Wednesday, November 1, 2017

MARFA & ALPINE TX, 10.31/11.11.17

Yesterday was mostly flat but 75 grueling miles from Van Horn into Marfa where I spent the night in my tent. I took route 90 instead of the recommended I-10/118 because it was more direct. The place I stayed had a great outdoor shower and a Halloween party with good food. Marfa is an upscale town, doubly so when compared to the dusty Texas towns where the majority of the buildings are abandoned and the remaining families and  businesses are barely holding on. Toward the end of a long day, with 15 miles still to go Michael, a young English guy who is also doing the west-east southern route, caught up to me. Trying to keep up with him got me get into town before dark. 

Today, Wednesday, Michael and I left Marfa and went 25 miles into Alpine often with a tail wind and him setting the pace we got into town pretty fast. We met two young Japanese girls who had cycled from Florida going to San Diego. They seemed to be doing well and it was fun talking with them. After leaving I realized I should have taken their photo.   

I could have made Marathon today but my new bike seat had not arrived at the Marfa post office so I had to spend the night here and hope that it comes in tomorrow. If it does I will head to Marathon, about 32 miles away. 

There was not much to photograph crossing the desert, so you get to see a railroad overpass. 

A huge field of red peppers. 





Pecan trees for as far as you can see, and I had already passed by at least a mile of them before I took this photo. 



A farm in the Texas hill country. It is a pretty area. 

Marfa 

humor. 





This is what I passed through for most of the day. 

There is nothing within five miles in either direction of this Prada display. I have no idea what it is doing here. 



For 30 miles of the 75 mile day I traveled on this newly paved road of rough asphalt without lines; the roughness of the asphalt made for tough going.  







This sign was lighted as we wrote into Marfa,
but the last two letters are burned out on the town name. 

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