Relaxing - Sat 3/10

Today was a nice, though cool day.  We rested in luxury in our beautiful cottage then walked downtown to get a pizza.  We chatted with a couple of local bikers and then saw Martin, the Swiss biker, again.  By the time our pizza was ready, Bill and Debbie, another cross-country biker couple, showed up.  My hat is off to Bill, doing it with one leg and one pedal.

The truth from Ruth:  The sun was out and the weather nice today, but I'm glad we didn't leave Marathon.  I'm really enjoying relaxing here.  It was lots of fun meeting the other bikers today.  Debbie is the first woman we've met so far doing the cross-country ride.  It also looks like we'll be able to go to church tomorrow - yay!

Cold Day in Marathon, TX - 3/9

It's now been one month since we left San Diego.  Temperatures were in the 30s this morning and the wind she was a-blowin', so the windchill was down around 20 °.  We weren't prepared for that so we spent the morning trying to stay warm in our sleeping bags.  Eventually, we bundled up and went to a café for some soup, then spent the afternoon in the library.  When the library closed we went to a pizza parlor to stay warm.

From there I called the church branch president to see if there was someone in Marathon who could give us a ride Sunday.  He only knew one possibility, Jim, who couldn't give us a ride, but offered us a great price on his rental cottage.  We accepted the deal and moved right in.  It has heat!  Our plan now is to stay here until Monday when the weather will be beautiful again.

The truth from Ruth:  I was not expecting this kind of cold weather on this trip!  Even in the mountains at 8000 feet it wasn't this cold.  I don't think we'll be able to go to church Sunday, because they are having a district conference 2 hours away by car, but we've been greatly blessed by having the desire to go.  This cottage we're staying in now is so cute, and it's warm!

Marathon, TX - Thur 3/8

Our axle arrived and we hit the road again!  Big thanks to Randall, the owner of the Stone Village Tourist Camp Motel, and his son Aaron, for driving us to the bike shop in Alpine twice.  We finally picked up the wheel and assembled the bike in Alpine at 1 o'clock today.

Then we bought groceries and set off through the desert again.  But today a storm was brewing and the temperature dropped to the 40s.  The first 10 miles we had vicious headwinds and hills and we froze.  Then the road took a turn and we had tailwinds for 15 miles and we froze.   Then we had 8 miles of dangerous cross winds and we froze.

After a long three hours of riding we were thrilled to arrive in the small town of Marathon ( actual motto: "Where There's Nothing to Do".)  We checked into La Loma del Chivo, a funky hostel that offers free accommodations to cross-country cyclists.  (Photos above.)  A cyclist we met before, Ty, is also staying here.  It's not well heated, but heavenly compared to the cold, howling wind outside.

Yesterday was windy but warm as toast.  Today we had to ride with numb fingers and toes.  This Texas weather changes so fast.  We are feeling good and anxious to ride but the weather is daunting.

The truth from Ruth:  My best friend right now is a little space heater that I'm sitting right beside.  It feels so good!  We are so glad to be out of the bad weather.
This morning, while waiting in Fort Davis for our bike part to arrive, I spent some time in the cutest little library!  It's housed in one of the oldest buildings in town.  There are shelves near the ceiling decorated with old-fashioned items like trunks and boots.  Best of all are the super-comfortable leather chairs, each with its own ottoman.  I could live in that library.

Bikeless in Fort Davis, TX - Wed 3/7

It's a strange feeling to be stranded in a small town without a bike.  Randall drove us to the bike shop in Alpine 25 miles away this morning but the bike mechanic couldn't find an axle to replace our broken one.  Tandem axles are longer than regular bike axles.  I eventually located a tandem bike dealer in east Texas he said he will ship an axle overnight.  So if it fits we should have a bike by tomorrow afternoon.

So we spent the rest of the day touring historic Fort Davis.  The courthouse is 100 years old and there are many buildings from the 1800s.  The actual fort has been preserved and restored and gives fascinating insight into frontier army life.  I found it interesting that there was no wall around the fort like there always is in the movies.  With 400 soldiers, there was little threat from small bands of local Indians.  The fort was really just a staging post for army maneuvers.

We had near gale force winds and dust blowing today but being on foot it wasn't much of a problem.

In the local pizza joint we met another cross country biker, Martin, from Zürich, Switzerland and shared notes.

Trouble Tuesday 3/6 - Fort Davis, TX

Trouble arrived big time today.  It started with a flat rear tire at about mile 15.  Unloading and reloading the bike and finding the flat and fixing it took about 40 minutes. Then at mile 40 we had a flat in the front.  That was easier so we were back on the road in 15 minutes.

We were concerned about time because we were planning to complete 93 miles over some difficult hills.  We had to do 93 because there was no place to stay along the way unless we camped in the wild alongside the road.

But at mile 53 disaster struck.  Our rear axle started making funny noises.  I pulled it apart and found the axle broken.  The frame was able to hold it together as long as we weren't sitting on it so we put it together and started walking.  With 40 miles to go we knew we might have to camp in the wild.  There wasn't much traffic on that road.  We started really hoping for help.

Then along came John in a pickup.  Ruth stuck out her thumb and John stopped and gave us a ride to Fort Davis.  He dropped us off at a hotel where we checked in.  The nearest bike shop is 25 miles away but the hotel operator has an appointment in that town, so he offered to give us a ride tomorrow morning.  So now all of our hopes ride on that bike shop having the right axle.  If we have to wait for a special order we might be living in a tent, because spring break starts this weekend and everything within a hundred miles is booked up for the week.  We'll find out our fate tomorrow morning.

So after traveling 1000 miles with no flat tires we had two in the same day.  And a broken axle?? That's just freaky.  The day threatened to end very badly.  But for now we are comfortable and hoping for the best.

The photos:
The first flat tire.
The second flat tire.
John, our rescuer.
I stuck a stick in a support I found alongside the freeway.  It's like a desert Christmas tree.
The giant chicken that was accidentally deleted from yesterday's post.

The truth from Ruth:  I'd like to thank every one of our family and friends who have been praying for us on this trip.  I feel that your prayers were answered today.  We were all alone, far from the nearest town, with no cell phone service.  It was a scary feeling.  I knew we needed help from somewhere, and it came.  I feel so blessed to be spending this night in comfort and security.

Socorro to Van Horn, TX - Mon 3/5

Today was a record-breaking day!  We rode more than 100 miles for the first time ever, we passed the thousand mile mark, and we crossed into the Central time zone.

We hit the road about 7 AM with the temperature in the 30s.  It took a couple of hours to get warm.  The sun was shining, the air was still, and the road was flat at first so we made good time.  We stopped for a photo of a giant chicken and for a barely edible  lunch at a combination grocery store and Mexican restaurant.  The next restaurant or store was about 70 miles away, so we ate it anyway.

We saw lots of horses, cows, sheep, and goats, and were chased by an unusually large number of dogs.  But mostly the desert was empty.  The first 60 miles were flat and then we started a 1000 foot climb.  We decided to ride 80 miles to Sierra Blanca and then decide if we could do the other 30 miles to Van Horn.  After riding 80 miles by 3 o'clock we decided 30 more miles sounded really easy.  It turned out to be not so easy with the hills and we rode the last 10 minutes in the dark but we made it.

Why did we ride so far?  Because it seemed the best way to make the rest of the week 's mileage work out.  Tomorrow will also be hard but then the rest of the week easy.

Lessons learned:
1.  The beauty of the desert has faded.  We've had enough of it.
2.  Even after resting for four days we still feel like we've ridden a thousand miles.  Which makes sense because according to the maps we've now gone about 1060 miles and are over at third of the way done .
3.  I'm sitting on a gel seat with an extra gel cover but still have contusions from the seat.

Miles:  115.9  Average: 12.2

The truth from Ruth:  Today is my official least favorite riding day.  We rode so many miles, I was exhausted.  We climbed a big hill, but it was just the freeway rising so there was no cool view or anything.  When we stopped for lunch, our map said the town, Fort Hancock, had all services.  We rode through to the other side in just a few minutes, and saw nothing but old, falling-apart buildings.  We turned around and took the only street there was.  We finally got to a little convenience store that had a hand-written menu.  I ordered the tacos.  It took about 20 minutes to come, and it was 4 warmed-up, dry corn tortillas with chewy meat.  Next to them were a half avocado with the pit removed, a small container with cilantro and onions, a lime cut in half, and a container of really hot sauce.  I guess I was supposed to put it all together, but I didn't even have a spoon.   I am glad today is over.  There just isn't much in West Texas.

Rest Day in Socorro - Sun 3/4

Today we enjoyed church and a day of rest.

El Paso to Socorro, TX - Sat 3/3

West rode with us for 9 miles.  Then we said goodbye and headed for the Mission Trail.  This is an ancient trade route, now a road, with three old missions in a nine mile stretch.  We toured the first two.  The Socorro Mission was built in 1840 and is the oldest continuing parish in the US.

Then we visited the Tigua Cultural Center where we watched the Tigua Indians dance and joined in the Circle Dance.  The Tigua are the oldest ethnic group in Texas.

Then we checked into a motel.

Miles: 32.8, although only about 17 miles toward Florida.  The rest was touring around.

The truth from Ruth: While we were at the Tigua Cultural Center, the Tigua women made bread in their outdoor oven.  We bought a loaf and ate it for lunch with butter they provided.  Yummy!  We also stopped by the church where we would be attending the next day and met two sets of missionaries: elders and sisters.  One of the sisters is from Los Gatos, California, near San Jose where I grew up.  Small world!