Today was another beautiful day for riding.  According to Central Daylight time, we slept in an extra half hour this morning, which means we woke at 6 am Mountain Daylight time.  That gave us an hour to pack and be at last night's cafe when they opened at 7am.  Food was really tasty last night and they had many breakfast options listed.

So we were early arriving by 10 minutes or so and surprised to find the place dark.  We waited for 10 minutes and someone showed up to unlock the door, but he assured us we didn't want him cooking breakfast.   He had no idea when the cook would actually arrive,  so we reluctantly left and went back to the restaurant we'd eaten lunch at yesterday.   We both ended up with Mexican breakfasts, but pretty standard fare and not the same enticing variety we'd been looking forward to.

We were on I -10 for the first 20 miles of the day, with wonderful smooth, wide shoulders but lots of traffic.  Winds  were light and generally behind us, so at least we weren't being buffeted by the passing semi-trailers.  The day started with a gradual 7 mile climb, and the followed as quickly with a 13 mile descent that had us on our brakes much of the way to keep our speed below 20 mph.

Then we got off the interstate and began winding along back roads through farm and ranch country a stone's throw from the Mexican border.  That's where we began today series of encounters with eastbound touring cyclists.

First we met Bernard and another Frenchman on fully loaded bikes heading east from San Diego and heading toward Jacksonville FL.  Bernard spoke very little English and his friend apparently none, and my high school French has mostly receded to areas of my brain where recall is nonexistent.   So our conversation was mostly one or two word phrases trying to convey how many daily miles we were putting in, and what the terrain was like from where we'd ridden. They were happy and having fun, as are we. So we departed with best wishes for continued safe travel and were back on our bikes.

Ten miles later, I felt my bike getting suddenly sluggish and looked down to see my rear tire partially deflated.  So we got off our bikes and started the now familiar process of fixing a flat.  That's when Fiona and Simon showed up.  They are a younger couple from Manchester UK, who are also touring from San Diego to St. Augustine. We had a very pleasant chat about our respective tours and tips on where to stay and what routes had in store.  They are a delightful couple and we exchanged photos before saying good byes and heading on down the road.

After getting back on the road, we'd only gone a few miles when we ran into a couple of young guys from Maryland on unloaded road bikes.  Yes, they assured us, they were doing the Southern Tiers route, but with a support vehicle to carry their gear.  Family members were taking turns driving their van for 2 weeks, then flying back home, while another family member flew out to assume driving responsibilities.  Just another way of doing the tour.

We stopped in Fort Hancock for lunch at a local pizzeria.  It's been a good sign when Border Patrol agents are eating where we stop, and this was no different.  Pizza was a good break from the  many helpings of beans and rice that I've recently consumed,  trust me.

Cycling the last 24 miles of the day passed quicky enough as we rode on flat terrain bordered by the mountains in Mexico.   We were surprised to pass through many irrigated pecan groves, all with bilingual signs warning of the consequences of picking pecans from the roadside.

We arrived in Fabens TX about 3 pm, to find that the lone hotel was another 2 mile climb towards the interstate.  So we twiddled up the hill in low gears, and checked into the Fabens Inn motel.  Then we both found the beds irresistable as we settled in for a short nap before showers and laundry.

Options for supper were limited so we've again eaten at a Mexican restaurant, La Estrella.  Yes, more beans and rice.
They open at 7am, and Barb has already pointed out a good possibility for breakfast -- an egg, ham, hash browns, and toast for $2.99.  I think she's had enough of my recent diet, too.

We hope to be through El Paso and out of Texas tomorrow at last.

Still having fun, and in good spirits and health.

What a difference 12 hours can make!  When we went to bed last night in our tents pitched behind the truckstop, the wind was still howling pretty strongly from the southwest.  Then sometime during the wee hours of the morning a front pushed through and we awakened this morning to moderate winds out of the northeast.  JACKPOT! Tailwinds!

We packed up in the blazing lights from the truckstop before dawn, and went into the restaurant to have breakfast.  Nothing to write home about.  The biscuit bakers that Hardee's brags so much about haven't hired on at the Plateau truckstop.  'Nuff said.

The front pushed in enough cold air,  that for the first time on our ride,  I pulled on my windbreaker.  As soon as we began pedaling,  we could tell that today would be so much better than the slog into the headwinds we finished with yesterday. Instead of 3 hours to ride the 17 miles from Kent to the truckstop,  today we did the remaining 20 miles into Van Horn in less than 90 minutes, and were so much happier doing it.

We stopped at Rodney's Coffee Café for a second cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll.  There were a pair of retired regulars who were there when we walked in.  They'd obviously seen cyclists many times before.   In the half hour that we sat and relaxed, we got tips on roads we were taking, advice on restaurants of note in the area, and warm well wishes for a safe trip as we left.

Then we headed up the street for a stop at the post office, and one final stop at a Dollar General to pick up a new pair of reading glasses.  Those of you who know me will be surprised that the pair I started with in St Augustine have made it this far,  and truth be told, they may still be tucked into a pannier where they fell off this morning, but I'll be darned if I can find them.  So I sporting a new $6 pair and hoping I won't need another.  OK, confession time.  The pair of sunglasses that Cheryl insisted I take along are sitting outside the coffee and sandwich shop in Chattahoochee FL, where we sat waiting out a thunderstorm.   She'll find out anyway,  just as well come clean.

We left Van Horn on the wide smooth shoulders of I-10, and began the only real climb of the day, 7 miles with a gradual elevation gain of about 800 feet.  But on days like today, with cool temperatures,  a nice tailwind, and smooth roads,  even going uphill feels fine.  It's been the first day in quite awhile where we didn't have to shift onto our granny chainring.

Then we pedaled other 25 miles on a frontage  road across a high plateau, enjoying the views of the surrounding mountains.  We arrived in Sierra Blanca about 1 pm mountain time,  and sat down for lunch at a local Mexican / American restaurant. We've since found a room at the Americanna Inn, showered, and done another load of tub laundry.

We're trying another Mexican restaurant tonight for supper, one that's within walking distance of the hotel.

Tomorrow we hope to be in Fabens TX, just outside El Paso.

It's been a glorious day.

From day to day this adventure takes or leaves us in places we could never imagine.

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.

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.

Ok, we have some catching up to do.   We've been without both Verizon 4G service and a WiFi connection since we left Langtry yesterday morning.

Shortly after finishing my blog post from Langtry, three east-bound riders showed up.  Tim and Tom, twin brothers from Kansas, and Jim, from the San Francisco area, had ridden all day into the same winds that were so favorable for us.  One rider had bonked,  or run out of the sugar we cyclists rely on to continue spinning the pedals.  The other two were just tired from a long day.   They ate the same supper we did from the 3 item menu, two bean and cheese burritos for $5.  Actually not bad at all when you're hungry and washed down with a Dos Equis or two.

Chatted with Tim for quite a while since this was his second time doing the Southern Tiers route.   He was a great source of information,  and we tried to pass on what we could of places to stay and eat from the miles behind us.

Every cyclist was in bed sleeping by 8:30.  But Barb and I were back up at 5:15 to watch the total eclipse under cloudless skies.  Very impressive,  then we retired back to bed to catch more sleep before our 6:30 alarm.

Breakfast at the Langtry cafe was from a limited menu, but the special of two eggs, sausage, toast, potatoes and coffee worked well and we were off on the road by 8, with 40 miles to limited service at Dryden, followed by 20 more miles into Sanderson.

As the temperature dropped in the morning, clouds began to roll in and we rode down into canyons and then back up again, always seeming to gain elevation throughout the day.  We took a longer break at picnic area 10 miles east of Dryden,  and then rolled into Dryden about 12:30.

As we'd been forewarned, the services in Dryden were very limited.  We were told we could fill our water bottles from the garden hose, but that it was well water and not at all palatable.   So we each bought a pint of bottled water for $1.50 eacb, a pint of Gatorade for $1.61, a can of refried beans and 4 pieces of string cheese,  and retired to the shade of an abandoned building to have a second meal of bean and cheese burritos in less than a day.

By the time we left, the sun had burned off the morning clouds, and we continued up and down canyons until we arrived at Sanderson about 3:30.  The Ranch House cafe was not only the first restaurant we saw, but offered our first glimpse of the horse and mule who's roadside droppings we'd been following for two days.  Bryan Brant has been crossing the US for two and a half years after leaving Quebec.   He was in great humor and his animals looked well-cared for, so he clearly knows what he's doing.  We understand he's headed for Montana, but didn't ask for a schedule.  He has a website if you're interested in following him.

After eating, we headed to the casita owned by Liz, the sister of Alice Rogers,  whom we stayed with in Montell.   Liz wasn't at her Sanderson home, but the door of the small apartment-sized cottage next to her home was open as promised.  After showering and getting some snacks, we spent an hour sitting on the deck, watching the setting sun paint the sky while 40 or 50 vultures soared on thermals rising from the canyon floor.

Sleeping was easy and neither of us stirred much until the 6:30 alarm had us up and packing.   It was a pretty standard morning until I brushed against a few bushes along the sidewalk from a trip to take our trash to a nearby dumpster.  The bush turned out to be a large cactus with rather impressive barbed spines.  Ouch.  Barb came out to her bike to find me stripped out of my biking jersey and pulling twenty or thirty barbs from my chest, abdomen, arm and shoulder.  Then we went back into the better light of the casita and pulled a similar number that were still imbedded in my jersey.  Don't mess with Texas, especially Sanderson the self-proclaimed cactus capital of Texas.

We left shortly thereafter and had breakfast at a nearby convenience store.  The first 34 miles of our ride were basically a long climb out of Sanderson canyon.  The grades were hardly ever very steep, but like a headwind, they were pretty unrelenting.

The morning ride would have been easier, but i had another Don't mess with Texas moment.  We've been enjoying the proliferation of wildflowers in the canyons, so when we passed a two foot wide section of roadside grass that had been spray-painted bright yellow, I turned to Barb and pointed out the new variety of 'wildflower'.  Photo opp!  So I turned to have my fun with the Texas DOT.  Fool!  Don't mess with Texas.   No sooner had I returned to put my feet on the pedals, and it was obvious that my rear tire was now flat.  Texas had retaliated again.

After fixing the flat the ride went pretty well.  We stopped for lunch at another picnic area and rested for the better part of an hr.   We were in the shade and had a cooling breeze and the second part of the ride actually had some downhill segments.   Still after 54 service-less miles we were tired and a little dehydrated.   We coasted a nice downhill into town and stopped for a gatorade at the first convenience store we came to.  Then we continued into town to find Ingrid, our warmshowers host.  She was still working at the French Grocery, a nice store that has a little of everything.  So Barb and I took her suggestion and stopped at the Burro Café and Bar for supper until she could show us our accommodations.

By 5:30 we'd eaten burgers and continued hydration at the insistence of our waitress, a nurse by training.   About the time she was satisfied that we had drunk sufficient water, Ingrid showed up and we pedaled up to La Loma Del Chivo or Goat hill.

It's a bit hard to describe the place.  Perhaps a collection of buildings constructed from recycled everything by folks who had studied the architecture of 70's hippy communes.   It's both strange and wonderful.   But everything works.  We've had hot showers with fresh towels provided, done our laundry,  and are ready to get some sleep.

Tomorrow we have a shorter day planned into Alpine, where we'llbe staying with Liz at her Alpine home.

We're a little tired,  but well and enjoying our adventure.

Don't mess with Texas. 

We left Comstock this morning after a breakfast of instant oatmeal, a small can of pineapple slices, and coffee.  Temperature was about 70, and the skies were overcast, and flags were flying favorably, and the first hill of the day was a downhill.  Things are fine.

Not long after leaving Comstock,  we met a pair of east-bound riders, Dave and Frank from eastern Kentucky.   They had left San Diego in mid-September and were heading for St. Augustine. They were lamenting the headwinds they'd been facing, and we sympathesized, but hoped our good fortune would continue.

We crossed the Pecos River today on the highest bridge in Texas, and because we had a short day before us, rode the half mile up to the picnic overlook to take pictures and appreciate the view.

We're in a Verizon Wireless twilight zone again today and sharing pictures will have to wait.

The rest of the morning, we rode over relatively easy grades as we crossed several ridges and canyons.  About the only hindrance to riding were long stretches of the same rough surface coat that I've mentioned previously.  But recent rains in the area have encouraged many wildflowers to blossom.  So relieving minor numbness of the hands and butt is as simple as focusing on the flowering ditches.

We arrived in Langtry shortly after  11 and spent the next hour looking around the Judge Roy Bean visitor center and southwest gardens.  Beautiful center but hasn't spurred tourist development as I'm sure they hoped it would.  We're staying at the lone hotel in town, a 3 or 4 unit operation, and eating at the lone restaurant which has 3 entrees on the white board menu and closes at 5:00, last order at 4:30 please.

But the hotel is clean and comfortable, if simple, and the food for lunch was good.  So we're fine.

Nice folks running the place make good conversation, and have been amicably answering questions all afternoon from visitors as well as locals.  They even had a German family in a rented RV that stopped a bit ago for gas, directions and refreshments.

We'll be up and out tomorrow, expecting cooler temperatures and hoping for favorable flags to aid our 60 miles into Sanderson.   I would sat that it's probably largely downhill, but have already seen the elevation profile and know better, so will close without mentionin it further.


We're well and safe and enjoying the adventure.

It was another 6:30 alarm morning today.  With a hotel stay, there's less packing to do and we were ready to find breakfast by 7:00.  Now it's still too dark to be properly on the road at that hour, so we put on headlights, and set all of our rear blinkers on, and headed the quarter mile to the nearest local breakfast spot.  That happened to be a tiny breakfast nook in what looked to be an old gas station.  But breakfast tacos and pastries were advertised, so we ventured in.

The place was a one woman show.  The grandmother behind the counter took our orders for 2 tacos each and then turned to the small home-style kitchen to prepare our breakfast from scratch.   Other customers who arrived while she was cooking waited patiently for her to return to the counter to take their orders.  You had to expect that with such a patient customer base the food had to be good, and we weren't disappointed.

One of the waiting customers noticed the Des Moines Register logo printed on my RAGBRAI jersey and asked if we were from Iowa.  Turns out as a child,  she went to school in Corwith/Wesley  IA where Barb's husband Ron had been superintendent for a four years.  Small world.

We got on the road about 8 under cloudy skies with moderate temperatures and the flags flying favorably. We actually risked jinxing the favorable flags by taking a photo of them.  There are a few hard core doubters out there who have ridden with me, and we decided proof positive might be worth the chance that taking a photo would change our good fortune.  We'd like to provide evidence,  but tonight we are again in a Verizon dead  zone and alas the photo is on Barb's phone, unavailable.  You'll just have to take my word for it, again.

We rode 32 service less miles into Del Rio, and then found lunch at Rudy's BBQ.  It may have just been coincidental that shortly after we arrived, no fewer than five Border Patrol agents showed up.   But we prefer to believe that were just checking on us.

This afternoon the skies cleared and the 30 miles of steady climbing through the Amistad National Recreation area  to Comstock following US 90 were warm ones.  We drank water constantly from our packs, and occasionally stopped to provide relief for hands and feet.

We cruised through the Border Patrol check station a few miles outside Comstock with just a cursory affirmation that we were American citizens, knowing that the officers already knew who we were and had been expecting us.

It was well into the 90's when we arrived in Comstock,  so we've chosen to stay at the motel in town, which happens to be next to a Border Patrol headquarters.   We are trying to cooperate.

Supper was burgers and fries at the J and P Bar and Grill,  where we spent an hour doing one of the most rewarding activities on our adventure,  talking with locals.

We have a short day planned for tomorrow into Langtry to visit Judge Roy Bean's haunts, then onto Sanderson on Wednesday, all following US 90.