Lordsburg, NM, to Marfa, TX

Day: 14
3/13/2013
Lordsburg, NM
Deming, NM
Miles: 60.2
Miles to Date: 574.2

A somewhat brutal day. We got away from the KOA about 10:30 and stopped at a mini-mart for Coke and peanuts. We got on the I-10 Freeway at the ramp about 1/4 mile from the mart with 60 miles before us to reach Deming and not knowing what to expect. It turned out to be perhaps the safest and best road surface I have experienced on this ride. The shoulder is very smooth and hard asphalt, about 12' wide almost all the way to Deming. We were protected from traffic by a wide and deep rumble strip. Most traffic seemed to move to the left to give us plenty of room if they could and if not we had enough separation to feel safe.

That is the good news for the day. The bad news was a steady climb to the Continental Divide 30 miles in and the nasty gusty headwind that in combination often slowed us to 5-6 MPH. We did however discover the joy of drafting. After our first break at about 6 miles I got behind john for a bit but did not think it helped much so I pulled around him and he got on my wheel and liked it. He said it made riding about 30% easier. The rest of the afternoon we took turns at the front and consequently made much better time than usual.

We pulled into Deming at about 7:15, just before sunset. As I led us down what I thought was Pine Street looking for an RV park I had spotted on my GPS app John pulled up to me and offered to spring for a motel room for the night. He did not have to offer twice. I immediately turned left onto a side street and headed for the 2 motels I could see a block away. We picked the most promising one and were able to secure a large room with 2 beds which has room for our bikes and all our stuff. We walked down the street a few blocks and had a tasty if junky Big Mac meal then came back to the room. I have a load of clothes going in the al fresco laundry room by the managers office and we are both working on our journals. It will be bedtime as soon as the clothes are dry.

Day: 15
3/14/2013
Deming, NM
Las Cruces, NM
Miles: 56.3
Miles to Date: 630.5

A Relatively Recent Volcanic Cone

We went a couple of blocks up the street about 8:00 and had Huevos Rancheros (again). We rode up the street to Walmart and I0 purchased a few items including a cheap bike seat. We got on the road about 10:30 climbing into a headwind as seems to be the norm now. At our first break which happened to be exactly 10 miles from the motel John shook my hand and told me it had been nice riding with me but that he was going to go it alone. We talked awhile then both started riding. I soon pulled ahead.

At the 22 mile mark I stopped beyond an underpass for a 10 and noticed a decent looking frontage road a few hundred yards from the freeway. I decided to try it so pushed the bike through the inside of the cloverleaf and got on it. The first thing I encountered was a sign stating that the next interchange was 14 miles distant. This was a good sign because it meant the road was not a dead end.

I was soon out in the boonies away from the freeway. It was quiet and peaceful. I did not see more than perhaps a dozen cars in the 14 miles. One of them was driven by what I assumed was a drunk as he/she was one half over the line in my lane while still quite far away. When he passed I saw it was a border patrol agent who apparently was trying to see if he could spook me into making a run for the bushes. He was probably disappointed when he got close enough to see I was just an old white man who was probably not up to any mischief involving illegal immigration or drugs. I took a couple of breaks in this stretch and a few photos which probably do not do the terrain justice.

The Long Lonesome Road

When I got back to the freeway I stopped to have a drink before pushing on. As I was preparing to leave I looked up and saw john going by on the freeway shoulder. I called "AAAAA!" to him (what else would you say to a Canadian?) And he stopped. We talked a bit and he allowed that he would probably show up at the KOA in Las Cruces where I planned to stay. I went on ahead and arrived at about 5:00. I checked in and set up my tent and was messing around installing my lost bike computer which I finally found in my tool kit when John pulled in. He had had a flat about 1/2 mile from the park. Frustrating? John was amused that I would run two computers but what can I say, I just like numbers. We ate some canned food, showered and are now doing computer stuff in the dark. I will go to bed soon and I am feeling the results of doing 115 miles in two days including hills and wind. I guess we will try to finalize our divorce tomorrow. John has to take his bike to the shop again and I will probably move on ahead although I am about ready for a layover day.

A word about butt pain: I was hoping to make this ride with no painkiller intake. I did fine the first week and 1/2 but the last few days I have been having enough pain in my "sit bones" to require some Ibuprofen. I had considered bringing the seat from my new Dahon folding bike as a backup but decided not to because I did not want to drag around the extra weight. Too bad for me. This morning I bought a seat that looks similar to the Dahon seat. I rode on it for about 30 miles before putting the original back on. The best I can say for it is that it make me hurt in different places. I moved the old seat back when I but it back on and the last few miles this evening the pain subsided. Maybe I am on to something. One can hope. It is amazing how much a nagging butt pain can distract from the pleasure of the day. Tomorrow Texas!

Changing Seats in the Middle of Nowhere

Day: 16
3/15/2013
Las Cruces, NM
Mesilla, NM
Miles: 7.0
Miles to Date: 637.5

Tent Site in Mesilla - Nicer Than it Appears

9:00 AM I am sitting here in the sun at the KOA enjoying a lazy morning. I added day numbers to the blog and checked for date coherency. It is a beautiful morning here and it is obvious it will get warm later, mid-80's I think. I was cold last night until I woke up enough to put my fleece pullover on. I think it was mostly because I am still somewhat sunburned. I slept in until 8:00, probably because my tent is shaded from the sun by a bush.

I am considering doing a rest day here and if the site had a sunshade of some sort I might but since it does not and $34.00 is quite a bit for or a tent site in this part of the world I think I will move on. I may go 20-30 miles down the road and try to find a cheaper camp site or a cheap motel and rest tomorrow. Although I feel fine a day off does not sound bad either. Incidentally, the park has the best WIFI I have encountered so far on this trip. It seems like many places, motels and RV parks, put in some half assed system so they can put "Free WIFI" on the sign. This one actually works which allowed me to go through the entire blog and do updates in a few minutes.

2:45 PM: I am at the McDonald's in Las Cruces. After studying the map I realized that if I went 30 miles I would have to stay in a relatively expensive chain motel 3 miles off route. In the town of Mesilla are an RV Park and a motel. I decided to check them out. The RV park is reasonable in price so I am set up there. I had to walk a mile down the street to get here but I suppose it is worth it. I am showered and fed and enjoying the afternoon off. If I like it enough I may stay here tomorrow as well. The park is down home but the facilities are fine including an electrical outlet near the tent. I am off to walk "home" for some R&R.

3:45 PM: Made it back from lunch. I found a nice gazebo behind the store in the shade where I can actually see my tablet screen. I am sitting here in a fast food and candy bar induced stupor thinking about crawling into the tent for a nap heat be darned. It was a strange sensation walking to McDonald's on the sidewalk. Every time I heard a car come from behind I tried to look into the mirror to see if he was about to nail me. I may have that reflex for some time after 1400 more miles of dodging motor vehicles.

Bike Locked to a Very Thorny Tree

7:40 PM: I just finished a can of chili beans and a can of Bush's Baked Beans. I am through with McDonald's for awhile. I had a large chocolate shake with my lunch and it knocked me out for most of the afternoon. I took a nap on the couch under the gazebo and I finally feel human again. I had a nice phone chat with my bud Dale whose home in Florida is the destination of this trip. He is tracking my progress so he will know when to install the locks on the fridge and pantry.

John 191 from Duncan emailed this afternoon and said he is toying with the idea of riding along for a few days. I told him to join the party if he wishes. He said his wife could carry our stuff and scout for motels, etc. It sounds good to me if he wants to take the leap. I have no problem with riding an unladen bike for a time. Some might consider that cheating in some way but I will go by what the old EST guy, Werner Erhart, used to tell his customers during the 70's (I never was one but worked with several who could not keep their yaps shut about it), "The first rule of life is that there are no rules."

A rest day/afternoon is a good thing!

Day: 17
3/16/2013
Mesilla, NM
N. Edge El Paso, TX
Miles: 37.1
Miles to Date: 674.6

3:20 PM: I am sitting in a Motel 6 room in NW El Paso, TX. I crossed into Texas at some time today but did not see a sign. I did notice after the town of Anthony the cars all had Texas plates. Call me a wimp but it is nice to have 4 walls a roof, floor, indoor plumbing, TV, etc.

I had in mind the possibility of canceling this reservation and going another 15 miles to the Motel 6 on the East side of town but when I got here it sounded very good to stop so I will attempt to sneak through town tomorrow morning and get away from this strange metro area. I say strange because I have just never felt comfortable with this place. The first time I drove through a number of years ago a car full of men tried to force me onto a "Y" in the freeway that would have taken me downtown somewhere. I have no idea what they had in mind but I had no interest. The whole place seems to be a strange combination of the US and Mexico although that is just an impression as I have never been off the freeway before other than to get gas. I will learn a lot more tomorrow morning.

Today's ride was a relatively easy cruise through nicely maintained farmland. I was surprised because based on driving through on the I-10 I expected miles of urban sprawl. I guess that shows how observant I am when I drive. The drivers, especially in New Mexico were extremely courteous as well. When one approached from the rear and cars were approaching from the front they actually waited for the opposing traffic to pass rather than the usual squeezing by with inches to spare. So far the Texas drivers have been decent as well. Arizona holds first place so far in the bad, rude and dangerous driver competition.

There were several nice stretches where I was able to cruise along at 15-20 MPH with less effort than I was expending to manage 6-7 coming out of Lordsburg a few days ago. Such are the vagaries of bicycle riding in the windy West. At one point I made a 90 degree turn into a brisk crosswind. I started hearing ugly noises from the drive train. My first thought was, "Oh fudge (or similar), something broke!" The noise persisted and the shifting went south. When I gained a bit of of composure and looked down and back at the rear wheel I noticed that the tail end of my beautiful and expensive and very functional microfiber towel had slipped from under the bungees and was in the rear derailleur. I pulled off at the next farm driveway and fortunately it pulled right out of the gears with no apparent damage except to the towel which was coated with gobs of oil and crud. I have it soaking in the sink with one of my laundry detergent "pods" and the gunk seems to be coming out. One can hope.

I crossed the mighty Rio Grande twice today. The second time I stopped to take a photo. It either runs underground here or there is no water until the snow melt starts farther north. The farm land appears to be irrigated by ground water pumped by gas or diesel or natural gas powered engines unlike California where most pumping is done using electricity.

I am in the middle of a significant shopping area so I am going to go our and get some lunch or early dinner and get some food to take south of El Paso where I do not expect to find much selection.

Life is good.

5:45 PM: The shopping trip turned out to be a bust but I did get some Coke and snacks and I brought fast food back to the room. I am weary.

11:30 PM: I just got my laundry finished and walked to McMcDonald's for a late dinner/snack. I laid down around 6:00 but did not sleep. A lady trucker monopolized the one washer and drier for about 4 hours. It is my problem for not doing mine when I first got here this afternoon and the place was deserted. I got an email from John. He is across the street at another motel . We may run into each other tomorrow. It is bedtime.

Day: 18
3/17/2013
N. Edge El Paso, TX
Hideaway Lakes, Tornillo, TX
Miles: 50.5
Miles to Date: 725.1

Looking Into Mexico

As is so often the case, preconceived notions and biases turned out to be crap.... again. Downtown El Paso is a clean and very nice looking city, built on some hills it is reminiscent of parts of downtown San Francisco. Of course it helps that I went through on a Sunday morning when the place was literally deserted.

I left the motel at 10:20 and was immediately confronted with a 4 mile climb I did not want. My legs are like old nags, they do not want to leave the barn in the morning and when they do they want to take it easy for awhile until they are warmed up and resigned to the prospect of a day's work. Anyway I slowly ground up 4 miles then stopped for a "natural break" which is how they daintily refer to peeing by the side of the road on Tour de France telecasts. Since I did not want to be a piker I bought a Jalapeño cheese sausage on bun. While I was standing outside eating it I got dizzy enough to almost fall over. This has happened before after a strenuous ride in the morning so I did not worry too much about it. I think it is a result of perhaps taking a bit too much BP med. The doc said I might be able to cut it to every other day when he gave me some new man stuff to take at night which also drops BP. So I anticipated this problem and brought my pill cutter along. I think I will start cutting them tomorrow.

The scary part is that I have never had a problem on the bike but after I ate the dog and was coasting down into town I got very woozy. Fortunately the laws of physics kept the bike upright long enough for me to recover but this is not a good thing. The dog probably exacerbated the situation by robbing blood from my old gourd for digestion. I do try to arrange things so I do not have to do an ugly climb right out of bed. I did not realize how much this one was to be. This whole situation is to be watched.

So, I missed a turn in downtown El Paso and ended up on a 4 lane semi-freeway right on the border. The traffic was light but I had to climb over a couple of overpasses and finally up onto a freeway heading north. I got off at the first cross street by walking the bike back on an on ramp. I ended up on Paisano Street instead of N. Loop Drive but Paisano turned into Highway 20 which I follow for 50 or more miles anyway. As I said I was very happy to make this transit on Sunday when the drivers that at were out were having fun and not late top work or school or whatever and driving like the possessed. About 25 miles out I finally broke out of the urban sprawl and into farmland and much lighter and generally very polite traffic. It was nice after 20 miles of car lots and auto parts stores.

I ate my way here today. Besides the Jalapeño dog I stopped at a 7-11 somewhere in S. El Paso and had a dog wrapped in some sort of dough with jelly, perhaps grape, in it (must be a Mexican/Latino/Hispanic/brown skinned people/etc. (pick the one most PC to you) treat) and a rolled taco with a very spicy meat paste in it. I stopped again in Clint and got a 12" Subway sandwich and ate 1/2 of it. I have the rest in the tent for dinner or an appetizer. The green stuff in the sandwich tastes especially good.

My map indicated an RV park in Tornillo. When I got there I saw no sign. I asked to guys walking to the store. No English . I went to the store and asked. Almost no English. I took the map out of the case and saw that the park is 3 miles south of town then 1 1/2 miles off the road and here I am. It is not a pretty place but it works. It is a series of fishing lakes and not really a campground. No doubt most of the current occupants will go home this evening and I will have the place to myself. I do have to be out by 9:00 which is early for me. I will set my alarm.

The wind is howling from the West (my friend today). I have my test up against some bushes along the fence on the Southwest side of the place which is the only sheltered spot I can see. I am sitting at a picnic table 100 yards away getting well aired out and dusted. There is enough glare that I can barely see the screen to compose this scribble.

I noticed on a sign near Tornillo that it is only about 50 miles to Sierra Blanca which is a good goal for tomorrow. If the wind is very favorable I might make Van Horn which would make the next leg into Marfa much easier. In fact I may stop at Van Horn in any event so I can get to Marfa in one day. The road to Marfa is pretty lonely and deserted.

II just ate the rest of the sandwich. is nice to be sitting still.

Day: 19
3/18/2013
Hideaway Lakes, Tornillo, TX
Sierra Blanca, TX
Miles: 58.2
Miles to Date: 783.3

Decorated Houses in Fort Hancock, TX

An interesting night and day. My assumption that everyone would go home from the lakes in the evening was way off. The long and the short of it is that the place was a total zoo until 3:00 AM. People driving by within feet of my tent and honking the horn, people playing with their car alarms, yelling , singing, macho contests with people across the lake, etc. I slept from about 10:00 until 2:00 when I heard a guy banging on a pot and and yelling at the party crew in Spanish then got a few hours in from about 3:00 until 7:00 when I got up packed and got the heck out of there.

It was a nice morning to ride, not too hot nor too cold. I was 25 miles out by the time I usually get started. I left camp with about 50 oz. of water and 20 oz. of Diet Coke. I hoped to hit a store in Fort Hancock , 15 miles away, and if not at the mini-mart I thought is where the route rejoins the freeway at about 40 miles. At the Fort Hancock I inquired and found the market is 2 miles up the hill near the freeway and decided to pass. I stopped and ate my last 4 cookies from Deming and a few of my mixed nuts from El Paso and set out again. I had a bag of Cheddar Chex Mix in reserve along with a can of kidney beans and one of corn.

Looking Into Mexico from Farm to Market Road 192

At 38 miles I came to the junction of Texas 20 and Road 34. EDIT: Highway 20 merges with I-10 just east of McNary, TX. The route turns south on Road 192 and loops around to the east to the junction with Road 34. This junction is where the day's work really started. The route climbs north here about 2 miles to the freeway. The mini-mart was long dead. The route follows the poorly surfaced shoulder for about 2 more miles to an informal off ramp across to a well paved frontage road. I stopped and put on my backup seat to give my pelvic bones a change of pace and ate some Chex Mix. The frontage road climbs steeply for 8 miles where it rejoins I-10 for a detour through a Border Patrol check station and a nice 6 miles downhill run into Sierra Blanca. Part way up the hill I got off and walked the bike 3/4 miles which gave me and my sore rump a nice break and really made me appreciate going 3 MPH when I started pedaling again. The Climb was not as long as I thought I remembered from previous passages by car and motorcycle. That was fine with me.

I had intended to camp in the Sierra Blanca town park then cruise into Van Horn tomorrow for a long afternoon in a motel room. When I got into town I realized I was tired and a motel sounded good. I decided to at least check the price before heading for the park. I passed a couple of defunct motels on the town's main drag. I asked a man peeling potatoes in front of the last one and he told me the only surviving motel was through the underpass on the far side of the freeway. I ground up through the underpass and as I turned the corner towards the motel I saw John's bike in front of the office. He had already rented a single room. I put down $10 more and we are in a large room with 2 beds and plenty of room for our bikes and gear. We both showered and walked back to the other side of the freeway and had Subway sandwiches before coming back to the room to rest and journal.

Downtown Fort Hancock, TX

Day: 20
3/19/2013
Sierra Blanca, TX
Van Horn, TX
Miles: 31.8
Miles to Date: 815.1

Gravel Piles by the Road

6:50 AM: We stayed up talking and doing computer stuff until about midnight. We both got up about 5:15. John wanted an early start because he plans to to to Van Horn, 34 miles away, and stock up then follow the official route to Fort Davis which will give him 40 miles on the I-10 followed by about 50 miles of two lane road through the mountains with climbs up to around 6,000 feet all with no services. I do not care to go that way and deal with the climbs so I will go to Van Horn and take the afternoon off then tomorrow see if I can make the 78 miles south and slightly east to Marfa on US 90. This road is long and straight and deserted but climbs only about 1000 feet over the entire distance which is more to my liking.

From Marfa I will have a 26 mile relatively flat ride to Alpine where I will re-join the official route.

John left about 30 minutes ago. He left his sunglasses in the room so I took them to him at he mini-mart where he was drinking his morning coffee. While I was there I got my morning supply of Coke and a sticky bun. After ingesting the bun I may need another bit of sleep. I am in no hurry because if I get to Van Horn too early I may have to hang around somewhere waiting to check into a room.

This room is very nice, our second good experience with a motel run by Indian people. It is an old motel but has been refurbished nicely with tile floors in the bath/sink/closet area and Berber carpet for the rest. The beds are very good quality and there is a microwave and refrigerator and all is clean and with no obnoxious odor. When Indians and other Middle Easterners first started buying motels in this country I do not think they realized what a bunch of anal retentive clean freaks we Americans are but they are smart people and have figured it out. Now if they can only figure out how to stop doubling the population of their country every 2 weeks.

4:15 PM: Really seems like 3:15 but the time zone line is about 3 miles west of town. I am in Central Time now. This is the last change unless I decide to go east or NE of Pensacola.

I arrived here about 2:30 local time after an easy wind assisted ride from Sierra Blanca. All but the last 9 miles were on a nicely paved frontage road on the north side of the I-10. It only took me 2:15 to get here in spite of a couple of pretty good hills which tells you how easy the ride was.

I have always stayed in the Motel 6 in this town but this time I decided to try an independent. I have a very nice room a block away from M6 for $2 more but it includes WIFI, laundry and a breakfast. WIFI is $3 at M6 and the other items are not available. I have a big room with a king size bed and plenty of room for the bike. It is about a block and one half to the town market which I have already patronized to get food for today and tomorrow.

Nice Room in Van Horn, TX

The sad news is that there are some new big chain motels and a McDonald's on the opposite side of the I-10 now and this side (north) of town is slowly dying. The Dairy Queen across the street from the M6 is gone which is a shame . I was looking forward to a nice greasy burger and fries. It is too much trouble to walk or ride to McDonald's so I bought a frozen dinner and some corn dogs to subsist on for today along with some items to take with me tomorrow in case I get caught out and camp in the desert.

The forecasted winds look much better Thursday than tomorrow for going south to Marfa so it is possible I may take a rest day here tomorrow. We will see in the morning.

The View Down Main Street, Van Horn, TX

Day: 21
3/20/2013
Van Horn, TX
Marfa,TX
Miles: 76.9
Miles to Date: 892.0

Texas Roadside Art? A Strange Thing to Come Upon in the Desert

I did not set a clock and it is dark in the room and I slept until 8:55 which means I missed the "free" breakfast. It is probably just as well. I probably need some sleep more than more fattening food and I have two microwave corn dogs left from the shopping spree of yesterday. The corn dogs are a bit rubbery but not too bad. I do not think they are short of calories.

I did go out for a short stroll last evening and found that there is an off ramp and underpass about 2 blocks up the street. It is either new or I have not noticed it before. I went that way and got a small snack at McDonald's.

I considered taking a day off here but I guess I will pack up and mosey down the road. The forecast keeps changing. Last night it was to be 62 with NE wind today. Now it is up to 75 with W or ESE wind neither of which are very helpful. I will just go until I run out of time then camp if I am not in town.

Oh what a day! The first 20 miles out of Van Horn went well then the wind came up and the climb started. I spent many hours plugging along at 5-8 MPH. Sundown at 8:00 found me 20-25 miles from Marfa with no prospects for camping. I set up my lights and put on my zip neck turtle and wind pants and ground it out until sometime after 10:00 when I finally reached Marfa. It is a town that closes up sometime before 10:00. No food, no nothing except a few gas station/mini-marts. The ones I checked had already closed up their prepared food operations. I did not find a motel and get checked in until 11:00. I may say more about the afternoon later but now I just want to go to bed and zone out.