Day 24

Seminole Canyon State Park (Comstock) to Ft Clark Spings 74 miles 

Since we started our trip March 7, we've been cycling in the desert. 

Today we left  the desert of west Texas and are moving to the hill country.  I loved cycling through the desert which was surprisingly. I had the misconception that it would be boring and hot.  Not the case in March! Everything looked so vast and open and beautiful.  I will miss it. 

We had a BBQ lunch at Rudy's in Del Rio and did some shopping at Walmart.  This is the biggest city we've cycled through since El Paso.

During today's ride we started seeing actual trees and green grass - first trees we have seen since California. 

Tonight stay is at the campsite at Ft Clark Springs, an old Calvery base. Now it's a public residential community with campsites, houses, parks, golf courses, swimming pool. We met some residents playing "ringers" who were very interested in our trip. 

This place has a lot of history.  Wikipedia it. 

Tomorrow is another 74 mile ride- then a Rest Day on Wednesday. Yay!!!!

Concan, TX

Tomorrow we cycle to Concan,TX.  It seems to be in the edge of the Texas Hill Country.  Looking forward to green and water.  Looks like I'm in luck as rain is in the forecast for Wednesday.  By Thursday, we should reach the half way point.

Lunch is at Odelia's.  Great, big glasses of cold, iced tea!

I had a great finish to NY riding day.  We saw the first two hills upon entering the hill country and off I went.  I knew there were at least 4 riders somewhere on the road ahead of me and that gave me some goals to shoot for.  I told Frances the day before that I was beginning to *find my legs".  I started the attack with a trip average of 15 mph for the 55 miles ridden so far.

The hills were never above 6% but the were strung out consistently over the remainder of the route.  It felt great to feel the muscles burn and my heart pound.  One by one I caught the other riders and ended the ride with a 16 mph average.  I think this was the first time I ever increased my average speed over hilly terrain.

Today is a rest day and we are just a few miles from Utopia, Tx.  I've got some work to do on Frances' bike, but other than that it will be lounging around, reading and goofing off.

I'm so pleased to offer a coda to today's entry.  We were treated to the fiddle playing of Dick Walker tonight.  He literally brought tears to my eyes with his rendition ofSomewhere over the Rainbow as he closed out.  His expression an intonation on the violin was certainly the most profound that I have ever heard.  I'm told his student, Camille Stevens, is the next big thing in country music.  She is currently in the top 20 on one of the billboard charts.  I cannot overstate what a profound musical talent this man has. He had such finesse and expression in his technique that it was impossible not to be pulled in and captivated by his playing.  We were blessed with the highest caliber of musical talent to which I have ever been witness.  It was truly sublime.

East of the Pecos, Texas Hill Country

We're having a pretty dawn breakfast in advance of today's 70 mile ride to some other tiny Texas town.  Having crossed the beautiful Pecos River, we will be seeing more greenery and more, larger towns.  We rode 80 miles yesterday and passes on 1 store in Langtry Texas.  Its not like we were on a rural road, we were on Texas Highway 90.

In a few days, we'll be hitting the halfway point of the trip.

Tonight we are at Ft Clark.  It was formerly a cavalry post, but was closed after WWII. Patton, Lee, Grant, and McArthur all served here.  It is now private property and serves as a retirement community.

We spotted a bbeautiful, scarlet tanager who keeps swooping around our dinner spot.  There was not a lot of scenery today, but we had a great lunch at Rudy's in Del Rio.  

Tomorrow night we stay in a spot called Con can, which is rumored to be very beautiful.  Wednesday is also a day off.

Day 23

Sanderson to Comstock 81,5 miles 

Whew!  We started out early- just at sunrise, about 7:50.  Sanderson School fixed us breakfast which included the absolute best cinnamon rolls. Homemade from scratch. 

We stopped in Langtry, home of Judge Roy Bean.  Not much there except the museum. Remember the movie, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean? 1972. 

Near the end of the route we cycled over the famous Pecos River. 

We got into the Seminole Canyon State Park about 3:15. Bed couldn't come any sooner!

The next two days will be over 70 miles each day. I'lll be ready for a rest day on Wednesday.

Day 22

Marathon to Sanderson 54 miles

The was the easiest ride so far.  Tailwind and downhill.  Everyone  had a great time on the ride and was all smiles. Some of us stopped to smell the flowers.

We are staying in the gym of Sanderson School.  Across the street is a fabulous courthouse and statue. 

Not sure what the story is of kidnapped eagle or what the ransom was. 

The senior class students and their parents fixed us dinner. Boy, was it great! Sanderson School has about 140 students k-12.  Only 9 in the Senior class. This is how remote this town is: They have to drive over 100 miles to go to the movie theatre. 

After supper, a Border Patrol Officer spoke and we toured the Border Patrol Office.  Since we started our trip on March 7, we have seen a very large presence of Border Patrol cars, helicopters, horses, and ATVs.  With the natural hostile terrain, patrols, planes, fence, infrared cameras, how anyone crosses the border on foot illegally is beyond comprehension.  But we saw a couple of detainees in the cell. 

It's after nine, lights are out and the snoring has begun. 

Tomorrow brings a 80+ mile ride, garraunteed  to be harder than today. 

~Frances

Langtry, TX en route to Comstock

VERY excited to be cycling through Langtry, TX tomorrow, former judicial precinct of that great American peace officer and Justice, Judge Roy Bean.  The "Law West of the Pecos", the honorable judge founded and ran the Jersey Lilly, both courthouse and saloon.  My only " knowledge" of the story is from the movie staring Paul Newman.  I saw it with Mike Viana in the 1970s, and we had a great time reenacting the scenes for many years.  Mike will be with me in spirit tomorrow as I learn the rest of the story.

We had a nice 81 mile ride into camp today.  The first 30 miles were a gift due to the cool air and high tail winds. Later, the wind shifted to a head wind and we encountered miles of rolling hills.

We had a nice visit in Langtry, TX as we visited the Jersey Lilly and the home of Judge Roy Bean.

See Facebook for photos.

Judge Roy Bean Visitor Center

Judge Roy Bean Visitor Center

Day 21

Rest Day 

We woke up Friday morning with frost on our tent.  No worries.  It was a rest day. 

We left early Friday morning for a field trip to Big Bend National Park. 

It's a huge, huge park. About 30 of us convoyed in 8 vehicles, stopping at scenic viewpoints.  The wild flowers were blooming, the sky was blue, and it warmed up to pleasant temps. My favorite part was the "big bend" of the Rio Grande. 

Sanderson, TX.

Today we leave Marathon and cycle to Sanderson, TX.  Probably pretty close to the middle of no where.

We had an easy ride today.  54 miles with a tailwind that was about 10-12 most of the day. We averaged almost 20 mph.  The flag in the picture shows our favorable wind.

Day 20

Marfa to Marathon via Alpine 57 miles 

A cold, cold day.  We woke up to temps in the 30's.  Thank goodness for all my winter wear.  We left late, about 9:00 Into a fierce head/side wind.  Gusts were up to 30 mph.  Ugh.  We headed NE towards Alpine only 26 miles alway. Riders struggled just to stay upright. I had The Death Grip on my handlebars.  Luckily there was a clean wide shoulder on the road. I rode just to the back and side of Edgar who shielded me from the wind.  Thank you, thank you, thank you! We made it all 57 miles although several riders 'sagged' in.

Alpine, home to Sul Ross State Univeristy, is a quaint college town with a lot of character. We stopped at the local bakery and downed hot coffee and muffins.  We did have some day-old cinnamon rolls too. That turned out to be our lunch. 

About five miles out of Alpine, our route headed SE, into an awesome tailwind.  We had less than 20 miles to go and we were flying to Marathon to the local RV park where we are renting. 

Marathon is very, very small but with a great hotel, The Gage.  The lobby says Old Texas Money. The grounds are immaculate.  We talked to some Texans from Dallas who asked about our 

Field trip to Big Bend National Park on Friday!

Rest Day in Big Bend National Park

We awoke to frost on our tents this morning.  At 630 the Milky Way was still visible.  We are now loading up in vans for a field trip into the park.

Marathon

Today we have a short, 57 mile ride to Marathon, TX.  We will be rewarded with another rest day on Friday.  We have the opportunity to visit Big Bend National Park.

The weather had turned much cooler today.  We also are looking st some strong head winds.  These conditions will make the ride a bit more challenging.  We plan to leave a bit later today due to weather.

After two hours of fighting winds that reached 35 mph we made it to Alpine and the famous cinnamon rolls of the Bread and Breakfast Cafe.  Many riders packed it in and sagged out.  It was the most powerful head wind I'd ever ridden in.

This afternoon offers hope for some relief as we changed direction to head a bit more south.  We will finish in Marathon near Big Bend National Park, a place I've never visited.

Day 19

Van Horn to Marfa 74 miles

The past few days we have been riding through ghost towns. Gas stations, hotels, cafes all closed and mostly in ruin. 

Until we got to Marfa, TX.  New construction, nice cafes, wine bars, art galleries.  The movie 'Giant' was filmed here and the cast (Rock Hudson, James Dean, Liz Taylor) stayed at the Hotel Paisano.  

Marfa is eclectic.  

It's the new "Art Scene". But it's rough around the edges. The above picture is an art installation about 30 miles from Marfa in Vanentine, TX. It's called Prada Marfa. 

Below is the public library where we had lunch in Valentine, TX.  The Travel Club at the local school provided Burritos at 2 bucks for a large one.  37 students in the entire school k-12. 

We're staying at the Marfa Community Center for the night. 

~frances

Marfa

Today we ride to Marfa Tx.  Hope to ride without flatting today.  Yesterday I flatted 3 times.  2 were thorns and 1 was steel wire from the Interstate. 

Another beautiful day, weather wise.  Expecting another day of tail winds.

Cast from the movie Giant stayed at the Piasano hotel, including Rock Hudson, James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor.  The hotel is beautiful.

Marfa is an artsy community which is difficult to describe.  One club is having a country and western band from Denmark tonight.  An older, 1950s era service station has been restored to a pristine condition on the outside and serves as an art gallery.  

I had never heard of Marfa before, but apparently it is a thing.