Day 19, Wednesday, 3/25/15, Van Horn, TX (52º at 6:30 am) to Marfa, TX (75º at 3:30 pm) 75 miles, elevation changes: +1234/-639.

Because we are in the most western part of the central time zone, sunrise was at 7:55 this morning. I got on the road at 8:10. It was another spectacularly beautiful day. We rode gradually uphill for the first 65 miles and then lost half that elevation down into Marfa with a tailwind of 10 – 15 mph blowing from about 10:30 am on. We are staying in the Marfa community building/gym. Here are my bike stats and the highlights.

Bike Stats: 75.1 miles while riding 4 hours and 39 minutes averaging 16.2 mph.

Highlights:

• The view looking back NW after traveling uphill for 65 miles.

We passed a border patrol blimp used to look for illegals sneaking into the US.

• Started a 5-day ride on Texas State Road 90. The road surface is county dependent. The last 35 miles was very rough. The type of road surface is called chip seal.  It was very bouncy with lots of vibration. My rear fender broke off from the vibrations. These weren’t "good, good, good, good vibrations". This is chip seal. I was riding 18 - 22 mph over this rough road when the fender broke off.

• Prada art display, just outside of Valentine where we ate lunch, literally in the middle of nowhere. It is a museum display. The building has been sealed since 2005. Read the plaque.

• Lunch at the Valentine, TX  (population 271) library. The high school Travel Club students sold us lunch to raise money to travel to Greece in two years. The entire K – 12 school has 41 students. There are 4 seniors, 0 juniors, 2 sophomores, 2 freshman, and 2 in eighth grade, with the balance in grades K – 7. The 6 students in grade 8 – 10 make up the Travel Club.

• The Union Pacific railroad tracks are right beside the TX 90. Trains go by all day long.

• My body is in great shape. 70+ miles days don't seem to really tire me. I feel great biking the entire day.

Make it a great day.

John

Day 18, Tuesday, 3/24/15, Ft. Hancock, TX (52º at 6:30 am) to Van Horn, TX (79º at 3:00 pm) 72 miles, elevation changes: +1878/-1288.

I was on the road at 7:00am with the sun rising a few minutes later. It was my first day to ride east with the sun rising right in front of me. (We had to leave early to get out of the gym at Ft. Hancock High School before school started.) It was beautiful without a cloud in the sky except for a few wispy ones later in the afternoon. The landscape didn’t change much between Ft. Hancock and Van Horn. We did ride over a set of mountains. Twice we had to ride on Interstate 10 because there were no other roads to ride on. I apologize for very few, uninteresting photos, but what you see is what you get. The biggest event was entering the central time zone just before coming into Van Horn.

Today’s bike stats: 72.44 miles in 4 hours and 39 minutes of actual riding averaging 15.6 mph

Highlights:

• Leaving at 7am and seeing the sunrise while on the road.
• A tailwind of 8 – 14mph. It was as perfect a biking day as one could ever ask for.
• Entering the central time zone.
• Spending tonight in a Hotel 6. Tomorrow we go back to camping out in tents.

Looking west back toward Ft. Hancock about 30 miles out.

At the same spot the above picture was taken looking east as we begin to climb up through the mountains heading for Van Horn.

Taken through my fairing as I was riding downhill on Interstate 10 going 30mph heading for Van Horn.

Entering the central time zone. (Taken through my fairing.)

Make it a great day!

John

Day 17, Monday, 3/23/15, El Paso, TX (55º at 6:30 am) to Ft. Hancock, TX (81º at 3:00 pm) 57 miles, elevation changes: +307/-711.

It was another beautiful day in the southern US in TX, a day of many turns as we rode through El Paso back out onto the flat prairie to Ft. Hancock. There were no “firsts” today, just pedaling along to keep moving east. The wind was a cross wind of 10 – 15 mph as we headed generally southeast. We are sleeping in the gym at Ft. Hancock High School tonight.

Today’s biking stats: 57.8 miles in 4 hours and 6 minutes of actual biking averaging 14.1 mph.

Highlights (Not Many):

• El Paso isn’t particularly pretty.
• Pleasantly surprised by passing a reservoir about 12 miles before reaching Ft. Hancock.
• The land is irrigated for agriculture with thousands of acres of pecan trees not yet beginning to leaf.

We are riding through goathead thorn country, thorns that can cause a flat tire. See the picture below.

The view of El Paso as we navigated south from the hotel through town.

Looking back north toward El Paso. I just didn't find El Paso a particularly picturesque city. We passed oil refineries on the way out of town.

Pecan orchards that we passed for at least 20 miles after leaving El Paso.

Another view of the pecan orchards with young trees in the foreground, mature trees behind and then the mountains that are in Mexico in the background.

The surprise of the day, a reservoir which I believe is used to irrigate the fields as I passed many fields that are being prepared for planting.

The feared goat head thorns that can work into your tire to give you a flat.

I thought that I'd put in a picture of a typical dinner set-up. This was last night's dinner that we ate in the parking lot of the hotel.

Make it a great day!

John

Day 16, Sunday, 3/22/15, Columbus, NM, (48º at 6:30 am) to El Paso, TX (73º at 2:00 pm) 77 miles, elevation changes: +1024/-1354.

We made it to the HUGE state of TX. I have never been to TX before today. I was off at 7:50 on a beautifully clear day with a tail wind pushing us along at 7 – 12 mph. During one 5-mile section I averaged 22.1 mph. There were virtually no cars and trucks on Sunday in this very desolate portion of the NM prairie. We didn’t see a house until we were 10 miles from the hotel in El Paso.

Highlights:

• Arriving in TX.
• Averaging my fastest biking speed yet on the trip. Here are today’s biking stats: 77.4 miles ridden in 4 hours and 41 minutes averaging 16.7 mph. The tail wind really helped.
• Yesterday, Saturday, 3/21/15 was a rest day. The entire group was shuttled to Puerto Palomas, Mexico, just south of Columbus where we ate lunch at the Pink Store. 

Here are some pictures:

Looking back toward Columbus, NM about 16 miles out. Only a few cows.

Another view of the prairie. It is extremely remote country.

It was so remote, we had to have a SAG stop for lunch.

Reaching the TX border.

Yesterday's lunch at the Pink Store in Puerto Palomas, Mexico with members of the Coast-2-Coast group. I took this picture. My chicken fajitas lunch shown at the bottom was excellent.

Our Coast-2-Coast group in front of Pancho Villa's statue in Puerto Palomas. I am at the left rear row. I hope that I'm not boring you too much with these pictures.

Make it a great day!

John