve came uncomfortably close to making Bruce a widower! Of course, when we turned around to go north back to Edinburg, the south wind was behind us and we sailed as if we had wings. It felt great! But when the security personnel left, there was no one – nor any sign – to direct us at a place where the route had been changed this year. So, exhilarated by that brisk tail wind, we sailed right past the turn off! By the time we realized our mistake, we had gone about five miles out of our way. We knew the area, having ridden it last year, but returning to the route required riding back about five miles into that wailing wall of wind! Two of the four of us who were riding together knew we didn’t have the stamina to go back into the jaws of that monster wind. We were not far from a little gas station where Bruce and I had taken a "potty break" last year. So we two ladies decided to wait there while our husbands braved the windy wilderness. They left us and we headed for the little station – only to find it closed! Our dreams of soft chairs and cold drinks disappeared when we saw the "Closed" sign. It was about noon by this time, the sun was high, and the temperature was in the mid 80s. There were, however, two patches of shade, and we were very thankful for that. As we waited for our husbands to come to our rescue, nature began calling to me – quite loudly. That "Closed" sign also meant no bathroom, and there weren’t even any big trees or vacant, private places around for me to relieve myself! While my friend stayed with the bikes, I went to the furniture store next door, only to discover that their public restroom was out of order! So I walked – or waddled? – to a little auto upholstery shop several doors back the other way. All communication in that small establishment was in Spanish. So I tried to sound as if I knew what I was saying, "Tiene usted un baño publico?" (Do you have a public bathroom?) He responded, "No, no lo tengo." (No, I don’t have one.) The look on my face must have communicated my urgency. He added, "Tengo un baño que usamos pero no es limpio." (I have a bathroom that we use but it’s not clean.) "OK, está bien," I answered, and he led me to the tiny washroom his employees use. What a relief! Our husbands called from Edinburg to say that they hadn’t been blown off the face of the earth! It had taken them over an hour to ride the seven miles back to the starting point to pick up their vehicles. By the time they got there, all evidences of our bike tour had been packed up and hauled away and the food services were closed down. It was now approaching 1 pm. They picked us up shortly after that, loaded our bikes and we all headed for the nearest IHOP. Finally, at about 1:45 pm we got our first post-breakfast nourishment – and lots of cold drinks! That helped a little to ease the aching in the legs, backs and bottoms. But a different kind of misery set in on our drive home. We watched as the wicked wind – that had battered and beaten us for three long hours in the morning – died down to a balmy breeze! All we could do was laugh at ourselves – and even that gentle exercise hurt more than just our pride! 12/27/2008 - mshr
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