I really have to hand it to Joey, my CouchSurfing host in Sherman. It's a big enough deal to welcome a complete stranger into your home, let alone someone who is sick, let alone give her your own bed and sleep on the couch so she can recuperate in peace. After I woke up from an epic nap, Joey and his girlfriend Emily drove me to the grocery store so I could get more soup and orange juice. I got dizzy while we were in the self-checkout line, so Emily ran all my stuff through the scanner while I sat on the floor. I felt like I was in good hands.

I felt better after getting some food into my system, just in time to socialize with some of Joey's roommates and friends who dropped by for pizza and beer. Before Joey could introduce me to one newcomer, another guy who'd just met me exclaimed, "She's from the internet!" which prompted much laughter and a few mail-order bride jokes. Eventually we got a game called Snapper going, which involved throwing dice at or into glasses of beer (or in my case, water). I really don't miss being a college student, but I miss hanging out with them.

I wish I'd been able to be a more exciting guest and do something instead of sleeping for the better part of my day off, especially since Joey had the day off from class too. But he was awfully nice about it. By evening I had enough energy to tag along with Joey and Emily to a campus chapel service whose lesson revolved around Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears a Who, connecting it to the story of the good Samaritan: "A person's a person no matter how small!" I resolved in that moment to go back and read all the Dr. Seuss books I loved as a kid and glean the grown-up wisdom from them.

Afterward one of the other students invited us back to her place for chili and cornbread. I did not expect her house to be an amazing historical landmark, complete with stained glass windows, servant's stairway, ornate moldings above every door, and. . . hand-painted wallpaper! Indeed, when I inspected the pattern closely I could see that no two blocks in the pattern were exactly the same. Just thinking of the incredible skill and patience required to paint wallpaper by hand made me really glad that I'm biking across the country, which suddenly seems pathetically easy by comparison.

After that we took a long detour on the way back to the car, and Emily put her former tour guide (and homecoming queen!) experience to work showing me around the Austin College campus. She and Joey pointed out some interesting features, including a giant stone solstice clock (neither of them were quite sure how it worked, but it involved casting shadows onto a series of markers, a bit like a sundial), a grove of 19 trees that were each planted in honor of an AC alum who died in World War II, and the Greek Sidewalk, where each fraternity and sorority decorates one tile of the sidewalk. They also mentioned a bomb shelter and series of underground tunnels that connect all the campus building, which students aren't allowed in. If I were a student there, I'd make it my personal mission to explore those tunnels.

The next morning I finally felt miraculously. . . okay. Still not 100%, but certainly well enough to get back on the road. My next destination (and next CouchSurfing host) was in Wichita Falls, either 2 or 3 days away depending on what sort of mileage I could pull off, so I set out with the goal to take it easy on myself, go at a relaxed pace, rest when I needed to, and keep expectations low.