MAP OF MARK'S BIKE TRIP

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I am keeping a map of Mark's trip. I will update it on the site periodically. Enjoy -- Isaac

CAMP WOOD TX

47 miles from Brackettville to Camp Wood: it was a tough day. Lots of hills, the shoulder was rough the entire way (Michael, my English cycling friend, says he thinks a rough road takes off a mile per hour from your ride, I say that it is exhausting.), it was cold with a headwind and it threatened rain all day. Fortunately it did not rain much and I made it into town around 3 pm and found a decent hotel and a good cafe across the street.

No photos for a couple of days because, at this point, everything begins to look alike. 

Generally I'm doing well. Thank you for the many kind emails with encouragement and warm wishes. 

TX IS A LOOOOOONG STATE

A tough few days, rolling hills with a road that drops 100+- feet into canyons with a tough climb out, and it is humid! Some overcast skies, which is great but town after town (it is generous to call them towns) with little more than falling down buildings, empty stores, and absolutely nothing between them. 

A DAY OFF IN MARATHON

First, MY SEAT CAME!!! And right after John, from the Alpine bike shop (photo below), installed it and adjusted it and I got some food I rode 32 miles into Marathon and my derriere did not hurt. I stopped twice to make small adjustments and will likely do a few more for the next week. 

Ain't she a beauty. I'll let you know how it works out over the next several days. 

One of the things I love about this part of Texas is that they have virtually no building codes
so that people who are not crazy rich can build inventive and wonderful projects without interference.
I'd think about moving here just to build some crazy straw bale houses.  

Post cards on the way to Zain & Wilder with cool stamps. 

This is the outdoor kitchen of the hostel I'm staying at. The houses on this site are inventive and
a little crazy. It reminds me of The Bread & Puppet Circus. I took off today (Friday) and read
and let my sore muscles recover. I was here alone until this evening when four young women
showed up, one of whom is getting married on Thanksgiving. I will leave early tomorrow. 

My bike is to the right, while I wait for the UPS guys to find my new bike seat.
They were having a meeting with the drivers and they barely noticed I was there.

I found this white buffalo head beautiful. I had to touch him on my way
into the bar and on the way out too.   

A pretty good breakfast burrito in Alpine. 

I liked the name. 

Every day that I try to take photos that convey the beauty of the country I'm cycling through I'm disappointed that I don't have my good camera. The views and the mountains are stunningly beautiful, especially in the mornings and evenings. These will have to do. 

And then there is another one of these installations in the 

middle of absolutely no where. I can't say that I get it. 

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.