Today has been another good solid 85 miles cycling, and with a large chunk of it downhill it's also been fairly relaxing for the most part, if seriously warm. It's 100F in the shade. Out on the unsheltered road, I have no idea. Add to the mix the fact from 12:00 the tarmac is so warm it's cooking you from underneath and a 20mph wind, and you have the uncomfortable sensation of being in a fan oven. I've given myself blisters on my feet because in the heat of the day the clip-in black pedal shoes get so hot you have to keep wriggling them around to stop the feeling of your toes burning. Uncomfortable.
As breakfast was not provided in the motel I ate in a great little cafe in town, and got chatting to the old bloke on the table next door to me (well technically on my table, because when he arrived in the cafe he strode straight up to me and politely, but firmly informed me "this is my seat, please can you move." Love Texas). In amongst telling me about the area, which consisted of cows, dinosaur fossils, the national park, and cows on loop, he did drop a staggering fact: It has not rained in Alpine since 22 September.On a narrowly personal front this explains why my lips are brutally cracked, but on a wider scale explain the bush fires that are sweeping West Texas. Mile after mile of my journey today was through scorched blackened earth stretching off into the hills. It must've been brutal when it came through, and the odd charred home are errie to see. Seeing as people have died and the governor is trying to declare a federal emergency, it seemed wrong to take pictures.
Not that anyone would've seen me for most of the day. The day split neatly into two. The first half, when not in burnt areas was through more of the vast empty open savannah lands, and the second through the slightly stifling gullies and canyons of the Davies mountains tail, where the sudden high cliffs either side trapped the heat and made riding very hot. The big feature of the day however was long long stretches without seeing anyone. The longest was well over 20 mins; no cars, no buildings, nothing.
Not that I was complaining. The tarmac round here is so rough, I was forced to ride out in tire track grooves rather than on the shoulder for chunks of the day. Most drivers where great, but a few displayed a country trait I'm not a fan of.In every rural community all over the world there is a minority of individuals that view anyone who's either not from their community or doing something they perceive as different, as not only someone to be suspicious of, but to actively teach a lesson to. When this is in the form of a tirade in a Dorset pub this is faintly amusing, if tedious, when it involves a multi-ton farm lorry or cattle bar bearing pick-up truck racing down on you at full speed, on roads where they is plenty of room to over take, it very tedious and unnerving. I spent the second half of the day endlessly looking over my shoulder defensively, mostly at an empty road.
Not much else to report. In 85 miles I passed through only one town/village/ human community. It was the tidy little town of Marathon, and I'm laid up in the village of Sanderson, which is basically a petrol station with a few buildings attached. Whilst the countryside round here is beautiful and the small towns look decent, give me a big city any day. If you're bought into and succeeding at the whole cowboy dream, this must be heaven, but just the thought of being a kid out here with other plans or aspirations this far from anywhere, makes me feel claustrophobic.
Sanderson is fine, even if the dining options appear to be limited to the deep fried food available in the petrol station, but today is definitely the first time on this trip, and possibly ever, that I've wished I had a tent. I got into the village at 14:30, and with the next motel a full 86 miles on, I had no option but to stop for the night. I would much rather have pushed on this evening and camped, so I'm going to buckle up, take on the rehydrated delights at the petrol station, go to bed....and then leave before dawn.
Route - Alpine - Marathon - SandersonBreakfast - Cinnamon roll and Bacon and Egg Croissant - Judy's Bread and Breakfast. Went for a big breakfast so I could push on through lunch. Nice little spot even if the student waitress yawned twice without covering here mouth, whilst taking my order. These things annoy me.
Lunch - Almond Cliff Bar (a favorite) and beef steak nuggets. Lunch for kings, whilst on the road
Supper - Well it's going to have to be something from Stripes petrol station, pretty sure it's not going to be a culinary treat.
