I posted this this AM but don't know where it went. Have been out all day and just checking in and the computer access is over...sigh. I appreciate all the wonderful comments...I am having a great time and LOVE Texas !

Hard to remember where I left off ! Everything moves so quickly and we see so much. Just to let everyone know some details before I start my "factual" report. We are now just 3 people. Gretchen was feeling badly the other day and the wind was high and we decided to separate for the day. We caught back up but lots of things were just not working so she is traveling alone from now on. She has years of experience with this and is quite glad to do it I think. Pete and KIm and I are well suited to each other and are going on together.

Also you probaly wonder how I am getting back to Alabama. I am going to take the train from San Diego. It has a great route on certain days of the week. I can go to LA and then straight to New Orleans and then B'ham AL. It is only $215. My bike is free .I will work on resting and my "book" and just reentry.

So here goes.

Easter Sunday : April4--50 miles./ avg 12mph

We are headed to LAngtry TX. This is the home of Judge Roy Bean and there is a museum here. There are no services either on the way or when we get there except at the tiny store and community center. I called them and they say they will be open on Easter. We have to carry all the water etc that we will need for the day. WINDY...why am I always surprised at that I will never know....this is TX. I had little sleep as the tent hates wind and flaps and rustles and pulls the stakes out. Great way to start the day...I can wrestle a tent into submission much as a bull rider does his bull.

We had coffee at the office of the campsite and I got on the computer for a second. Bought OJ and chocolate milk for the ride. I love chocolate milk and find it goes very well with fig newtons. We hads a great ride over Evans Creek Bridge. Lots of beautiful views and wild flowers. I will have to come back in the Spring to get even more pics of them as I can't stop for every pic or I would never get to our destination.

The hills continue to be big rollers and they are easy at the moment as we have a tail wind. YEAH !

Kim got her first flat. We are in Comstock. She had it fixed quickly by herself as she was behind and we didn't even know she had one. Everything here is closed. We went through the Immigration inspection. When you are right by the border you see the Border Patrol everywhere. They are hard workers I think. There are piles of large tires on the dirt road that parallels Hwy 90. At nioght they drag the tires on the dirt road to make a pattern and then they dirve the road in the AM looking for new prints....sigh...

We had oatmeal and more of the wonderful cinnamon pecans for breakfast. a banana too. Pb crackers now and the OJ I bought. We are at Semonole Canyons visitor center now. It is wonderful and wish we could do a tour but they don't have one now. NOone can go through the canyons w/o a guide since they are preserving the petroglyphs. Did the nature walk though and it was interesting. Very hot here.

Arrived in Langtry. WOW .,,,it is a town of 17 people. Most of the place is a ghost town. A little man and his wife have a few RV sites and we set up our tents. They are the owners of the store too with one of their 8 sons. They had their 60 th wedding ann. today. Wonderful people. It is free to stay and they open the store for us. We get beer and juice. There is a guy in another RV and he offers to cook us dinner. He has some problems but seems safe enough. We later get another dose of his friendship , on down the road....should have been a little more cautious. Anyway dinner was very good.

We saw the Pecos River and it is beautiful. Also the Red River. Eagle Nest creek has no water but has an amazing echo...Kim and I take advantage of that :)

Another camper pulled in . WE borrowed a cooler from the elderly couple that have the RV sites to keep our stuff cold. In the early AM as we are leaving Langtry the woman in the other RV comes out to see us off. SHe looks at our biks and my trailer and says, " I have one question...how in the world do you carry the cooler ?" We just about die laughing...of course I just bungee it to the trailer....haha.

April 5th. 60 mile. mile long hills 4hr and 42 min riding time.

Had an early start. I had a roma tomato and a hard boiled egg for breakfast with vinagrette and salt and pepper...all on a cinna bagle...yum !

Beautiful views and long long hills....up 6 mph down 25 mph....fun but hard work. Got to Dryden and not much in the way of services. We knew this was going to happen. Had another bagel with pb and a coke. Bought a yogurt parfait but am saving it.

Everytime we come up over a rise the scenery changes...most amazing. Made great time to Sanderson. Very small town...only 800. Great RV park and only $10. Very clean. Had a chili cheese burger and salad for dinner at a tiny cafe. Drank 3 lrg waters....so dry every day. Slept OK. Kim had her 2nd flat today.

Tues Apr6th. 6hr and 23 min riding time today. avg 8.2 mph

Slep OK but didn't get an early start. Again we have no services. We stopped and bought food at a gas station . What a different ride today. Long long slight climbs. for first 30 miles. We are gaining 100ft per mile. Pete rode on ahead and Kim and I rode together....then the wind started . Wow the worst yet for the trip. 20 mph with 30 gusts. Only able to go 5 mph at time. WE had this for mile after mile then....Wayne the RV guy showed up...he offered us a beer...very wierd that he is here on the road/ At least he offers us water which we are out of by now. We go on for the next 5 miles very vert slow and a struggle. He shows up at the campground and is very angry and swearing...pretty scary. He leaves tomorrow AM and we won't see him again....I have edited this...

Wind gave me and the tent fits and then it completely stopped at 8 PM . Had a good dinner of Uncle Ben's rice dinner in a bag. If you add things it is very tasty. Slept well till 5 AM then the wind started again. Took great sunset pics.

Wed. April 6 58 miles/6hr 22min riding time.

Wind restarted at 5 AM...whoa...it is so cold and dark. I hate this so much. Everyone else is still asleep. The only good thing is that stars are so close it seems I could touch them. I pack up all my stuff in the dark and wind and then go sit in the bathroom where it is warm and wait for dawn. I am feeling very sad and lonely and wish I were home. I guess I am having a pity party .

We had a great breakfast at a cafe which really helps to set things to rights in my head. So our ride today....first 24 miles was 20-30 mph winds. It was an amazing challenge to cont. riding. This is where we really get to test our fortitude. The best way to handle riding in this kind of wind is to find the gear that allows you to spin effortlessly and then just relentless forward motion. You cannot fight it and it is a waste of time to try and push. The wind always wins. The last 8 miles into Alpine was wonderful as the wind stopped. We had a marvelous lunch at a Trattoria. We had planned to stay the night here due to the wind but now that it is so beautiful out and we are full of pizza and a salad we decide to go on. This is where our final separation from Gretchen begins.

We ride on to Ft Davis w/ her. There are 2 climbs into town and the second one was a real challenge at the end of the day...I was in my 23rd gear of 24...sheesh...come on GIRLFRIEND...get it in gear. Spin !

There are no cheap places here to stay as it is a real tourist town. Beautiful though. There is a huge bicycle event this weekend and we befriend some cyclist and they get the owner , Kelly, of the Butterfiield Inn to give us a great price on a room. They also cook us dinner. I repay them for this by buying them beer and a strawberry bread for dessert. I also dump my whiole plate of spaghetti on their carpet. This is a similar incident to the one in Houston TX in 1984, when Garett did it too in the apt we rented while Robert worked at NASA. I didn't balance the plate on my head as he did though...oh well we got up the stain with peroxide and Dawn. So remember this if you ever decide to do the same.

Had a great conversation with Collin while I did our laundry.

April 8th . 80 miles !!!!!!! I have never ridden this far in one day before. WOW ! I am awesome ! Well we had down hills for a long way and a tail wind but who cares...80 is 80 right ??? Anyway we avg 12 mph for the 1st 40 miles to Valentine TX. We were supposed to go a different way up a 14 % grade to McDOnald Observatory but we decided to take an off route and go this way on to Van Horn. It was a great choice. We will have to come back in the future.

As we rode the miles of open land it was a beautiful landscape. I know I use the adjective so often. I will have to look up others to add spice to my reports.

When we left Ft Dqavis we were on 17. Then we turned onto 166. This is an wonderful road. There is open range here. It is the first that we have seen in TX since the Texans love their fences. Anyway we were riding our mighty metal steeds and as we rounded a bend in the road I looked up and there on a hill in the distance sat a small group of Native Americans on their majestic horses. They gazed at us in silence only the wind making harmonics to the tune we heard in our heads. Further up the road I was sure I was seeing an ocean of brown waves but it was 100's of cattle being herded by cowboys on the open range toward Spring pastures. We were mesmerized by the sight. Antelope ran at our sides as we cycled as did mule deer. There was even a very small heard of buffalo....

As we reached the intersection of 505 we left the real world behind and returned to the realty of our ride...a passenger train blocking the turn onto Hwy 90 to let a passenger off.

We arrived in Valentine. A most charming a quiet place. Only a library here and a community center. WE stay at the library for an hour or so and eat our lunch. It is in a restored home donated by the Johnson Family. I am going to send them books and also am leaving all of my women authors collection of books to them in my will. I will definitely be back.

Onto Van Horn. Called family that lives here...actually my nephew Aaron's inlaws but they are in Ft Worth so we will do the tourist thing tomorrow ( today) and go to Red Rock Ranch for a tour. We are taking a much needed day off...I am in love once again with the touring....more at a later date....love you all c