Day 65: Spent the day in Beaumont closely monitoring the political brinkmanship over Keystone XL being played out on Capitol Hill, while laying plans for the final week of the ride. Plans include an action (“TransCanada’s Twelve Disgraces of Christmas”) at TransCanada’s Houston headquarters on Monday; riding the final leg to the Gulf Coast on Tuesday; and a press conference marking the end of the ride in Port Arthur on Wednesday. Spoke on the phone today with yet another senior citizen landowner from the Houston area distraught at how she has been treated by TransCanada. Told her she’s not alone, and that the fight against TransCanada has only just begun.

Leila Melancon and Donna Troxell Oberle rode their bikes over to Bruce & Kathryn’s in the morning for a promised spin in the trike (Leila was having so much fun I thought I might never get it back). In the small world category, Donna and I know some of the same people in Boulder (her sister’s best friend, Jim Morris, is also a friend of mine).

Here’s some more Lone Star state press coverage of the ride, this time from the Beaumont ABC and NBC news affiliates: http://tinyurl.com/7vgyglc.

Day 64: Today we got an up close and personal tour of the ravaged city of Port Arthur, TX, which sits in the shadow of some of the world’s largest oil refineries (this is the end of the line for Keystone XL — where TransCanada wants to pump their toxic tar sand slurry to be refined and shipped overseas). Bruce Walker donated yet more of his time to drive us into the city to scout the safest bike route from Beaumont (there really isn’t one), and to meet with Goldman Prize winner Hilton Kelley, who has dedicated his life to protecting his hometown from toxic contamination. Many thanks to Chris Wilson for arranging this important meeting.

What Hilton showed us was shocking. In my 49 years living on this planet, I have never seen a community more under assault than Port Arthur. The city is ringed by an industrial beast, belching out plumes of toxic smoke and oozing an alphabet soup of chemicals into the groundwater and soil, with neighborhoods and houses pushed right up to the fence line. This is the same beast that fuels the trucks and cars we drive every day.

Well over half the businesses in a once vibrant downtown were boarded up, the streets deathly quiet. Many homes we drove by were shuttered, others collapsed or burned to the ground. Yet others stood strong — one I saw was being freshly painted a bright yellow — as if reflecting the proud spirit of this resilient community. Hilton explained that for most residents, there was no escaping the toxic assault, and even if they could afford to move, this would mean leaving behind their family and friends. Schools are way too close for comfort, and a large number of the community’s children suffer from acute asthma. Hilton himself was living the good life in Los Angeles when a dream called him home to fight for the future of his people. I am filled with admiration for his commitment to his hometown and cannot imagine a more appropriate place to end the Keystone XL “Tour of Resistance” than Port Arthur, TX.

Don’t believe an American city in the 21st Century is being subjected to a 24/7 toxic assault of their air, water and soil in violation of U.S. law? Visit Port Arthur and see for yourself. Or save the travel fuel and watch this video: http://tinyurl.com/6t3afxh.

Day 63: Local Sierra Club activists Bruce Drury and Bruce Walker laid some beautiful groundwork for us by arranging a press conference at the Big Thicket National Preserve. We chose that location because Keystone XL threatens to contaminate several rivers and creeks upstream from this biological wonder. Also joining us there was Maxine Johnston, matriarch of the Big Thicket Association and 1996 recipient of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Citizen Conservationist Award. Covering the event were reporters from The Examiner, the Hardin County News and the Beaumont Enterprise, as well as the local ABC and NBC news affiliates (which ended up running three evening stories and two morning pieces on the ride).

The past few days have seen the weather turn in our favor for the final push to the Gulf Coast. Highs in the 70s today and swimming in humidity. Made our way to Kountze, where Bruce Walker treated us to some good old fashioned southern lunch fare.  The closer we got to Beaumont, the heavier the traffic became, so Bruce trailed us for the final push into the city. 53 miles from where we started the day, we rolled down a quiet lane to the home of Bruce and Kathryn Walker, where we unloaded our gear before negotiating the city’s new bike lanes to a nearby outdoor bar for a meet and greet, where we were once again treated to dinner and drinks by our most generous hosts.

Less than 30 miles now remain to complete the ride, which will end in Port Arthur, TX. Will be using Beaumont (home of “Spindletop,” where the modern oil industry was born)
as our staging area for the next few days to plan the ride finale. A big thanks to Bruce and Kathryn for putting us up while we finalize our plans. Here’s another Lone Star story on the ride by The Paris News: http://tinyurl.com/7ajwaw2.

Day 62: Today was marked by flat tires. No sooner had we started down the road when I saw one of the trailer wheels behind Ron wobbling badly. Just as I started pulling up to warn him, the protruding tube exploded with a loud “POP!” Without a spare, Ron had to tough it out and ride 11 miles to the next town with a tubeless tire. Not my idea of a good time. Made it to Livingston, where Ron went in search of a tube, while I grabbed some desperately needed food fuel at the Whistle Stop Cafe. There I met Debra Fuller, who handed me some traveling cash from her and her friends (really appreciate that, guys!). Trailer fixed, we were back to full speed, and made a visit to the Polk County Enterprise on our way out of town.

Getting off the main road gave us a respite from the oppressive traffic noise. Despite the logging trucks, backroad traffic was relatively sparse and the shoulder wider than the actual traffic lane for most of the day. That, and the serenity of the swampy forests, made every mile pedaled enjoyable. Today was also actually hot for the first time in weeks, which was a welcome change.

Knowing we were going to be pushing it again to make the next town before dark, and not wanting a repeat of last night, I dialed up local pipeline fighter, Bruce Drury, who offered to rendezvous with us at sunset and trail us to the next town with his car. This was very fortuitous, as we hadn’t rolled a mile down the road in the fading light before it was my turn for a flat tire. Our angel for the day had just the tool I needed to complete the repair, or I would have been stuck on the side of the road in the dark being eaten alive by mosquitos. Trike repaired, Bruce accompanied us to an unmanned volunteer fire station, where we pitched camp in the back, 43 more miles closer to our destination. Every time we’ve needed some kind of assistance on this eco-odyssey, help arrives, usually in the form of a new friend.

We’re leaving a “breadcrumb” path of news articles down the proposed pipeline route. Here’s one that ran in the town of Newkirk, OK: http://tinyurl.com/d2wmqtk.

Day 61: After a hearty breakfast at the Baggett’s, Vicki dropped us off in downtown Nacogdoches to meet a local landowner with more personal horror stories to share about his dealings with TransCanada. “Unfair,” obstinate,” and “heavy-handed” were adjectives he used to describe the energy giant. Being a southern gentleman, I suspect he was being kind. I think it’s safe to say TransCanada’s management has never read the book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”

By now it was after noon, so we pushed hard to Lufkin on a very rough shoulder of the road, with heavy traffic racing past. In town, we were tracked down by a reporter with the local ABC News affiliate for a story on the ride. Then it was on to Corrigan, which we hoped to make by nightfall. After another hard push, we made town just as the light was beginning to fade, but no motel was to be found. But we did meet a local reporter with the Corrigan Times and the Polk County Enterprise on the side of the road. With darkness falling, we decided to push on 11 more miles to the 7 Oaks Motel, with our bikes lit up with flashing lights. Not something I recommend doing, but Lady Luck was on our side, and we arrived without incident. The only other business in “town” was a liquor store right across the street. You can guess where we went first.

Today’s 55-mile ride moves to the top of the list as the worst stretch of road I’ve ever pedaled. While a large shoulder made riding relatively safe, the noise of the roaring semis blasting by every 20 seconds or so made the ride less than pleasant. As the saying goes, we aren’t in Kansas anymore. We’re in Big Truck Country now, and I suspect will be until the ride concludes.

I can honestly say I’ve never led a project that has generated more media than I can keep track of – until now. We’ll be lucky if we collect half of it. Here’s a piece that ran in today’s The Daily Sentinel: http://tinyurl.com/83jdbwq.

Day 60: Got up at daybreak, broke camp and pedaled a couple miles down the road to Beverly’s Country Cafe, where we got one of the best breakfasts of the entire trip. Leaving the restaurant, we were approached by two separate men expressing their support for what we were doing. Have a feeling the honks and waves of support from car drivers today was thanks to all the local TV and newspaper coverage of the ride. And the coverage didn’t stop. Rolling through Rusk, TX, we were flagged down on the side of the road by Robert Gonzalez, General Manager for a local radio station, who arranged a roadside interview with the editor of the Cherokeean Herald.

Today was marked by big hills, including Monster Hill (imagine biking up the equivalent of a 25-story building in a 1/2 mile span) on the outskirts of Nacogdoches. Rolling into town with 55 more miles behind us, we were warmly greeted by our local hosts Vicki & Tim Baggett and a dozen or so more pipeline fighters, including several college students on bikes. After a caffeine recharge and interview with The Daily Sentinel, our “bike posse” rolled out of the coffee shop parking lot and occupied a street lane (there are no bike lanes in this town) for a biking tour of downtown. Afterwards, did interviews with Marilyn Eares, Ryan Maher, Daniel Baugh, Kendal Martel and Brenda Morgan (look for their YouTube videos to be posted soon).

Tim shuttled our bikes to their home outside of town, where we were treated to a wonderful home-cooked meal, drinks and conversation with new friends, and later real beds to sleep in, but not before another planning conference call set up by Chris Wilson with Beaumont and Houston activists. Really appreciate the Baggett’s warm hospitality, and want to thank Tim, Vicki and also their next door neighbor, Anne Tindell, for the generous and creative origami travel cash. Learn more about the inspiring work they’re doing to stop Keystone XL at their Nacogdoches S.T.O.P. (Stop Tarsands Oil Period) website: http://nacstop.org/.

For more local coverage of the ride, check out this story that ran on the local CBS News affiliate in Tyler, TX: http://tinyurl.com/7mlk4y5.

Day 59: Got an early start on the day, with plans (always tenuous when trekking by bike) to make Nacogdoches by nightfall, where we were expected for a potluck dinner to meet yet more Texas pipeline opponents. But the first pedal stroke of the day propelled me nowhere. Nor did the second. Turns out a screw on a bolt that had been specially fabricated for the trike (after a breakdown on day one of late year’s ride) had vibrated off, so the derailleur was no longer attached to the back fork. In an ironic twist, Ron had just departed to finally retrieve his bike, which had itself been repaired for a derailleur problem, and now I had my own. But to our amazing good fortune, David Daniel was there to once again help us out of our predicament.

He and Ron scoured the local hardware stores to find what we needed while I waited with the trike by the side of the road next to a small flea market/produce stand. When Jack, the owner of 40 years, rolled up in his truck, I learned the country music he had blaring 24/7 behind the fence was to keep the local skunks at bay. He said there was room enough in the world for both him and skunks, he just didn’t want them repelling his customers. Sounded like a fair enough arrangement to me.

Trike finally repaired, we reconnoitered in Tyler, where Ron, David and I did a lengthy interview with the local NBC news affiliate. Another ten or so miles down the road, local CBS News affiliate reporter/anchor Jennifer Heathcock and her cameraman caught up with us for another roadside interview. By now, we were never going make Nacogdoches, so we called it a day in Jacksonville, where camping could be found. Ended the day with 44 more miles under our belt at a lakeside park, where I’m writing this blog in the cold at a picnic table under what looks to be close to a full moon. Thanks to Patagonia for so generously gearing me up to keep me warm on nights just like tonight! Today was a good day.

For a look at the ride story that ran in today’s Tyler Morning Telegraph, check out:  http://tinyurl.com/buzhz3f.

Day 58: This morning, David Daniel took Ron and I on a walking tour of his family’s beautiful wooded property, populated by panthers, bears, wild boar, deer and old growth hardwood forest. Their property is interlaced by three pristine, spring fed creeks that the pipeline would cut right through. David drinks out of his streams now but wouldn’t think of doing it with a tar sands pipeline there. What confidence would you have in a U.S. State Department that says 1.7 million gallons spilling daily from Keystone XL without triggering their leak detection system is considered acceptable (http://tinyurl.com/7t39w8o)?

This statement from David drives home what’s really at stake: “This is our homestead. It’s all we have. We’ve put every penny into this and it’s all we have to leave our daughter and we want to leave her the best… the disrespect for our lives and the life of our daughter… is unacceptable.” Watch for this “walk in the woods” YouTube video to be posted soon.

As if our walk in the woods wasn’t enough to reflect on for the rest of the day, 92-year old pipeline fighter Furman Boles was eager to see us again, and me him, before we left town, so we met in town for breakfast to learn more from this wise, local elder. Furman, who still gets around everywhere on his own, insisted on getting in the rocket trike, and I believe would have pedaled to Tyler himself if I had let him. Don’t miss the YouTube video of Furman in the trike.

On the way to Tyler, stopped into the Wood County Democrat in Quitman, TX for a newspaper interview. Then rolled on to Mineola, for an on-the-spot interview with The Mineola Monitor. Rolling up to the office of the Monitor, passed the Community Care Center, whose staff stopped me to ask if I would be willing to show the trike to their elderly residents. So I rolled the trike right into their meeting hall, to the seeming delight of everyone there. That’s the thing I love the most about this little yellow trike: it makes people happy.

By then, with only 37 miles on the day, was running late for a scheduled 4:30 interview with the Tyler Morning Telegraph, so David Daniel and Ron, who had driven ahead to retrieve Ron’s bike from the bike shop where it was being repaired, met me on the side of the road and shuttled me the rest of the way into town. Tomorrow, the ride will launch at the same spot to continue the journey south. Here’s another good local story on the ride, this time from Antlers, OK: http://tinyurl.com/cftbqe5. We’re countering TransCanada’s propaganda, one small town at a time.

Day 57: Pipeline fighter extraordinaire David Daniel lined up a full slate of landowners and anti-pipeline activists for us to meet with in Winnsboro today. I can’t begin to express the power of the conversations we had here, but hopefully captured their essence on camera. It was an emotional roller coaster to hear the heartfelt stories of my fellow Americans who are fighting so hard just to protect what they love. I get emotional just thinking about what 92-year old Furman Boles shared with me. From his gentle statement, “I love everything that has life in it,” to his poignant characterization of TransCanada’s toxic tar sands pipeline as “un-American.” Look for the powerful interviews from Furman, Susan Scott, Patti Radillo and Eddie Radillo to be posted on the RenewableRider YouTube channel soon.

A special thanks to Jim and Marilyn at Art & Expresso for taking such good care of us and for letting us commandeer their shop for the day. Thanks, too, to David for lining up interviews with The Winnsboro News and Front Porch News (can’t wait to see our group shots with the rocket trike). Ended the day with a great catch up call with my dear friend and fellow earth warrior, Brock Evans, before David and Clara treated Ron and I to a wonderful dinner. Definitely feeling the love in Texas.

One of the highlights of the day was being treated to a private performance of Eddie Radillo’s “Tar Sands Song.” All Texans, and Americans, need to hear it:  http://tinyurl.com/6w68geu. Pass it along!!

Day 56: Good riding weather is back: sunny and 40s. Logged 66 more miles today. Started the day sitting down with a reporter at The Paris News to talk about Keystone XL and the ride. Happy to see “old school” reporters still exist. A little later, was flagged down on the side of the road by Julia Trigg Crawford, a Texas landowner in the appeal process of an eminent domain battle with TransCanada. Very serendipitous. Around lunchtime, rolled into Sulphur Springs for an interview with the News-Telegram. On my way out of town, a shop called Phoenix Rising captured my eye, so I dropped in for a quick sandwich. Was delighted to learn that Amy Fikes, co-owner of this women-run local shop, is adamantly opposed to Keystone XL. Look for her YouTube interview to be posted soon.

From there, Ron and I made the final push to Winnsboro, where we were eager to spend time with David Daniel, a prominent leader of the fight against TransCanada in Texas. David was kind enough to come out and meet us about 5 miles outside of town to trail us with his hazards. Moments later, Ron’s bike broke down again (same derailleur hanger problem as last time). Yet more serendipity. Thanks to David being there, we were able to simply toss the bike and trailer into his pickup bed, while I pedaled the rest of the way into town. There we met Eleanor Fairchild at Art & Expresso in downtown Winnsboro, where we were kindly treated to coffee by owners Jim Hollowell and Marilyn Armand. Eleanor generously treated us all to dinner afterwards, where we learned a lot about local efforts to fight Keystone XL. We then hurried back to the wooded home of David and Clara Daniel for a statewide planning call with Texas landowners and anti-pipeline activists. A big thank you to Chris Wilson for setting this up, and for introducing us to their powerful Texas network! TransCanada has picked the wrong people to mess with.

Here’s a good Kansas story on the ride that ran in the El Dorado Times:  http://tinyurl.com/6rjjhg8.