I Survived the Hotter N Hell Expo

My morning started quite, tip toeing through the house as to not wake my house guests. I quickly tried to check email and was distracted by a news story about a girl that had been abducted 18 years ago and had been living in a compound not too far from her family. As I pondered this tragic story I heard stirring in the house, time for coffee.

With coffee made and consumed, we decided to check the bikes and get them loaded on the car. Andy is a seasoned rider and checked all the bikes, oiled my chain and secured all the bikes, so nice! With bikes secured and ready, we decided to get ourselves ready and get moving.

Of course, Starbucks is always a necessity...what would a morning be without it? Two hours later we found ourselves in Wichita Falls, TX. Wichita Falls is a small Texas town that seems to be known for its air force base and the Hotter N Hell ride. And what a ride it will be!

Most of our day was spent at the expo. It was larger than last year with what looked like several new vendors. We quickly walked the booths, decided we didn't need anything, the walked around again, just to make sure. What I like about the types of things are all the free things you can get. We got free reflectors, water bottles,drinks, backpacks, Chomps, coupons, chapstick, nail files and even a jersey! Of course admittedly the jersey wasn't FREE, I did pay money to an advocate group Bike Texas but it is a good cause.

We ate the Hotter N Hell spaghetti dinner and sat outside admiring the great scenery. My friend Danny that I met after the last Hotter N Hell race caught up with us to say hi. It was good to finally meet him face to face, we have been friends on facebook since the last race. That is the great thing about the cycling community, you make great friends along the way. We even saw my good friend Steve at the expo, he had come with his riding group from Arlington.

Such a great day, full of busy and crazy fun. I'm tired now, listening to our neighbors and my roomies chat on the balcony of our motel room. I suppose I should be social..... Check back tomorrow for news on how the ride went.