My friend the wind

Sunday April 2nd. Day 29. Marfa to Marathon. 57 miles or 92 km. Day 5 in Texas

After a poor night sleep (dryer going, opening and closing of the heavy door at 4 am, and several times a pack of coyotes running past our building, it was time to get going.

The wind was very calm but I knew better than to trust that it would stay this way. We only had to ride about 92 km with some climbing so an easier day.

My legs felt like jelly and my muscles were sore. Time to give them a rest. Eventhough my speed was about 30 km per hour (strong tailwind) I couldn't keep up with Vicki. I decided to treat it as a solo day and not to stress about it. It gave me the opportunity to look around, see some deer and some tall and beautiful cacti. Also a church called Big Bend Cowboy Church.  Nothing but trucks in the parking lot. 


The landscape once again changed from flat to mountainous. There were huge rock formations in fabulous ocre colour accented with stripes of beige. Worth to paint it. I also was lucky to take a picture when a very long train passed by with a mountain ridge in the background. 




  

At around 1030 am we stopped at the McDonald's in Alpine. Alpine is a small but cute town. Many of their walls had paintings on them. I regret that I didn't take some pictures. The coffee tasted very good. We didn't stay long as it would be tough to get going again. Only 50 more km.


The camping was right on route and is really nice. Yet there are a ton of goatheads. I am going to look for a safer spot for my bike. I don't want a flat tire. The wind is crazy strong so I pitched my tent right beside the chicken coup. I feel right at home. I ordered some eggs for tomorrow morning. 

Soon after a truck with trailer pulled in. 15 cyclists are riding a loop of about 500 km. It is organized by Adventure Cycling, the company where we bought our maps from. Small groups of riders started to arrive and all of a sudden lots of activity is happening around us. I am loving it. So much fun. 


And so another day is coming to an end. It was a good ride and now good conversations.

                                                              


Hi Hendrika! So great to hear about all your adventures -- the ups and the downs and everything in-between. I'm there with you in spirit -- especially reliving the climb from Lordsburg to Silver City! Safe travels for the rest of your journey! (Paul R)

Comments

  1. Paul R3 April 2023 at 11:37

    Hi Hendrika! So great to hear about all your adventures -- the ups and the downs and everything in-between. I'm there with you in spirit -- especially reliving the climb from Lordsburg to Silver City! Safe travels for the rest of your journey!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hendrika6 April 2023 at 20:36

      Hi Paul. So good to hear from you and that you enjoy my blog. This epic adventure has ups and downs and that is to be expected. I am having a great time. Miss our fivesome though

      Delete

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