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.