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All posts for the year 2013

Marathon to Dryden and beyond: A downhill day

Posted by Mark on October 8, 2013
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Tuesday October 8, 2013, 86 miles (138 km) – Total so far: 342 miles (551 km)

Sunrise this morning in Marathon.

Sunrise this morning in Marathon.

More Texas eye candy. A very beautiful part of this great country.

More Texas eye candy. A very beautiful part of this great country.

Tim flying downhill before our first coffee break.

Tim flying downhill before our first coffee break.

Another day at the office.

Another day at the office.

A tarantula looking for something to eat. We have noticed quite a few of these critters but it is hard to get one to pose for a snapshot. We also saw elk and deer and of course lots of cattle.

A tarantula looking for something to eat. We have noticed quite a few of these critters but it is hard to get one to pose for a snapshot. We also saw elk and deer and of course lots of cattle.

Today’s ride was blissful. We lost about 1500 feet or more of elevation. The wind was negligible for the most part, and we encountered very light traffic, beautiful blue skies, and warm temperatures. It was an easy 85-mile day. We are in Sanderson, TX, at the Outback Oasis Motel. It sure isn’t the Ritz, but it will do fine. Tomorrow we plan to make it to Del Rio.

Cowboy Mark Starts a Stampede

Posted by Tim on October 8, 2013
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Marathon to Somewhere East of Dryden

I am sitting outside our motel in Sanderson, TX, looking at the sky as the sun is setting. The puffy clouds are orange and purple against a blue sky. Another spectacular day in West Texas.

When we pulled out of Marathon this morning, Mark announced that he was going to entertain Brian and I today. (He entertains us every day). After passing a herd of deer and a few elk during the first 15 miles, we started seeing cattle grazing along the fence next to the road. (Point of interest, there has been a fence along both sides of the road this entire trip.) I don’t know what possessed Mark but he started yelling and whistling at this one herd of cattle as we road past. Much to our surprise, they started stampeding away from the road with more and more cattle joining in the stampede. Needless to say, Mark was scanning the fields on both sides of the road looking for more cattle to practice his stampede techniques.

At one of our stops, we were visited by a tarantula. I wondered out loud what a tarantula eats. Mark, who has an answer for every question, replied “bicyclists, preferably old ones.”

This was our longest ride this trip. We were trying to do some of tomorrow’s miles today to make to make it more manageable. We did 85 today and have another 90 to do tomorrow. Beth will drop us off where we left off and continue on to Del Rio to wait for us at our next motel. Should be a gradual drop in elevation tomorrow like it was today. I’m hoping.

Day 5: Marathon to 10 miles past Dryden, TX – our longest ride on L3

Posted by Brian on October 8, 2013
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Today’s ride of 85.5 miles was our longest but not the most difficult.  And we were all in pretty good spirits, joking and teasing each other most of the way, which helped the ride go faster.  At our first unplanned stop, there were cattle grazing by the road, and Mark wanted to get them stampeding; so he whistled and whooped and got them running, kicking up clouds of dust and “sort of” stampeding.  But it was just funny to see that he could be successful in moving them along.

At our next stop, we were paid a couple of visits by a tarantula, and Mark got a few pictures on his first visit.  When he returned, I was able to get this video of him.  I was glad we were on foot and able to move away from him, rather than camping out and never even aware of him until he was crawling all over us.

Outside of these videos, the ride was uneventful and the scenery was very much like anywhere we’ve been on these legs between eastern California and west Texas.  Very desert-like, with mountains off in the distance, and frequent sitings of U.S. Border Patrol vehicles.  We continue to hug the border, so the Border Patrol continues to have a big presence.  We’re staying the night in Sanderson, a town that’s only 16 miles as the crow flies from the border with Mexico.

Here are just a few pictures from today – can you possibly stand a few more pictures of prickly pear cacti? They are everywhere around here! They’re on folk’s lawns, on the sides of mountains, and in rocky gullies where probably nothing else can grow.

Prickly pear cactus plant in the garden of the Gates Hotel, Marathon, TX. This was one of the more attractive ones I've seen on this leg.

Prickly pear cactus plant in the garden of the Gates Hotel, Marathon, TX. This was one of the more attractive ones I’ve seen on this leg.

Ocatillio cactus garden on rest stop outside Sanderson, TX along US90. This photo doesn't do it justice - it was a very pretty cactus garden.

Ocatillio cactus garden on rest stop outside Sanderson, TX along US90. This photo doesn’t do it justice – it was a very pretty cactus garden.

Prickly pear and baby barrel cactus along US90 near Dryden, TX. This was one of our last rest stops of the day.

Prickly pear and baby barrel cactus along US90 near Dryden, TX. This was one of our last rest stops of the day.

After passing through Sanderson, we continued on and got “bonus miles” to make Wednesday’s ride shorter.  Tomorrow we’re riding to Del Rio, which is about 115 miles or so from Sanderson.  We rode another 30 miles past Sanderson, riding through a real ghost town named Dryden, TX, which maybe has a few dozen people living there, although I really don’t know why.

Then a little after 3:45pm, Beth pulled up in her Chevy Silverado pickup truck, and we loaded up the truck with our bikes and then drove 30 miles back to Sanderson.  We showered, had a few bears and snacks, and then found a burger joint for a filling, if not exactly scrumptious, dinner.  After completing this blog, I’ll retire for the night.  We have another long ride ahead of us tomorrow.

Fort Davis to Marathon, TX: A little detour but worth it

Posted by Mark on October 7, 2013
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Monday October 7, 2013, 55 miles (89 km) – Total so far: 257 miles (414 km)

Since we have Beth’s limousine and bicycle taxi service at our disposal, we decided to get dropped off in Fort Davis instead of back in Marfa, and ride from there to Alpine, TX, and on to Marathon. The distance is the same, and we wanted to see at least some of the Davis Mountains if we could. It was a good decision. The ride to Alpine was downhill and beautiful. The starting temp was about 50 degrees, and winds were not a factor. Once we were back on Rt. 90, the riding was very similar to what we experienced on the way to Marfa. Tonight we are staying in The Gage Hotel again. Actually, we are in a house run by the hotel, which is about a block away. It’s called the Captain Albion Sheperd House. He was the surveyor who started the town of Marathon in the late 19th century and this was his house. The Gage Hotel bought it and restored it and we are the first guests to occupy it.

Many of the ranch entrances have ornate signs like this.

Many of the ranch entrances have ornate signs like this.

Tim and Brian looking at the Davis Mountains in the distance.

Tim and Brian looking at the Davis Mountains in the distance.

Sometimes the bikes need a rest, too.

Sometimes the bikes need a rest, too.

Brian and a rider named John who works as a ranger at Fort Davis Park. He has off until the government shut down ends.

Brian and a rider named John who works as a ranger at Fort Davis Park. He has off until the government shut down ends.

0404

Wide open spaces in West Texas. It is so beautiful. I never tire looking at this scenery.

Wide open spaces in West Texas. It is so beautiful. I never tire looking at this scenery.

The Captain Shepard House. It has 5 private rooms with baths and a butler's kitchen. Beautiful landscaping but I forgot to get any pictures of the gardens around the house.

The Captain Shepard House. It has 5 private rooms with baths and a butler’s kitchen. Beautiful landscaping but I forgot to get any pictures of the gardens around the house.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our experience with the infamous Texas chip seal asphalt. It isn’t as terrible as I expected from reading other blogs, but it sure is a drag. It really gets to you after about 50 miles. It will slow your average speed by at least 1 mph. Most of the time you can ride on the highway where the tar surface is somewhat smooth, but the shoulder is the worst. Traffic in this part of Texas has been extremely light. I need my rear view mirror to see oncoming cars and move onto the shoulder.

The pool at The Gage Hotel. Of course Tim did some laps to soothe his tired muscles after the ride. The water was pretty cold because nights get down to the low 40's this time of year.

The pool at The Gage Hotel. Of course Tim did some laps to soothe his tired muscles after the ride. The water was pretty cold because nights get down to the low 40’s this time of year.

 

Day 4: Fort Davis to Marathon, TX – does the wind deserve to be cursed?

Posted by Brian on October 7, 2013
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On Mark’s suggestion, we got back on the Southern Tier route by having Beth drive us to Fort Davis, from which we biked first to Alpine using TX 118, and then east to Marathon, using US90 again.  It was only 55 miles and our total elevation change for the day was minus 800 feet, but the wind was in our face the entire day!  And it wasn’t a mild breeze either!

After not seeing any bikers at all for the first 3 days, our day began by making the acquaintance of two brothers also biking the Southern Tier route while we were at breakfast at the Gage Hotel.  Bruce and Dick are doing it all at once and except for three days that Bruce’s wife drove sag for them, they’re carrying all of their stuff with them on panniers.   They were both really nice!  Bruce is a retired PE teacher from Oregon and Dick is retired military currently living in Nevada. close to his children and grandchildren.   They’re about a day ahead of us though, so chances are we won’t run into them again.

We met Bruce and Dick, two brothers also biking the Southern Tier, while at breakfast at the Gage Hotel. They're about a day ahead of us.

We met Bruce and Dick, two brothers also biking the Southern Tier, while at breakfast at the Gage Hotel. They’re about a day ahead of us.

Then after a really big and tasty breakfast at Larita’s Cafe in Fort Davis, we started our day’s ride along TX 118 South towards Alpine, TX.  We almost immediately ran into John, a bicyclist from Fort Davis out for his daily workout.  John rode with us for about 11-12 miles and we learned that he is a Park Ranger currently working at the Fort Davis Historical Center, right on the site of the old Fort Davis.  John is a Federal employee currently furloughed due to the budget stalemate back in Washington, DC.  We were all interested to learn that up to four years ago, John was a fire fighter working for the Federal Government at Big Bend National Park.  But the forest service requires that all fire fighter employees retire at age 57, to keep the workforce young.  Hence John’s current position as a Park Ranger at For Davis.

After making it to Alpine, we ate a quick lunch at McDonald’s and then headed to Marathon.  We made it there, despite the wind’s best efforts, by 3pm.  Here are today’s better pictures.  No videos again today – our internet connect at the Gage Hotel is just too slow to get them uploaded.

Puera Cito Mountains outside Fort Davis on TX 118. The scenery along TX 118 was stunning!

Puera Cito Mountains outside Fort Davis on TX 118. The scenery along TX 118 was stunning!

Brian at Historical Marker on TX 118 outside Fort Davis. You'll have to ask Tim what the marker said. And I was just kidding about this being one of the better photos of the day. :)

Brian at Historical Marker on TX 118 outside Fort Davis. You’ll have to ask Tim what the marker said. And I was just kidding about this being one of the better photos of the day. 🙂

 

Prickly pear cacti along US90 between Alpine and Marathon. You do realize I have to include a photo of prickly pear cacti, don't you?

Prickly pear cacti along US90 between Alpine and Marathon. You do realize I have to include a photo of prickly pear cacti, don’t you?

Day 3: Every Day is Like Sunday

Posted by Beth on October 7, 2013
Posted in: SAG Lady. 3 comments

After breakfasting at what felt like 4 a.m., the guys waited for the sun to rise so that they could depart. I hung out in the room till 11, then made the hour-long drive to Marfa.

MARFA OR BUST

Hotel El Capitan at sunrise

In the past two trips, the driving has been among the most exciting parts for me, but I haven’t been as thrilled about it so far this leg. The roads have been flat and straight and the vegetation hasn’t held any surprises. Where are my scenic overlooks? Where is my prairie song?

But if nothing else, I have been feeling some much-needed love for America during my drives. (For my own future reference, this is the leg with the government shutdown. L2 was the leg with the undying sinkhole story. I don’t remember what L1’s major news item was.)

This is going to be a brief but simplistic and emotional argument, and I say the word “government,” so skip if you’re averse to stuff like this. But I think that at its best, government can make people feel worthwhile and cared for in a subconscious but important way. A corporation has little motivation to put picnic areas and historical markers on its hypothetical privately-owned highway in the middle of nowhere unless they can yield a measurable financial return. It’s almost impossible to measure the feelings of relief, comfort and pleasure little oases like these bring. I can think of ways of achieving a financial profit, but it would be at a sacrifice to other benefits. I idealistically but adamantly believe that successful infrastructure and public works projects can help heal and reunify the collective American psyche. Even if I’m being naïve, we’d at least get nicer roads and useful train lines out of it.

03-2

Marfa is not the Brooklyn of West Texas (I report with relief), even if its lone pizza place rivals Grimaldi’s. I didn’t see one guy dressed like it’s 1865 (I always imagine these guys saying, “Handlebar mustaches just feel really right to me, you know?”). I didn’t see any women who looked like they sell useless crafts on Etsy. I didn’t even see any plaid shirts (except the one I was wearing, oops). Marfa is just not nearly as self-conscious, except for maybe the couple in this profile who dress alike.

It’s a very tiny town, more hardscrabble than what I was expecting from the fancy art projects on the way in and from all the press it’s been getting lately.

Prada Marfa sans Beyonce

This work was commissioned by Playboy to “revive the brand for a younger generation.” Marfa residents have mixed reactions.

I drove around for a few minutes looking for stuff that was open; it was Sunday, so not much was. Actually I get the sense that not much is open most of the time. Saturday is probably the best day of the week to be in this town.

The bookstore was the one place with open doors, and I am a fan of bookstores and open doors, so I went in. I suspect that if there’s one Brooklyn-y person in this part of Texas, it’s the guy who owns the bookstore (he appears in the 60 Minutes profile). Upon entering I detected the needle scratching off the record (potentially like-minded female stranger alert!) and instantly felt an irrational fear of being spoken to. I dealt with this by making eye contact only with books.

I thumbed through some of the design books, many of which were up my alley or just around the corner from it, then visited the art gallery in the back. I didn’t like the work but enjoyed getting to see it. Even if a lot of art doesn’t move me, I wholeheartedly endorse devoting a room to it.

Next stop: Pizza Foundation, an old garage that also has an art gallery in the back. The gallery was closed for the installation of new work, but you could peek through a little slit in the wall and see some of it.

I arrived around 1:15 and was told there was an hour-long wait. Pizza Foundation is popular! And apparently two employees were hung over from a party Saturday night and failed to show up. If I’d known how long I would be there I would have offered to help out. Instead I settled in and read and watched people coming and going.

Not eating all of this pizza was at least as hard as biking from Van Horn to Marfa

The pizza was done after about 50 minutes and I gobbled down my share of knockout slices, obsessively tracking the guys’ progress on GPS. It was a whole extra hour before they finally arrived. When they got to Pizza Station, they all yelled angrily, “Pizza?! What were you thinking??”

No, they ate it up and then we headed to our truly awesome hotel in Marathon.

Hotel Art of the Day

[Cowboy shootout], W. Herbert Dunton
~48″ x 36″
Captain Shepherd House, Marathon, TX

Hotel Art Score

10/10. I think this is my first 10, guys. It’s perfect for the space and is really fun to keep digging back into.

Art Art Score

6.5/10. Once we’re in “real art” territory I start getting nervous about this scoring business.  There’s so much to like about this. It’s telling a story and feels alive. I would be happy to own it.

Things I like:

  • You can’t see the faces of the riders, and that makes them both more mysterious and sympathetic. Do they even have shotguns? I’m sure the assailants have their reasons, but do the horsemen deserve to be shot? Is the one whose face is completely obscured trying to say something to the gunmen or trying to shoot them?
  • The guys in the background barely have features; their faces were made with quick blocky brushstrokes.
  • It reminds me of my painting style except better.

Things I don’t love:

  • It reminds me of my painting style, in that it’s kind of underdone and inconsistent in spots.
  • The stance of the main shooter feels awkward to me. I tried to make myself like it but it didn’t work.

The Crystal Clear Night Sky of Marathon, TX

Posted by Tim on October 7, 2013
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Walking back to our rooms last night and again going to breakfast this morning, I enjoyed a panoramic view of a night sky with more stars and planets than you ever see on the East Coast. Apparently West Texas is famous for its night sky because there is so little light pollution. There is an observatory on the top of the Davis Mountains, called the McDonald Observatory.

Mark had a brilliant idea at breakfast of going to Fort Davis and riding to Marathon from there instead of Marfa. Simply brilliant Mark. Much more interesting scenery including a tarantula crossing the road right in front of the bikes. I was too scared to stop and get a picture. No mechanical issues today with the bikes.

I am very impressed with the Gage Hotel. We are staying in the Captain Sheppard House which is a block or so from the rest of the hotel. It has 5 rooms and we have 4 of them. No one is in the 5th so we have the house to ourselves. Definitely our nicest accommodations of all three legs. Hopefully some one else will post pics. As you might have guessed by now, I haven’t figured out how to do that.

Van Horn to Marfa,TX: Cell towers, windmills, cattle and desert

Posted by Mark on October 6, 2013
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Sunday October 6, 2013, 75 miles (121 km) – Total so far: 202 miles (325 km)

Today we started early from the very nice and comfortable Hotel El Capitan. We decided to take 90 East to Marfa instead of staying on I-10 and climbing the Davis Mountains to Fort Davis. Route 90 from Van Horn to Marfa is a great road to bicycle: very little traffic and nice shoulders. It climbs about 1000 feet in 75 miles, thought, so it’s a deceptive incline. We all felt like we climbed much more than just 1000 feet, but the riding was pleasant, just long. Tonight and tomorrow we are staying in The Gage Hotel.

Leaving Van Horn at sunrise Sunday morning

Leaving Van Horn at sunrise Sunday morning

Every Southern Tier blog has a picture of the sign past Hope, AZ and a picture of this Prada "store" on the way into Marfa.

Every Southern Tier blog has a picture of the sign past Hope, AZ and a picture of this Prada “store” on the way into Marfa.

Another roadside work of art in Marfa, TX.

Another roadside work of art in Marfa, TX.

An art gallery in the back of a pizzeria in Marfa.

An art gallery in the back of a pizzeria in Marfa.

Every ranch has a windmill to pump underground water to the surface. Some of these ranches are 20 miles long and take an hour to ride across.

Every ranch has a windmill to pump underground water to the surface. Some of these ranches are 20 miles long and take an hour to ride across.

An Air Force facility between Van Horn and Marfa. There are plenty of things to look at along this long stretch of TX Rt. 90.

An Air Force facility between Van Horn and Marfa. There are plenty of things to look at along this long stretch of TX Rt. 90.

Our home away from home for the next two nights. We met two other Southern Tier riders at breakfast. Bruce and Dick Myers are a day ahead of us on the way to Florida. Another brothers bike ride.

Our home away from home for the next two nights. We met two other Southern Tier riders at breakfast. Bruce and Dick Myers are a day ahead of us on the way to Florida. Another brothers bike ride.

A beautifully restored and very elegant hotel in the western cowboy motif. The busy season is coming because fall is the best time of year to visit Big Bend National Park.

A beautifully restored and very elegant hotel in the western cowboy motif. The busy season is coming because fall is the best time of year to visit Big Bend National Park.

Day 3: Van Horn to Marfa, TX – the long climb!

Posted by Brian on October 6, 2013
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Before we retired for the night last night, we all agreed we would be down at breakfast at the El Capitan Hotel (a great place, by the way) by 6:30 am.  We all had a great big breakfast (OK, maybe not Beth, but Tim, Mark and I definitely did!), but when we finished, it was still dark outside.  Being on the western edge of the Central Time Zone, sunrise doesn’t occur until just before 8 a.m.; however, we didn’t know that when we made our plans the night before.  So we had about an hour wait before we could get going.  But by 8 o’clock, we were on our bikes and riding the 76 miles to Marfa.  And boy was it ever cold!  I should have worn my full-fingered biking gloves and tomorrow I will.  But we warmed up after about an hour, so it wasn’t a big deal.

The 76 miles we did today was the toughest ride of L3 because 1) it was all uphill (we climbed about 1000 feet), 2) the road surface in Presidio County, where we were for most of today’s ride is Texas chip seal, a very rough road surface that’s pretty tough on my already sore backside, and 3) we had a decent head wind at least for the last third of the ride.

 

We rode parallel to some train tracks most of the ride and those tracks were busy the entire day!  We must have seen 6 or so different trains using the rails, including one Amtrak passenger train.  I took a couple of videos of the trains, but my connection tonight is really slow, so I won’t be uploading them tonight.

But after about a half dozen stops, we finally made it into Marfa right at 3pm.  Tim says our average speed (when we were riding) was over 14 mph, so I guess we stopped a lot during the 7 hours we were on the road.

When we made it to Marfa, Beth met us at The Pizza Foundation restaurant, where we had a Margarita pizza and some beer – it was all excellent.  After that, we loaded up the truck with our bikes and drove an hour east to Marathon, TX, where we will stay tonight and tomorrow night.  Tomorrow morning, Beth will drive us back to Marfa and we’ll bike back to Marathon and stay overnight again at the Gage Hotel, which is a beautiful old hotel originally opened around 1930.  I have some pictures of it below.  We all enjoyed an excellent dinner at the Gage Hotel Restaurant, before heading back to our rooms for our nightly tasks, calling our loved ones and blogging!

Here are today’s photos.

 

Historical marker on US90 outside Van Horn, TX. We fixed Mark's flat at thi spot.

Historical marker on US90 outside Van Horn, TX. We fixed Mark’s flat at this spot.

PRADA art project outside Valentine, TX on US 90. It was installed by some of the artists of the Marfa artist community.

PRADA art project outside Valentine, TX on US 90. It was installed by some of the artists of the Marfa artist community.

 

Trains carrying turbine blades on RR parallel to US90. We saw 6 or 7 trains on Sunday, including one Amtrak passenger rail train.

Trains carrying turbine blades on RR parallel to US90. We saw 6 or 7 trains on Sunday, including one Amtrak passenger rail train.

Photo of Captain Shepard House, a part of the Gage Hotel where we stayed. We all agreed this was the nicest place we've stayed in so far. We have the entire house to ourselves.

Photo of Captain Shepard House, a part of the Gage Hotel where we stayed. We all agreed this was the nicest place we’ve stayed in so far. We have the entire house to ourselves.

Barrel cacti in cactus garden at Capt Shepard House of Gage Hotel. This cactus garden was really beautiful, but then I'm very partial to desert gardens! :)

Barrel cacti in cactus garden at Capt Shepard House of Gage Hotel. This cactus garden was really beautiful, but then I’m very partial to desert gardens! 🙂

Tim, Beth and Mark at dinner at the Gage Hotel Restaurant on Sunday night. We ate outside by a fireplace so both the food and the ambiance were really good!

Tim, Beth and Mark at dinner at the Gage Hotel Restaurant on Sunday night. We ate outside by a fireplace so both the food and the ambiance were really good!

 

 

 

Van Horn to Marfa 75 miles

Posted by Tim on October 6, 2013
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We planned to meet at a free breakfast at our hotel at 6:30 and get on the road by 7 am. Slight problem–when we switched to Central time coming into Van Horn last night, we didn’t realize sunrise wouldn’t occur until 8 am. OOPS. So we killed another hour before we left Van Horn. Good thing–it was freezing for the first hour or two of our ride until the sun warmed things up.

I found the ride very enjoyable for the first half. When we left Jeff Davis Co. we also left a smooth road and found ourselves on a rough chip seal road. Then a head wind picked up making our ride tedious. Today I had energy and set the pace, sometimes too fast, and had to be coaxed to a slower pace. We met Beth in Marfa and split a pizza before loading the bikes in the truck for our drive to Marathon. The next two nights we stay in another historic hotel called the Gage Hotel.

The road paralleled train tracks almost our whole ride, so we occupied ourselves counting cars on freight trains and one Amtrak train. We also picked out lone trees and antenna poles and one stationary blimp in the distance and quessed how far away they were from our present location. Things are a lot further away than we thought in this wide open country. What can I say–it passed the time on a long ride.

Tomorrow is a 60-mile ride from Marfa to Marathon. We pass thru one decent size town called Alpine which has a state university called Sol Ross State Univ. Can’t say I ever head of it.