HORRIBLE-HOTEL-HANCOCK TO VAN HORN, 10.29-30.17

Often when I begin in the morning, before the pain sets in, everything is perfect: houses, gates on the houses, sky and air, pine trees, the vast desert, both plowed and growing fields all shine. I'm delighted to start my day and as happy as an apple on a tree in Vermont on a perfect fall day. 

In CA many people thought I was homeless, two guys asked if I was. In NM & AZ many questioned my sanity. I have also met several people who where thrilled by the idea and one guy who was driving cars from CA to FL and had seen me a couple of days before on I-10 stop to tell me how amazing he thought it was to bike so far. When I told him I was headed to FL we had a good laugh about him getting there long before me.

Today, Monday I did 32 miles into Van Horn with some climbs, but it was a short day and I'm feeling good with less pain than in the two previous days. I think I might have worked through some of my pain issues. By the way I ordered a new seat today and had it sent to Alpine. Tomorrow, Tuesday, I have to do 75 miles to Alpine. It is going to be a long day. 

Highway I-10 is on the right in the first photo below, the highway on the left is the old road which has paralleled I-10, with a few interruptions, for two days now. That is, I-10 sans the thousands of trucks and cars and the endless noise. Yesterday (Sunday), as I started out on I-10 the trucks were screaming past at 80+ miles an hour and they were so loud they hurt my ears. A couple of times they would hit the rumble strips close by and it temporarily deafened me. And then I noticed the parallel road and got on it immediately. It did not soften the hills but the noise was greatly lessened and in two days I have shared my road with five trucks and other than that I have had a private two lane highway. 

If the water gets up to the top of the gauge, water on the road is no longer the issue, you now have a lake with a road running under it.  

Sunday I made 40 miles with 80% of it up hill. Not steep but persistent. I'm sure I looked and I know I felt like an old guy struggling very slowly up a mountain. By the time I got to the top every muscle in my body hurt. As I rode down into Sierra Blanca, another dusty little TX town, I was determined not to stay in yet another awful hotel like the one in Fort Hancock. So as I rode into Sierra Blanca I was concerned there would be no good options. Despite how tired I was I would have ridden 30 more miles if necessary. I was was traumatized by that crappy hotel. As it turns out there was a nice clean little place by the I-10 ramp. I went in early, around 1 or 2, and soaked in a tub for an hour and laid around until 11 am on Monday when rode 32 miles into Van Horn, where I am not and there are many nice hotels.  

This was on a rest area table. 

The landscape has remained about the same except that the mountains on creeping up on me. 

GONDOLAS & ANOTHER AWFUL HOTEL, FORT HANCOCK, TX, 10.28.17

About 50 miles today on route 20--from downtown El Paso to Fort Hancock--parallel with the US/Mexican border mostly on good shoulders and often with light traffic. I thought I had to make Fort Hancock because it was the only hotel available. However when I got here I regretted making the choice. The guy charged me $60.00 for another dump/hole-in-the-wall/flea bag hotel. The course towels are supposed to be white--they where once upon a time--but are now ashen grey. Yuck. I'm kind of afraid to sit on the bed much less go to sleep in it and every time I put my feet on the carpet I have to wonder what I might catch. Uggggh. But the wifi is good and the water is hot and once I go to sleep I won't notice. In the morning I will pack up in the blink of an eye and leave this dump as fast as possible heading once more onto I-10 for many miles.

So often when I spoke with people about hiking the AT they would say thing like, "Weren't you afraid of animals or crazy people or getting lost...". Their fears were often vague, but they seemed real enough to them. Today as I was cycling along route 20 it occurred to me that harm was far more likely cycling then it ever was in the woods.

I have noticed that every city I get into I can't wait to leave. I think some of this is the traffic, but it is also that I like the quite and space of the country I really enjoy agriculture and the views outside of the cities.

The hostel was OK. I slept well and left fairly early, walking out onto the road in front of the hotel and seeing, a few streets north, hundreds of brightly dressed people running past in order to raise money, no doubt for a worthy cause.

I videoed this scene but it did not come out so I have only a photo without the benefit of the
wonderful drumming and singing they were doing as they danced.
This is a group of Indian's practicing in front of 
Lady of Light Catholic Church along RT 20 somewhere in TX. 

The areas that I have been cycling through for a week are checkered
with irrigation canals. I liked the movement and clarity of the water. 

This was at the entrance to a ranch. It is made of 12" concrete cylinders and
must have required a lot of work to make it. 

Cycling through El Paso I saw this HFH warehouse and had to circle back to get this photo. 

A large irrigation canal on which I half expect to see gondolas. 

A wonderful old tree. I love trees! 

A grove of baby pecan trees, the mountains in the back ground are in Mexico. 

Huge bales of cotton. There were two rows of seven bales each. I wonder how much each one weights. 

There are many crosses by the sides of the roads I have been traveling.

My son, Isaac, made up this map of my route to date, 10.28.17. 

INTO EL PASO, TX 10.27.17

I think I did about 45 miles today and for the most part the road, although often narrow, was level and the riding should have been easy. However the wind! Yikes. There were long periods when I felt like I was peddling up a steep hill and others when I had to be careful not to be blown off the road. Thankfully it lessened around noon with only occasional gusts. The bike path (photo below) was wonderful and I saw some wildlife, the balance of the ride into El Paso however as the worst I have done so far because of the rush hour traffic.

I made it, often riding on the sidewalk, and got to a hotel/hostel in downtown. There was little difference between a hotel room and the hostel area so I went with the hostel, but I have a feeling I'm going to regret it in the middle of the night.

No one has asked for photos of my bike, until two days ago when three people did within hours of each other. Weird. Anyway here it is.

The largest roll is an air mattress with my sleeping bag rolled up in it,
the brown one is the tent, the black bag is water, and there is a purple
chair that Erl lent me in the mix. The right pannier has cloths and my computer, 
the left one has everything else: food, tools, camp shoes, electronic connectors, toiletries, 
and so on. The bike is a Marlin and it seems to be holding up well. I'm going to need new
tires before too long because the weight is wearing the back one out.
 Today I moved the rear to the front, but they are wearing out pretty fast.  

The sign saying I was entering TX was so small I rode past it before realizing what it was. 

The best meal I have had since leaving Borrego Spring. 
It was in the first town I hit in TX. 

I agree completely!!! 100%. 

By extension, does this mean I can't plow the road too? I'm wondering because if I could this would add a lot of acreage to the area I plant. 

This is the trail I was on most of the day. The town of San Miguel is tiny. 

The wind was blowing my way, and this guy was spreading a lot of ripe manure. . . it was a tough half mile. But the driver seemed perfectly happy and gave me a big wave as I went past. 

This bell is made out of paper macia (sp?), I thought you would like that Sam. 

 I liked the design and the workmanship of this church. 

Coming into TX, one road was crazy busy with no shoulders and buildings all around and traffic seemingly coming from every direction. I found this wonderful bike path which ran parallel to but avoided that road. On the left of the trail is the Rio Grand (although not very Grand at this time of year), on the right is a levee. It ran for about 6-7 miles. 

I rode for much of the morning through pecan groves, often on both sides of the road, and often bordered by alfalfa fields as in the first photo. 

The groves varied from mature to newly planted. I think this grove is full of teenagers. 

This is what they look like on the tree. 

For several miles I rode through an area that looked just like this. All owned by the same company and all with mature trees. 

And there were the signs of many shapes and sizes,  but they all said the same thing: "NO NUT PICKING." After several miles of the signs I felt like yelling at someone, "I'M NOT PICKING THE NUTS, LEAVE ME ALONE."

MISC IMAGES

Blue bottles arranged on a chain link fence. 

Hey Wilder, this is my rock pile! Come play in it with me. 

The Rio Grand north of El Paso. Rather than Grand it might be called,
Meandering or Shallow or Barely Moving at this time of year. 

PHOTOS, 10.26.17, LAS CRUCES, NM

I-10 into Las Cruces today, about 60 miles. At one point the wind was behind me and the shoulders were mostly good. 

Wesley, the guy who picked me up about a week going through the Tonto Forest out of Mesa AZ--the first section of the trail that I avoided--was helpful and friendly. Today on I-10 a few miles outside of Las Cruces an SUV pulled over up ahead of me and as I rode past it I heard "Hey Mark!" It was Wesley on his way to a new job in TX! Since as far as I knew no one within a thousand miles knew me, I was quite surprised. We had a short friendly talk and headed on our way, him continuing on I-10 and me to 28 south toward El Paso.