The word for today is CHILLY! When we started riding the temp was 29 but wind chills were 19 degrees. Burrrr… I started riding with four layers on top and three on the bottom.
Within five miles my back tire felt spongy and I could tell there was more effort required to pedal the bike forward. We pulled over and discovered the tire was very low and tire sealant sprayed all over my seat bag. However it looked like the sealant did its job and sealed the puncture so all good! Tom just added air and we were on our way.
About 35 miles into our ride we came across the infamous Prada “store” – out in the middle of nowhere. Read more about it here. We stopped only briefly to snap pics and cycled on to Valentine.
Riding out of Valentine Tom saw what looked to be another spy balloon. I kid you not. It wasn’t until 10-12 miles later we found out what it was but we had a lot of fun guessing what it COULD be as we were riding along. Check out the vid for an up-close look.
We hoped to camp out in Marfa as there is a hip camping spot and Marfa is known as a Dark Sky area which is perfect for stargazing but again, with temps in the teens it was too cold for our equipment.
Life is seldom what we expect but IS what we make of it. As it turns out the hot shower felt pretty darn good after a long day of cycling in the cold. We walked a little under a mile to town and reminisced about the day over a tasty meal and bevvies in a warm restaurant.
We’ve been hovering around 4,000 feet of elevation for the past few weeks and will climb back up to 5,000 feet today when we ride up and over Paisano Pass.
And for about the next 250 miles, Highway 90 will be our new BFF as we cycle her all the way to Bracketville, TX. In its hey day US 90 (before I-10), went all the way from Van Horn, Texas to Jacksonville, Florida. Although grateful for interstates, the reroutes have taken their toll on small towns. It’s like peddling through history riding through them along US 90.
For the second graders:
Joey wants to know if you worry riding your bike when the trucks and cars go so fast? Thank you for your question Joey. Yes we do worry a little bit. Before our day of riding begins we hold hands, turn to the sun and pray that God keep the drivers around us alert, that he keeps our bikes working mechanically sound, we pray for mental and physical strength and very importantly, we pray for the well being of our family, friends and neighbors at home. So prayers are important to us! Also we have lots of practice riding in traffic and never assume the drivers see us. In other words we get out of their way when we can.
Abby wants to know what you do when you get a flat tire. We cry. No just kidding Abby. 😁 We don’t cry. In fact today we almost had a flat but the tire fixed itself with sealant and Mr. Gardner pumped the tire back up. He carries a miniature pump to fix flat tires. He also has extra inner tubes he can put in the tire if the sealant doesn’t work. Mr. Gardner is the best!
Off to Marathon, Texas today and dreaming of the day we reach the town of Marathon in the Florida Keys. ☀️💦🌴
Click on the image below to view more pics and vids:
Keep Calm and Pedal On 