This morning was crisp and cool in Marathon.  The 6:30 alarm went off and by 7:15 we were packed and ready to leave.  It was still quite dark, so we mounted head and tail lights on both bikes and carefully rode the half mile into town to the Marathon Coffee shop where we were advised to have breakfast.  There was already a dozen or so locals there when we arrived, so we found a booth and were promptly attended by one of the three seventy-something women who run the place.  That includes serving, cooking, clearing tables, and seeing to the general welfare of all who gathered for breakfast there.  Barb and I both had green chile and cheese omelets,  with sides of hash browns and toast/biscuits.  Food was delicious and while we ate it was fun to overhear the conversations of work, kids, family, and play.

By 8 am we were ready to leave and begin the 30 mile ride into Alpine.  The first 15 miles were generally uphill as we gradually ascended the valley floor between peaks on both sides.  We had plenty of stops for photos, that cell phone cameras done really do justice.  You'll have to wait until on we put toget her our photo album to appreciate the beauty.

There were more horses and cattle in the pastures today than we've seen in the past few day, so the cattle call game was in full swing.  At one point there was a string of 30 or so cattle walking a well-beaten path along the same fence row we were riding.  Each one in turn stopped to look towards the road and watch us as we slowly overtook them up the hill.  I don't quite know how to score that one, but it was certainly memorable.

On another score, it's now Texan 8 Snakes 1, the lone surviving snake one that slithered across the road a few hundred yards in front of us midafternoon as we headed into Brackettville.

One surprise of the morning occurred fairly early in the ride when a pair of javelinas snorted and then ran across the road behind us, startling Barb.  They were reminiscent of the dogs in Lousiana, but far less interested in us, and probably were just crossing the road.

The second 15 miles were an easier ride as we crested the high elevation of the day at 4800 ft and had a basically level ride from there into Alpine.

We did meet some riders of of the organized Adventure Cycling self-contained tour as we approached Alpine.  They had left San Diego on September 13.  It was less organized than either of us had imagined.  We had expected to meet groups of two or three riders, but in each case we happened across single riders separated by a few miles.  The few we met were diverse personalities,  from an alpha male leading the way 4 miles in advance, a rather large genial guy from Idaho who made us think that maybe we will be able to do the mountain passes to come, and a bit of an introvert who didn't have much to say at all.

Meeting them did make us glad we have each others company, and that our schedule is totally flexible to the conditions on the road and how we're feeling.

At the suggestion of a convenience store clerk, we stopped for lunch at Magoos, a local Alpine restaurant.   The place was packed when we arrived at 12:45, though we were told they closed at one.  We each had a Mexican entrée with lots of water and tea, and as we ate, the place gradually emptied. We assume from the well known, but never displayed closing time.

From the restaurant,  we visited the local bike shop so I could pick up a new tube of Chamois Butt'r, an anti-chaffing cream well known in the bicycling community.  Cheryl and I had been using the same tube for years, but as the miles have piled up, my supply of cream has dwindled.  I had two choices, the standard tube at $15 or the European style tube at $23.  When assured that the more expensive tube would not likely improve my speed uphill, I went with the economical choice.

We then proceeded to our warmshowers accommodations for the night.  We're staying at the casita (little house) owned by Liz Rogers, who's the sister of Alice the woman we stayed with at Montell.  Yes, this is the same woman whose casita we stayed at in Sanderson two days ago.  She and her sister are out visiting a ranch for the weekend, so the casita was left unlocked for us.

It's a great little one bedroom house, perfect for guests or touring cyclists. We napped for an hour after arriving, then did bicycle cleaning and maintenance,  and I patched my 'Don't mess with Texas' flat innertubes.

After cleaning up, we rode our bikes back into town for salad and pizza at an Italian restaurant.   We're now back and ready to crash prior to tomorrow's big climb.  We'll be at the McDonald Observatory tomorrow evening camping with another Warmshowers host and watching the stars.

We're fine and feeling good tonight.