Day Nineteen
I woke before dawn and started packing at the tent area behind the Marathon Motel in Marathon, Texas.
And there was another tent!
It turn out to be Bree, from Prince Edward Island, riding the Southern Tier from east to west. Very nice young guy, riding an old steel bike with a very, VERY basic setup—clip in pedals, for instance, are still in his future of riding. He's riding flat pedals and Keen sandals. Bree is not making big miles each day, but that's not the point of his trip. He's taking his time.
So my start was not early, but it wasn't late either.
Today's ride was from Marathon to Sanderson, Texas, about 58 miles.
I had two dinners because the burgers at The Ranch House restaurant were the best I've had in 1,200 miles!
That's right, burgers. I stopped in for a green chili and provolone cheese burger before going to make camp. Just unbelievable I headed over to Canyons RV Park to pay my camping fee and pitch my tent, and headed back to The Ranch House for a Hawaiian Burger. And an IPA. Wow.
But I get ahead of myself. About today's ride: Like I said, 58 miles, mostly on a descent. Which was fortunate, because today I faced the heaviest headwinds of the trip so far. I wrote in a couple of texts that if the road wasn't going downhill, I'd be blown backwards. There are no services, no towns, no homes along the 55-ish miles between Marathon and Sanderson. Just the highway, US 90.
I passed a couple of driveways to ranches, one with an arrowed sign that read, "Ranch Headquarters 18 Miles". The arrow pointed up a dirt road, into oblivion. There was one roadside picnic shelter. That's about it. Mile after mile of West Texas, like every other mile of West Texas.
And then...New Zealanders! Roger and Laura ware seated on other side of the road, having lunch. In chairs they’d packed for just such a picnic. My chair was of course a casualty of weight trimming, but they felt the luxury of sitting like civilized people was well worth the extra weight. And they DID look comfy. Roger and Laura are, like Bree, riding the Southern Tier from east to west. Today, the wind that was holding me back was actually pushing them up the same hill. We talked about cycling in Europe (they've done it), cycling across the US Northern Tier (they've done it) and riding from tip to tip of New Zealand, 1,200 miles (they've done it). They are extraordinarily pleasant, experienced and tough people, They said we can stay with them whenever we're in New Zealand. I said it may be much sooner than later.
I also loved their bikes. They splurged for cycling in their retirement and have matching custom titanium frames and—the first I've seen in person—Pinion geared transmissions instead of bottom brackets, and therefore no derailleurs. They are also running with Gates carbon belt drives, so no messy chains to deal with. These are super clean and efficient machines. I'm completely sold on the Pinion/Gates setup. My next bike. Oh, and the titanium frames are so light that they can afford to carry chairs.
Today is my seventh straight day of hard riding, and this one wore me out. Still, I arrived early enough to have a nice, restful evening. And two dinners. Tomorrow, the weather is going to be rough, with more of the same wind, plus the first rain of the trip (I'm 19 days in without a drop from the sky). My plan is to ride 71 miles to Seminole Canyon State Park. My stretch goal, really a pipe dream, I think, because I feel pretty worn out and I'm not making a lot of power, is an additional 49 miles to Del Rio, and the Motel 6. Rider beta says it's cheap, has just been remodeled, and has a pool. Unlike the Motel 6 in Parker, Arizona, there is water in this pool. I really need that day off. It's no more than relatively light days away, or one monster day. I'm fueling up for a monster day and I'll make the decision to hold or press once I reach Seminole Canyon State Park.
I’d love to hear from you. Donate to the ride and send along your words of encouragement and tell me why getting kids outside matters to you.
