March26, 60.75 in 4:30 hrs. Woke up this morning with the wind just whalin' away. I had serious concerns about the direction it was blowing, but my fears turned out to be needless because it was at my back! It was cold, and I started out with gloves, a head warmer under the helmet, and long pants. It didn't take long to start shedding layers however. The breeze(wind! ) was cool all day, but the sun was out and it warmed into the 60's. I really started going up and down today, but it seemed like the up hills were very long and gradual, and I was flying on the downhills. There were many large canyon beds with no water in the creeks, and some big mountains were always visible on my left. They might be in Mexico. I hit 44 miles per hour going down one of the hills, but the bridge at the bottom was really bumpy and I thought things were going to start flying off the bike. According to the Garmin GPS on the bike, I finished the day 1500 ft higher in elevation than I started it. We are at 2800 feet above sea level, in what they call the high desert. I did notice some new types of plants in the higher elevations, and the cactus are starting to bloom. I always wanted to be in the desert in the spring to see all the flowers blooming there were yellows, purples, and some bright reds almost everywhere, and they really stood out because the ground is pretty much all rock, with no type of grasses growing. Pretty neato!
The road once again, was pretty smooth as far as Texas chip seal roads go, and traffic was REALLY minimal. About half way I stopped to visit two lady riders (Cheryl and Shirley), who were stopped on the shoulder with their support vehicle, a small motor home, and their driver, Don. They had Pennsylvania plates, and one was from the Harrisburg area. They invited me in for a sit down, and we chatted and compared notes for quite a while. They were on their way from Las Vegas to St. Augustine, like others I have met, and they were fighting the cool winds that I was benefiting from.
I spent a great amount of time riding no handed today, which means the roads were good, and the wind was directly at my back, because even a little side gust, and this bike is so light that I have to hold on to steer it. What a great day! And they said I was going the wrong direction, into the west wind and uphill! It's been all good for two days, but you know how that goes!
At the campground, Pam and I hiked up to the top of one of the bluffs, or was it a butte? (Help me out here Tirzah!) we overlooked the town of Sanderson, and it was very scenic. When we got back to the RV, a guy knocked on my door, and it turned out to be a seventy year old gentleman who was riding the same direction as me. (First one I've met). His name was Alex, and he is riding for the Wounded Warrior Project. His wife was also following him in a motor home, and directing logistics, as well as taking notes so she could write a book about the people they met and the veterans who told their story to them. Their goal is to raise $100,000 on a trip from St. Augustine to Seattle. We spent the evening talking, swapping stories, and comparing mental notes. His website is www.joinalex.com if you want to check him out. They have been staying at a lot of the same places as us, and it is great to hear that a lot of the campgrounds and restaurants have been giving them donations, free or reduced stays and meals. They have also been doing some newspaper and tv types of publicity for the effort.
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| Spring is coming to the desert! |
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| Just a battered Texas flag in the middle of nowhere |
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| Claret cup cactus - beautiful! |
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| Cheryl and Shirley on their way to St Augustine FL |
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| One of the few and far between places to stop for a drink. |
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| More claret cups |
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| Now you get the rest of the story! This is what high desert looks like. |
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| Rail road tracks following 90 |
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| Texas decor |
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| Train passing our campground - we were up on a hill looking down |
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| Our campground - our rig is the tan and dark color to the right of the white rig. |
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| The ranch near our campground had this on their fence - thought it was cool. |
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| Starting up the hill - wind was wicked. Pam got bad windburn on her face - screaming red! |
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| On top of the hill looking down onto Sanderson |
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| Finally got a picture of Mike riding. |
From the pictures I'd say it was a bluff (high, steep bank) because the top appears to be a mesa unless it was quite extensive then it is a plateau (miles and miles and miles of flat). A butte has a top that is small flat area at the top smaller than a mesa (miles of flat).
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