Marfa, TX to Marathon, TX
Forgot to set my alarm clock this morning, so when everyone was leaving for breakfast to Marfa Burrito at 0630, I heard their voices and had to rush out of my comfortable sleeping bag and tent to catch up! The burrito place was in walking distance, so all was good. Broke camp, and donated my old tent to El Cosmico, of course wth a disclaimer that the rain fly leaks!
Wonderful ride today, even with the headwind. The rest day did us good, and boosted spirits as well as physical abilities. I rode by myself all day, passing several riders on the road. I did get a late start, due to not setting the alarm, and having to go to the office to donate the tent.
The road was great, for the most part, with an eight foot, smooth shoulder. There were some chip seal sections, but it did not deter me from forging ahead with good spirits. I soon fund myself in Alpine, where I stopped at the local bike shop to purchase new tires. Unfortunately, I rode all the way through town, and realized that I had missed it, so I had to double back, wasting precious time.
Note the photo comparison of my old tire and the new tire. Not only did it not have any tread, it had a two inch long split, with several others starting to form! I noticed this three days ago, between Fort Hancock and Van Horn, but there wasn't much I could do except borrow a spare tire from a fellow rider, Chris, just in case I had a blowout. I am surprised that nothing happened sooner.
Stopped for a burger at Sonic, refilled my water bottles at a convenience store, and set out again for the second half of the day. I now had 30 miles behind me, with another 30 to go.
Those next 30 went very fast, as the headwind turned into a crosswind, and even a tailwind for a short time. And, it was all downhill!
Pulled into the Marathon Hotel and RV Park, to learn that I was the fifth one in. Not bad, considering I thought everyone passed me in Alpine while I was at the the bike shop. Put the new tires on the bike, and then had to redo the rear wheel, as the tube was punctured somewhere in the process. No worries, though, as now the tube and tire are both new. Unfortunately, this was all done in the hot sun. It was cool in the shade, where the tents were set up, but too many sticker weeds to be changing tubes.
After a pizza dinner (delivered), many of our group joined the RVers and some locals for a stargazing show. What an astronomical event! They had four telescopes out, and several astronomers available to discuss the stars, galaxies, and planets. I have participated in many astronomy talks, but this one beats them all, hands down! The best thing was the visibility, as there were no city lights to dilute the atmosphere.
All in all, a very good day!
The tent photo is just to show the difference in size between the old and new (red). The red one fits much better on the bike, and about two pounds lighter.
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