Days 194 & 195: Fort Davis State Park, TX

We looked for signs that Reiner was stirring before we headed out, but it appeared he was sleeping in, so we didn't get a chance to say goodbye or get his picture.  

There was a light headwind as I resumed our trek westward, but the shoulder was smooth and it was pleasant riding weather.  About 12 miles down the road the wind shifted to a brisk tailwind, allowing me to ride between 27 and 32 mph for the next six miles, where Alea then took over in the saddle.  The fair winds and smooth shoulders only stayed with her for about two more miles, then it was more rough shoulders and fickle winds for both of us for the remainder of the day.

A reminder that there are dangers on the road.

And a sign that someone has a sense of humor...

The road between Alpine, TX and Fort Davis, TX should have been worry free, but it seems there is a pipeline under construction somewhere north of Fort Davis.  About every 15 minutes or so we would be passed by a semi hauling two very large sections of steel pipe (probably 3 foot diameter or larger).  That shouldn't have been a problem, except that the very first one that we saw change lanes fish-tailed rather wildly.  So the thought was always on our minds that we needed to be pay attention to them as they passed, in case we needed bail out to avoid getting hit.

The landscape continued to become more scenic as we headed toward the Davis Mountains, and the small towns that we passed through appeared to be more prosperous than those we had seen recently.  The improved scenery is a bit of a relief, as we had anticipated mile after mile of monotonous high desert rocks and scrub all the way to El Paso.

We had split the day into three parts, mainly so that Alea could avoid the hills.  I rode 18 miles, then Alea took over for 25 miles, and I did the final 16 miles, for a total of 59 miles for the day.  We've got some long days ahead of us between here and El Paso, so in anticipation we had planned a rest day here in Fort Davis.

We are camped at Fort Davis State Park ($20, power, water, adjustable showers), where there has been a gathering of Casitas for the past week (Casitas are 13-17 foot long fiberglass campers with a very loyal following).  We got the last available water & electric site for the two nights that we are staying here (Thursday and Friday).

Lana continues to be the intrepid hunter, this time discovering a live Texas brown tarantula trundling through our campsite.  We have been warned that in addition to snakes, lizards and scorpions, that bears, mountain lions and javelinas frequent our campground.  Lana is potential mountain lion bait, while the bears and javelinas are more likely to come through at night to rummage through trash.

It cooled off dramatically on Friday, with a cold front blasting through just before dawn.  The high today is forecast to be in the mid-60s, and the low tonight will be in the mid 40s.  It will stay cool on Saturday, when we resume traveling.  So, as long as we don't have any strong contrary winds, it should be good weather for doing a long day in the saddle.

We ventured into Fort Davis on Friday to do some laundry, visit Fort Davis National Historic Site, get cash and buy a few groceries.  The old fort is an Indian War's-era frontier outpost, and one of the best surviving examples in the Southwest.

While doing laundry we met a Swiss gentleman who is part of a large organized bicycle tour going from San Diego to Saint Augustine.  He said a fair number of people have already bailed out, mainly due to the distances that they were covering every day (60-75 miles).  And when they came through Quartzite, AZ the temperature had reached 114 degrees.  He got heat exhaustion during that time, but after seeking treatment was told he could continue on after at least two days rest and rehydration.  He was driven ahead along the route to where the group would camp in two days time, and rested there in a hotel until they caught up with him.

It seems everyone we talk to has some story of people dropping out along the route.  High winds were an issue a few weeks back, and the high heat would only compound that issue.  It seems that summer has held on a little too long this year, though it is looking as though conditions should be better for us by the time we get to Arizona.