Days 196 & 197: Van Horn, TX

Here are some views from Skyline Drive in Fort Davis State Park.  The first picture hints at the volcanic geology of the area, appearing to be very weathered basalt.  We are glad we passed through here, but it is a logistical challenge for most cyclists to get here on Adventure Cycling's Southern Tier Route, since for most of those traveling eastbound it is necessary to ride 50 miles through open desert before beginning a 30 mile climb during the heat of the day, before finally coasting downhill to Fort Davis.

Before we broke camp on Saturday (Day 196), we got to see some javelinas that were moving along the dry creek bed behind our campsite.  It was barely daybreak, so most of our photos were blurred, but we did manage to get at least one halfway decent photo.  There were probably a dozen or more of them, though most scattered for cover when we got near.

We had 86 miles to cover in order to get to Van Horn, TX.  I started out riding into the clouds shrouding the Davis Mountains, hoping that perhaps we could climb above them to the sunshine, but that was not to be.  Instead, as the morning progressed, the fog turned to rain, then to thunderstorms.  

Since I started the day with a long climb, I dressed light enough to prevent getting overheated.  But once we were at the top of the pass, the terrain changed to medium rollers, with some chilling descents.  Alea provided great support, as evidenced by the pictures above - I would add or subtract clothing to attempt to stay comfortable as the weather and terrain were continually changing.

The temperature hovered within a few degrees of either side of 52 degrees all morning.  At one point the rain became steady and then came down quite hard, with occasional thunder and lightning.  So Alea waited for me and we decided to stop for a while to see if we could wait out the storm.  We layered some warm clothes over my cycling clothes (allowing my body heat to dry them a bit) and I changed my wet socks and attempted to dry out my shoes, gloves and ear muffs.  After about an hour wait, the rain was down to a light drizzle and I set off again.

In total I rode 48 miles to I-10, where Alea took over, riding the final 38 miles into Van Horn, most of it downhill and with a tailwind.

We are camped at Van Horn RV Park ($40, power, water, cable TV, slow wi-fi, adjustable showers), a former KOA and now a Good Sam park.  As in most RV parks that are located in proximity to freeway interchanges, our camper sticks out from the crowd.  And it doesn't help that we are in clear sight of the entrance - people notice us both coming and going.

Nice security system...

We used our day off in Van Horn to get some things done.  First on the agenda was to find a route to El Paso that didn't require us to ride 106 miles in one day.  We have decided to ride about 55 miles north to camp at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, then about 80 miles west to Hueco Tanks State Park, which will then put us about 25 miles outside of El Paso.  It will be a bit longer route than the Southern Tier Route, but there will be far fewer turns and it will bypass most of the traffic in El Paso.  And it should get us into El Paso early enough to take care of all the shopping that we will need to do there.

Next on the agenda was getting the truck bed liner on the 2x2 that we've mounted on the van to support our new awning.  We've been wanting to do that since Austin, but either weather or our schedule has prevented doing so.

Other minor chores included getting the cabin laundry done, since Lana had gotten sick in there last week.  And writing out a few simple conversational phrases in Spanish, so that Alea and I can start getting used to using what we have learned thus far for simple communication.

I'm guessing this is what we will want to be when we grow up???