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.