Congrats on retiring early. Unfortunately, Houston is full (this includes everything surrounding the Houston area).

You should check out the beautiful sunny city of El Paso.

Haha it was an interesting encounter. It was about this time of year (i think 2 years ago), so it was getting dark early. I took my dogs out for a hike after work and accepted the fact that i would probably be finishing my hike in total darkness.

So as im hiking back, darkness hits with about a mile to go, and i put on my headlamp (one of those big spotlight type ones). I was walking down a sandbar and looking down at some rocks or something on the ground and then looked up to see a fully illuminated, large, middle-aged Mexican dude wearing a chartreuse green cycling jumpsuit just standing there staring at me.

This area is pretty remote and ive always thought there is a good possibility of me stumbling upon some sort of illegal operation out there so i was a little sketched out. Im sure he was also sketched out about some weird ass dude hiking down the river at night (i noticed him side-eyeing the pistol on my hip a few times lol).

Anyway, we chatted and he told me he had been riding his bike and decided to check something out off the trail and got turned around. Left his phone at home since it was just supposed to be a quick ride around the neighborhood. From the lake to where we met, he had gone through at least a straight mile of dense jungle. Ditched his bike at some point along the way. Definitely would've spent the night out there if he kept heading in the same direction he was going.

So i hiked him up and across the river about a mile and took him home. He didnt even let me take him all the way to his house because i think he was still worried i was a murderer or whatever. Called me the next day (i let him use my phone to call his wife) and asked if i could take him back out to where we met so he could backtrack and find his bike. Never returned his call because i was also worried that he was a murderer who got cold feet lol.