We left Alpine yesterday morning about 8 am, and began the very scenic ride into Fort Davis along TX 118. Initially the ride was fairly flat and took us along ranch land with more cattle than we've seen in a while. About 8 miles into the ride, however, the scenery changed and we ascended through a canyon of extraordinary beauty. Wildflowers were blossoming everywhere along the canyon walls, and we spotted a herd of aoudad sheep, and a lone elk grazing.
Then as quickly as we entered the canyon we climbed out the other side and were on a high desert plain and pedaling into the scenic town of Fort Davis.
Tourism seems alive and well in Fort Davis, with the canyons, high desert and mountains attracting a diverse crowd of visitors. There are people who are there actively seeking an outdoor experience of hiking, horseback riding, or mountain biking, and others who will simply drive cars or motorcycles along the scenic roads and enjoy the views. We found a deli attached to the Limpia Hotel and sat down to a lunch of soup and sandwiches.
We contacted John Kuehne, our warmshowers host at the McDonald Observatory to assure him we were 16 miles away and would be arriving sometime before 4. He suggested we bring something for supper that we could cook at his home, and something for breakfast and beyond the next day, as services at the Observatory and 54 miles beyond were very limited.
So we stopped at the local grocery store on the way out of town and stocked up, the started the 16 mile trek up the mountain.
Initially the slopes were fairly gradual and we actually had several views of the observatory domes that made them seem closer than our map mileage indicated. But the road twisted through the landscape almost always climbing and you sensed
this would be no easy climb.
Our concerns were realized as we got within 8 miles of the summit as the grades alternated between merely difficult and impossible for us to ride. We were again relegated to pushing our loaded bikes up the steepest sections. But we were making slow progress and finally about 4, we arrived at TX Spur 78 which led past the visitors center and to housing for McDonald Observatory employees and John and Deb Keuhne's home.
John was at work at the summit, so Deb showed us around the house and we set up tents on their deck outside while Deb called John to let him know we had arrived.
John is as Deb calls him, my Renaissance man. He has multiple degrees in geology, optics, and engineering, plays violin and viola at a professional level, and seems to have a consuming interest in everything, including his three pet dogs, and at least two cats. John oversees the programs that control the movement on the of the 2.1 m Otto Struve telescope.
John arrived home about 5:30 and suggested eating first and then going up to see the telescopes about 6:30 so we could enjoy the setting sun. But conversation with John on a wide range of topics dominated the next hour, so we postponed eating until we returned.
We first went to look at the 2.7 m Harlan Smith telescope. Seeing such a large piece of equipment that moves such a precision is nothing less than amazing. John described the mechanism for moving both the scope and the dome of the observatory in great detail and it was a pleasure to listen to his enthusiastic description, understanding the gist, but certainly not all the details.
Next we stepped out onto the exterior catwalk of the dome which afforded us a superb view of the surrounding geological formations. Again we were treated to a a detailed description of how the Permian Basin formed, and how later volcanic activity and erosion combined to created what we were observing.
Then the subject shifted back to optics, and how the the earth's atmosphere intracts with plane waves of starlight to cause twinkling and color shifts. Barb quietly stepped away to continue taking photos of the spectacular views. Barb says she felt like Penny from 'The Big Bang Theory'.
Then we stepped back inside and got to watch as a pair of astronomers moved the telescope into position to begin a night of data collection. I was absorbed.
Then we proceeded to the 2.1 m scope and got a similar up close and personal description of its movements and contol.
When we finally left the summit, it was past 8:30 and we still hadn't eaten. So we prepared the instant rice and chicken that we'd brought and continued to chat with John.
About 10 we finally retired to our tents. I was simply tired and had no energy to work on the blog.
This morning arrived with the 6:30 alarm. We were packed by 7, and then made breakfast of instant oatmeal. John was up about 7:30 and supplemented breakfast with espresso, and a description of our morning ride. No, we would not just be heading downhill from the summit, instead there were a series of canyons to descend into and climb out of, but after the first 13 miles we'd be rewarded with a nice downhill into Kent.
As promised the canyons were there, but after yesterday's climb, the ascents seemed even more formidable, and several times we were again pushing our bikes up steep slopes. But at mile 13, we passed a particularly interesting geological cut and as promised began a long gradual descent that was almost uninterrupted for the next 14 miles.
When we reached I-10 at Kent we changed directions from our northerly leg along TX 118 and headed west. Now, before I tell you that we turned into headwinds, let me say that we have been blessed with superb weather and favorable winds. We knew our string of such winds had to end, but from forecast had expected to face 13-16 mph headwinds. Instead as we headed west on I-10 we faced winds of 20-30 mph with gusts that must have been above 35. Instead of making the 37 miles into Van Horn, we only did 17 miles into the truck stop at Plateau, and it took us three hours. We've been treated kindly again and are camping behind the truck stop. We've eaten at the attached restaurant, done laundry, and showered. We expect a little noise from parked and passing trucks tonight, but don't think it will disturb our slumber.
By tomorrow morning, the winds are expected to shift from the southwest to the northeast, and we'll again be on our way.
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