Today started out chilly again but warmed up after just about 8 miles when the sun peaked over the mountains. The first forty miles were somewhat monotonous until we came upon a farm with many sculptures in the front yard. It was quite the treat. We also passed a representation of a Prada store (see photo). We had lunch in Valentine. It was provided by the local high school that has a student population of 34 or 37 (the students serving us gave me two different numbers). They were providing lunch as a fund raiser for their school. Once we passed Valentine and entered Presidio county, the roads turned horrible. A Texas chip and seal road that must not have been re-sealed for years. Combine this with a headwind and an elevation gain that lasted well over 25 miles and my knees are aching tonight. I want to say it was my worst day so far, but I still haven’t forgotten the mountains of California….at least there were downhills on the second day of California. Just before we reached the end of the day, we saw “eyes in the sky” in the form of a small blimp. My pictures didn’t turn out too good. Local deputy did pull several cyclists over to explain to them how to travel safely while riding on the road. I’m thinking that 1060 miles in, most of our group know the rules of the road. Speaking of miles, we are now 1/3 of the way to the end! Wow!! I did take advantage of the sports massage therapist tonight – I needed it!
Stats from the day:
Start city: Van Horn, TX
End city: Marfa, TX
Miles: 74.74
Total miles to date: 1060.8
Pedaling time: 6 hours, 16 minutes
Avg. speed: 11.9
Feet climbed: 1,234
Fatigue factor: 8.5 out of 10 (10 is the worst)
Wind: start: SW 5 mph; end S 11 mph
Road condition: 4 out of 5 first 40; 1 out of 5 last 35 (1 is the worst);
Temperature extremes: 45 at ride start, 80 at ride finish
Sunrise out of Van Horn.
A few of the yard sculptures....
The view from the road for most of the day.
This photo was taken because I thought of my sister and her whole Davis family.
