God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State

by Lawrence Wright

John and Hawk stopped to eat at the J and P Bar & Grill in Comstock, near the Mexican border. “A couple of cowboys walked in,” John recalled. He stiffened a bit when he saw them. “I could feel the cultural distance immediately.” The cowboys still had their spurs on. Their hair was matted in the shape of their hats, and they had the vivid tan lines of men who live outdoors. They were drinking Coors Light and shooting pool, but they obviously took note of John and Hawk, two gray-haired men in garish Spandex outfits like aging Spider-Men. One of the cowboys finally demanded to know what they were up to. “We’re riding across Texas on our bikes,” John said. “Why the hell would you do that?” John explained that they were raising money to buy bicycles and books for schoolchildren in Kenya. The cowboys returned to the pool table, but as John and Hawk were leaving, one of them stuffed two $20 bills in John’s pocket. “Give this to them kids in Africa,” he said.