Another chilly start but warmed up very quickly and the layers were shed. Our first stop was at the Marfa lights viewing area. Last night Bubba had offered to anyone who wanted to go try and find the lights, but after the hard ride in, no one took him up on the offer. The views from Marfa to Alpine were so much prettier than what we saw yesterday. And more importantly, the road conditions improved dramatically. While in Alpine we stopped in a local bakery (Bed & Breakfast Bakery) where Janet and I shared a giant cinnamon roll. I also picked up a few extra spare tubes from the local bike shop (Bike Man) to replace the ones from my prior two flats. The ride was shorter today and I needed it because I am still tired from yesterday. It was very hot in camp today, so I took it easy. Sometimes you just need to rest. Tomorrow we caravan to Big Bend National Park on our official rest day!
Stats from the day:
Start city: Marfa, TX
End city: Marathon, TX
Miles: 56.82
Total miles to date: 1117.62
Pedaling time: 3 hours, 55 minutes
Avg. speed: 14.5
Feet climbed: 1,063
Fatigue factor: 4 out of 10 (10 is the worst); still tired from yesterday
Wind: start: N 5 mph; end S 9 mph
Road condition: 4 out of 5 (1 is the worst);
Temperature extremes: 43 (felt like 39) at ride start, 85 at ride finish
This is what "camp" in a local community center looks like. Everyone is breaking down getting ready to ride.
Yesterday was Prada....today Target.
View from my campsite tonight.
