DAYS 22, 23, 24

I am a bit mixed up on our days.  Sometimes they seem to run together, especially in west Texas which has all been along Route 90.  This route running from El Paso to San Antonio is a very old route used by Native Americans, Spanish explorers and the Mexican Military.  Most of the towns along here are mostly abandoned due to the Interstate.

After we left the Indian Lodge we had a wonderful downhill and a relatively easy ride of 60 miles to Marathon, Texas where we stayed at the historic Gage Hotel.  I was in the old part which was full of old west memorabilia.  The new part is beautiful adobe section with very nice plantings.

We passed through Alpine where I had John, the Bikeman, tighten up my breaks.  Things have working loose on the chip seal roads.
The brake cables had also stretched.  

Saturday we went from Marathon to Sanderson,  Texas.  This 56 mile has not one store or town so we have to rely on our SAG vehicle for water and snacks.

I had planned to attend the Easter sunrise service in Sanderson and then bump 60 miles to lunch as this was 111 mile day.  Unfortunately I was up all night vomiting so I spent the day in the van.  Again it was another long stretch of Route 90 but a good day for riding.  I may have to take tomorrow off to recover.  Hydrating and fueling on this trip are real challenges.

DAY 18 AND 19 VAN HORN TO FORT DAVIS AND A REST DAY

Our internet service is a bit slow so no photos today.  We are at the Indian Lodge in Davis State Park.  It is lovely.  It is an old adobe inn by the Conservation Corps in the 1930's.  I took a 2 mile hike up and down a long ridge with beautiful views of the mountains and MacDonald Observatory.  I wanted to visit the Observatory but we couldn't find any transportation.  Our van was taking people to Fort Davis to do laundry and run errands.

Back to yesterday.  Yesterday was considered one of the hardest days of the trip.  It was a 90 mile day with the first 30 on Interstate 10.  That was the easy part, with only minor winds.  After leaving the interstate the ride turned south toward Fort Davis.  The van meet us at mile 48 with a picnic lunch.  Cher and I were late leaving (8:30) due to my breaking my valve stem and having to change a tire.  We could not leave earlier as we have just changed time zones and it would have been dark.
We biked to lunch and then were loaded onto the van with 11 others.  The next 40 miles was mostly up hill with the top being at MacDonald Observatory at about 6,500'.  11 of our group rode this piece.  I would have been in at midnight.  It was a beautiful road but 12% grade in places.
I am hoping to see Javelinas.  These are pig-like animals but really related to rhinos!  I love west Texas!

DAY 18 FORT HANCOCK TO VAN HORN, TX

HEADWINDS.... yesterday and today.  I only made it to the first SAG stop at about 22 miles.  The headwind was unrelenting and we had 50 more miles, mostly along the interstate (I-10).  Riding at 8-9 mph we might have made it for dinner plus we lost an hour as we switched from Mountain to Central time.
The van picked up four of us.
I have the utmost admiration for our riders that made it the whole way.
Tomorrow is a 90 mile day with climbing and possibly more headwinds.  Not sure what I will do.

According to our guides this has been a very difficult tour weather wise, hot, cold, wind, dust storm.  We are hoping it ends soon...

Day 16 Las Cruces to El Paso, Day 17 to Fort Hancock

We are actually in Texas.  Coming into El Paso was not the most pleasant ride but we made to the bike store where we were picked up by the van because the road to hotel was too difficult to bike.
(Some made it through before our guide decided it was unsafe).  Fine with me I was tired of the city riding and the traffic.  It has been 10 degrees cooler than normal so we have been starting out around 36 degrees.  Thank goodness for the warm clothes I packed.

The valley has been very flat.  There are groves of pecan trees, fields of alfalfa and onions.  We have also seen many horse farms.

After El Paso the countryside is not so lush.  We spent most of today on route 258 and route 20.  We had a head wind all day but had a short mileage (46) day so it was a pleasant ride.
We stopped at two missions and lunch in a little town called Tornillo and ate at Wencho's.  Great Mexican food.

 San Elizario Mission

 Bike sculpture

 Luc the Moose resting at 7-11 in Fabens, Texas

 Tornillo, Texas

Larry Varney and moi

We also stopped to talk with a group called Bubba's Pampered Tours (they actually camp most of the time).  I met Larry Varney who was riding an ICE trike.  He writes reviews for Recumbent and Tandem Magazine which I read so it was fun to talk to him.

DAY 14 AND 15 SILVER CITY TO KINGSTON TO LAS CRUCES

After our great rest day I decided to visit the Gila National Monument with Sally and Hilary.  My co-rider Cher joined us.  It was a fascinating place.  It is a small collection of cliff dwellings of the Mollogon people who only lived there for one generation.  Life was incredibly hard here and eventually they ran out of water and all died. The drive there is beautiful, through the mountains.  We then walked up to the cliffs and had a tour with George.

After our visit we drove to route 152 and went over Emery Pass.  It was very windy at the top but a lovely view down towards valley.

We stayed at the Black Range Lodge in Kingston.  A wonderful old stone building.  The owner, Kathryn, prepared a turkey dinner and a great breakfast.

Today, Saturday, we rode to Las Cruces, New Mexico.  The trip was 88 miles.  I made it 80 with Cher.  We had great tail winds and made good time until the wind and dust became so bad we called for the SAG (support and gear) car to pick us.  In the meantime a woman named Velma stopped in her white pickup to offer us a ride to the hotel.  A true bike angel.  We were not sure we could get the bikes on the subaru so the pickup was perfect.  She even showed us around La Mesilla, the old part of the Las Cruces.

DAY 13 OVER THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE, DAY 14 REST DAY

We crossed the continental divide for the first time today.  We had a 46 mile ride from Lordsburg to Silver City, New Mexico.  The ride started out a bit uphill and then the head winds hit.  I thought that the winds would generally be west to east.  WRONG.  Pedaling along at 4-5 mph was a real challenge.  Then we began climbing, up and down.  Fortunately the wind died down some but we had 4,100' of elevation gain.  Silver City sits at about 6,000'.  This was certainly the most challenging ride I have done.

Silver City is a rest day and is nice town with shops and restaurants and two bike shops.  My bike needed some minor adjustments.  I think this is mainly due to the rough pavement in many areas.  They have this wonderful road asphalt road surface called chip seal which is just charming to ride on and makes one yearn for shock absorbers.  The rumble strips along the roads also make riding a challenge at times.  At least it was cooler in the mountains.

My sister, Sally and my daughter, Hilary, joined me for my rest day in Silver City.

DAY 10 GOLD CANYON TO GLOBE, AZ DAY 11 78 MILES TO SAFFORD, AZ

Lucy celebrating St. Patrick's Day

Gorgeous ride into the mountains

I rode 24 miles to Superior where the van shuttled most of us over the mountain pass.  I have to say that the 12 women who rode the pass have my admiration.  It was a 10 mile climb, often with no shoulder and a lot of traffic.
Today was a 78 mile trip through rolling hillls and the Apache Indian Reservation.  There is very little out here, lots of trash by the road and no where to stop and eat.  The mountains still have snow on top.  It was only in the 80's so much pleasanter riding.  We left this morning and it was 50 degrees.
My riding buddy Cher had a flat so I waited for her and we came in around 4 after visiting the bike shop in Safford.  He raised my handlebars a bit to help with my bike.  It was still a great day and for the first time I wasn't completely exhausted.
DAY 12
I have not been able to get on the internet so we are now in Lordsburg, NM after a 76 mile ride, mostly rolling and flat.

 

Above; lunch at Ol Jo's Cafe, Duncan, AZ
Palm trees with a bad hair day.