It was going to be hard to have a better day than yesterday. I knew things would be different when Dan got out of bed this morning and immediately stepped on one of many painful little burs that cover western Texas. Then we found one stuck in my tire and yes it was flat – my 2nd.
We began the day where we left off last night, at the world famous Angie’s – the diner across from our Bates Motel and the only game in town. It is famous because it is in the bicycling logs and books as the place to eat when in Ft. Hancock. Once again, the “Texas Minutemen” we met the night before were having breakfast in their full camouflage fatigues. They were getting ready for a day of recon in the desert/fields.
Our ride today was shorter than originally planned because of the extra mileage we added yesterday. We rode about 60 miles mostly east, slightly uphill with 2 good climbs and a wind in our face most of the time. The real challenge was I-10, which was our route at the beginning and end of the day and was more than ½ our distance. Although the shoulders are real wide for cyclists and smooth, the roar of trucks and a speed limit of 80 outweighed the advantages. Hence the name Thunder Road. Scott had his 2nd flat in 2 days and had to change it on the Interstate. This occurred only a mile after the mandatory Border Inspection Station, which everyone must pass through on I-10. Because there was no lane for cyclists, we got escorted through with no wait and we learned that no aliens had been snagged but today had been a good one for drugs.
After lunch in another abandoned ghost town called Sierra Blanco, we spent 23 long uphill miles on a bumpy old route 10 that featured numerous Border Patrol cars that kept a close eye on us. It is pretty obvious now that the building of the Interstate had significant effects on many small towns with a population of less than 3000. As we spend a lot of time paralleling the Interstate, we have ridden through many towns each day with abandoned stores, houses, farms and businesses. It has been a sad eye opener for all of us. The finish line featured a quick stop for more carbs at Dairy Queen, which Peter declined. Scott and I agreed, when you are riding everyday, you could eat as much of this stuff as you want and still lose weight.
Of special note, we have unfortunately seen lots of roadkill including rabbits, snakes, deer, skunk etc. But today, Scott and Peter found a live Tarantula. It will be in week 3 pictures.
15 riding days, 14 sunny. It can’t last.
Map to Date:
http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/ca/san%20diego/664128752965834893
Thanks for following us - Carl
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