Day 28 - Octber 7, 2017 - 59.09 miles, 1,017 feet ascent

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.

Day 27 - October 6, 2017 - Rest Day

Wow, really needed this rest!  Slept so good in my new tent.  Will be leaving the old one behind in Marfa.  At this moment, 2142 hrs on Friday night, I am sitting in the tent after a hot shower, watching the "day after" harvest moon rise.   Tried to take photos, but the iPhone camera does not do it justice.  The moon is bright yellow, rising behind the clouds - beautiful!

Started the day writing the novel about yesterday's ride, then off to brunch and the barber.   Haven't had a trim in four weeks, and Dianne even commented today that my beard was getting quite long, from what she could see in the photos.

Rode my bike around town, checking it out, then back to the campground, where a large group of us congregated in the lobby to plug in.  I wound up dozing for a bit, but at least my phone was charging!  Went out for a fancy dinner with three others, then checked out the art galleries in Marfa.   Wow, I did not know what an artsy community this was.  Had I known back in March, when Dianne and I drove through twice on our RV trip, we would have spent more time here, rather than speeding through with our RV.

I particularly liked the bunt logs, for $22,000! I can do that!

At dinner, I photographed a bison skull hanging on the wall, and texted it to Dianne, telling her that "I want one!"  I was quite surprised when she said okay!  Wow, all these years of telling me that nothing dead can hang on our walls...  What she meant was that no stuffed heads can hang on the walls,  but skulls are okay!  I will be shopping for some Texas roadkill!  (Just kidding!)

All in all, a very good day, especially compared to yesterday.

Day 26 - October 5, 2017 - 74.27 miles, 1,182 feet ascent

Van Horn, TX to Marfa, TX

Up at 0530, packed my gear, stowed my tent, and had breakfast in the campground cafe.   Then watched a beautiful dawn.  Sunrise was not until 0815, but I was on my bike as soon as morning twilight dawned.

Started to ride with Tom R and Joe, but they must have stopped to take a photo, as I found myself riding alone as soon as we got on TX 90.  There was a strong headwind, even at this hour.   The road condition was wonderful - smooth and very little debris.   At mile 15, as I paused to take a photo, I was caught by Tom C, Erwin, and Eric.  I jumped on their wheel, and we were pacelining (riding in a single line, each following the wheel of the rider in front of you, taking turns pulling) for the next 60 miles.   At mile 20, the wonderful smooth pavement gave way to fresh, new chip seal.  As if the headwind weren't enough, this slowed us down even more.   For the next 25 miles, this section of TX 90 was under construction.  (Chipseal is very rough, and not pleasant for bicycling).  The chipseal was complete, but no lines, and there were zones where contractors were installing guard rails on bridges.    This area was under construction when Dianne and I drove through in March.   They must have taken the summer off!

At one point, we came across a traffic control, where one lane was closed for three miles.   The pilot vehicle came, turned around, and the waiting cars followed.  We were left in their wake, but that was fine.  There was very little traffic on TX 90 anyway, but now there was NO traffic!    Oops, soon the pilot car and traffic came from the opposite direction.  We pulled to the side and stopped.   Seven minutes later, they came from behind us.  Repeat several times!   Soon we were out of the traffic control area, but still with very little traffic.   

The headwind was strong, and we could only eek out a measly 10 mph on our loaded bicycles, each of us taking turns pulling for one mile each.  It did seem to make the miles go by quicker, but it was taking us a long time to get through "miles and miles of Texas."

Approximately one mile before we reached Valentine, we came across the world famous Prada Marfa store.  Not really a store at all, but art in the middle of nowhere.  Behind the "store" was a fence with many locks on it, placed by lovers who are leaving their shackles behind.  Actually, I don't know why people place their locks here, but there were some expensive ones!

At about 1300, we came to the village of Valentine, just past the halfway point for today.  It was sad to see all the businesss closed and in various states of disrepair, but there was a library!   We stopped in the library to refill our water.  So glad the library was open, otherwise we may have run out of water later down the road.  The library serves the Jr. and Sr. High School students in town.  They are very proud of the school.  The businesses in town dried up when passenger trains ceased to stop there in 1958, compounded by the freight trains changing their base of operations to Van Horn.  

At mile 45, the fresh new chip seal surface ended, and we found ourselves riding on a surface that was in dire need of new chipseal or pavement.  We felt every single bump through our forks and saddles, all the way to Marfa, another 30 miles!   Tom C and I took turns wanting to fall off the back, telling the others to go on, and we will go at a slower pace by ourselves.  The group wouldn't have it, and slowed down the pace so that we could hang on.  

Approximately 15 miles outside of Marfa, we stopped for yet another break.  Our breaks were becoming longer and more frequent.  Tom C had to lay down on the shoulder and stretch out.  We were all craving a cold drink, when a Good Samaritan stopped and asked if we would like some cold water.  He pulled four waters out of an ice chest, and passed them out the passenger window.  This was the highlight of the day.  That water was SO GOOD.  We learned later that the same Good Samaritan passed Joe, who was ahead of us, and gave him a cold soda!   Ironically, this person was just pulling out of the Dairy Queen in Marfa when we pulled in.  We waved enthusiastically, and he honked and returned the wave.   

All in all, it was a very tough day.  There was a very slight uphill grade from Van Horn to Marfa, against a headwind, with a very rough riding surface.  So glad to have three other riders to share duty.  (When drafting behind another rider, one expends up to 30% less energy.)   By the time we reached the campground, it was almost 1900, 11+ hours later.   Next to the Good Samaritan, the next highlight was receiving my new tent when I got to El Cosmico.  I wasted no time setting it up, hitting the shower, and taking a much needed rest in the lounge.  

Day 25 - October 4, 2017 - 68.57 miles, 1,836 feet ascent

Fort Hancock, TX to Van Horn, TX

Dinner last night at Angie's, a small roadside cafe in Fort Hancock, close to the freeway.  After dinner, we shopped for tomorrow's breakfast and lunch at the Shell station mini-mart.  Oh, such fun.  Slim pickins, but we made it work.  

Woke up, made coffee, and set out the lunch and breakfast items for the other ten riders.  Cleaned up, and off to the sunrise at 0716.   I rode with Eric, our 22 year old college graduate.  He had to slow down his pace to ride with me, otherwise he would be riding alone, again.  After five miles of farm road, we entered the on ramp to I-10, which had a wonderful smooth concrete riding surface, free of road debris.  After several miles, we departed the freeway for a frontage road by riding across the dirt to the road.  No fences separate the two, and the frontage roads seem to start/end in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, the frontage road had a chip seal surface, which seemed to slow us down a little.  

Eric and I stopped at Subway in Sierra Blanca for lunch, and found Ken and Eileen inside.  They must have passed us early on when we stopped at a convenience store for water.  The four of us rode together for the next 34 miles to Van Horn, taking turns pulling for about a mile each pull.  It seemed to make the miles go by quicker. 

Just before reaching Van Horn, we entered Culbertson County, where we changed to the Central Time Zone.  

Reached the Van Horn RV Park, set up the tent, showered, and did laundry.  Although I was exhasted, there was no time for rest, as it was soon time for dinner at the campground cafe.  During dinner, it started to rain!  Everyone ran outside to get their belongings put away.  My sleeping bag was airing out on the top of my tent!  Ugh!  Not again.  So now, here I sit in the laundry, drying my sleeping bag out for the third time in five days...

Day 24 - October 3, 2017 - 47.67 miles, 163 feet ascent

El Paso, TX to Fort Hancock, TX

Nice ride, once I got out of the city.  Rode through lots of agriculture, mostly cotton fields, on a two lane road that followed the Rio Grande.   Slight headwind from the southeast, but not too bad.it did pick up during the last 5 - 8 miles.   Pretty boring, otherwise!   Rode by myself today and didn't see anyone else from our group until I got into Fort Hancock.

We stayed at the Community Church, and we are grateful for their hospitality.  We did not have a place to shower, so sponge bathes in the bathroom sinks!  Ugh!  Not my style, but I will get over it!

Not a lot of photos for today, as there is not a lot to see in this part of Texas.

Day 23 - October 2, 2017 - 65.69 miles, 814 feet ascent

Las Cruces, NM to El Paso, TX

Woke up to a beautiful sunrise over the mountains southeast of Las Cruces.  I was soon on the road, leaving camp at 0740.   I rode with Eileen through mile 20, where we stopped at a store in La Mesa for drinks and snacks.   Eileen had some business to handle, so I forged ahead on my own.   The scenery was pretty boring, except for the pecan orchards.  Funny sign in the photograph below.  Who would have thought people would go fishing in the pecan orchard?  Maybe when they are flooded for irrigation?  LOL!

I soon came to the Rio Grande bike path, which I almost missed.   I started to cross the river, since I did not see the path, but my GPS alerted me that I was off course.  So I circled back, found the path, and pedaled onward.   After a while, there were patches of the path that were both flooded and covered with mud.   I had no choice but to ride through it.  I tried to go around once, but my feet sank in the mud up to the top of my shoes.  What a mess!  In one puddle, my rear wheel was fish tailing, as underneath the water was a layer of slimy mud.   I learned later that three riders in our group fell during this section.  The only injuries were to their pride!

After around ten miles, the paved path ended, and the map said to ride the dirt road 0.3 miles to the cross street, and turn left.  Well, there was no riding a dirt road, as it was mud, and not ridable.  I walked my bike to the crossroad, then waited an eternity to cross the road, as there was an unceasing amount of traffic.

It is my belief that the water and mud was due to the recent storms, causing the Rio Grande to breach its banks.  The bike path was situated between the banks and the levee, which is why it was flooded.  It would have been nice if the city of El Paso could have put signs at both ends, advising to take a detour.

Speaking of El Paso, we entered Texas just as the bike path started, but there were no "Welcome to Texas" signs, such as those found on the interstates.  No photo opportunities!

After arriving at the Quality Inn in El Paso and unloading my bags, I took my bike behind the hotel and hosed it down.  There was so much mud caked on my wheels and in my fenders that it is a wonder I could even ride.   Then, off to the showers and dinner at a Chinese buffet.

Day 22 - October 1, 2017 - 65.33 miles, 607 feet ascent

Caballo Lake, NM to Las Cruces, NM

You won't believe this!  It rained again last night.  Forecast said 35% chance of thunderstorms.   I gambled, and lost.   At about 0200, I started hearing thunder and seeing the lightning flashes, then heard the raindrops hitting the tent.   A while later, it was raining inside the tent, again!  I quickly put on my pants and rain gear, stuffed my damp sleeping bag into a drysack, and the same with my clean clothes.  Everything went into my waterproof panniers, and I tried to go back to sleep, laying on my thermarest pad in my raingear.  No sleep was to be had, as the lightning and thunder was SO close!  It lasted until about 0430, at which time I went outside.  The stars were amazing, and I could see flashes of lightning up in the mountains to the east.   Went back in the tent, stripped out of the raingear, unfurled my sleeping bag, and got back in.  It was damp, but not drenched.  At dawn, I put it back in the dryer, along with a couple articles of clothes that did get wet.  I packed my wet tent and the rest of my gear, and we hit the road at 0840.

Flat riding today, with a modest headwind.  We followed the Rio Grande south from Caballo Lake to Las Cruces, crossing it several times.   We rode through the Mesilla Valley, famous for New Mexico's red chiles.   As we started passing the child fields and processing plants, my eyes began to itch and burn. And I kept having to remove my sunglasses and wipe the tears.  Hmmm...  could it be a reaction to the chiles?Don't know, but I was extremely grateful to be riding with Eileen today, as she let me use her eye drops.  One application, and I was good for the rest of the day.  

At about mile 28, we entered the village of Hatch, where chiles are sold by the bushel, and more.  It was fun seeing the shops, and we stopped at Sparkey's for lunch.  I had a "four meat" barbecue plate, pomegranate lemonade, and a pomegranate shake.  I haven't had a milkshake in more than 30 years, but I have had two within the last few days!   

Oh, my stomach!  Lesson:  Do not eat such a large meal while on a ride!   The next several miles, I could feel the extra pounds.   

Eileen and I rode with the ride leader, Ken, for most of the day.  On the final leg, we stoped at Fort Seldon, refilled our water, and went through the museum and ruins of this fort that was abandoned only a few years after it was established.   It was built shortly after the Civil War to protect American citizens during the period of western expansion into land occupied by Indians and colonized by Mexico.   That is a long story!  

Finally pulled into the Las Cruces KOA at 1700, a long day, with long breaks.  Can't do that too many times!  Hung my sleeping bag and tent on the split rail fence to dry, which they did in no time.   All is back to normal, but I will be shopping for a new tent in El Paso tomorrow.

Speaking of which, we have now been through three states in three weeks, and we will be in Texas for the next three weeks!

(BTW, I can not add captions to the photos from my iPad, so it will have to wait until my return home)