Trip Journal Post 2: Day 5-9

Day 5: Silver City to Arrey, NM (83 miles) We left Silver City, NM pedaling deep rolling hills until it turned into a gradual climb into the foothills. The highest mountain pass on the entire Southern Tier was just ahead. The ascent was broken up by some very fast downhills where we repeatedly lost hard earned elevation gains. I hung with Curt throughout all the climbs today. I'm getting stronger each day. We topped Emory Pass (8228') about noon and FLEW the 19 miles down to Hillsboro. The only restaurant flipped the closed sign at our approach so it was a bag of chips only. There was a new place soon to open and the owner gave us a tour of a beautifully renovated adobe motel and restaurant. I don't recall the name, but it will be a great place to stay for future cyclists and she has already submitted her info to Adventure Cycling. We came out of that valley into a headwind and pushed our way to the state campgrounds along the Rio Grande in Arrey, NM. We had a great time visiting with all the curious locals in the Arrey Cafe for both dinner and breakfast. We pitched camp on a pile of Goatheads that filled my shoes, and threatened to flatten both tires and sleeping pads.
Day 6: Arrey, NM to Las Cruces, NM (57 miles) The sunny, warm weather continued to hold with winds out of the south at 8-12 mph. I awoke to a front flat (not Goatheads, some steel belts wire instead) which I fixed in short order. We finally started at around 0900; the wind started at 1100 and there wasn't anything until Las Cruces so we pushed on. We made Cruces at 1430 and checked into a cheap but very comfortable motel, the Teakwood. My rearend is nearly raw with no relief in sight! If this continues I won't be able to ride much longer. I WILL be replacing this seat with a Brooks in the future.
Day 7: Las Cruces, NM to Fabens, TX. (78 miles) The Lord blessed me with a miracle; My rearend recovered during the night and I was easily able to complete the mileage today. Today was miles of well-manicured Pecan orchards and cotton fields. We reached El Paso at lunchtime, crossing into Texas, but without a photo since there wasn't a border sign. Yesterday I developed a rattling noise somewhere near my bottom bracket. Since my rear cassette came apart on the last training ride, I've been nervous. (This intermittent noise is only while under pressure on the right-side pedal down stroke.) Chris worked on my bike immediately. He wasn't able to locate the problem, but, since he pulled it apart, it's gone. We fooled around in El Paso for 2 hours and headed to Fabens, TX. where we checked into a motel and, as usual, went to bed early and tired.
Day 8: Fabens to Van Horn, TX (65 miles riding, 33 more as passengers!) Trip total is over 500 miles.) We were shooting for 98 miles today, hoping to make up for some mileage shortages on prior days. We left the motel at 0715, skipping breakfast to put in the pedal time.The wind was not going to cooperate though. It started out at 8 mph, but quickly kicked up to 20 to Fort Hancock, and eventually 30 mph to Sierra Blanca, slowing us to a crawl. (Curt has the roughest time in the wind because of his lighter weight.) We ate lunch in a dumpy restaurant and considered our problem. The wind nearly stopped our progress and the temperature was beginning to drop. I suggested that we hitch a ride to Van Horn as resources in Sierra Blanca were slim and seedy. We rolled across the street to a Chevron, I asked a guy that had just pulled up in a pickup, and he took us east for an additional 33 miles.
Day 9: Van Horn, TX (0 miles) We had to take a day off here in Van Horn. We awoke to rain and 15 mph NE winds which continues as I type. The temperature according to Accuweather is Real Feel of 21 degrees because of the wind chill. Apparently Texas, along with much of the country is having a return of winter weather. Guess we will rest up and regroup for the road ahead. There are few services for next few days so it's probably just as well. The only services here are a dollar store, bars, motels, and restaurants. I'm not sure what keeps towns like Van Horn alive. The weather forecast for tomorrow shows warmer temps but higher winds. If that is accurate, we will deviate from the established route, turning south on 90, to avoid the direct head wind and reevaluate at Alpine, TX. In the immortal words of Clint Eastwood, "improvise, adapt, overcome."
Mind: Most of the time I'm scanning the road for obstacles and for terrain changes ahead. Much of the time is also spent maintaining a consistent level of exertion and even pace. I often catch myself singing the same song repeatedly, kinda like a mantra. It's amazing the amount of lyrics to dumb songs that I can remember. So much for deep thinking! I worry about how things are going at home and miss Tracy and the boys. Waxing philosophical yesterday, I considered how much this trip is like life-I expect the hills to be hard, but even the downhills are difficult when a strong wind is in your face.
Body: My conditioning is improving daily. I doubt that I have lost a single pound unless peeling skin counts. I sheared my hair off before the start and the sun has burnt right through the holes in the helmet so even my head in peeling. Although my legs are tired at days end, they recover quickly. My rearend is bruised and welted, but slowly recovering. Both of us have had an odd burning sensation in the balls of our left feet, especially after long upgrades.
Soul: We have seen a wide variety of beautiful country in the last week. It's hard to imagine anything but the wonder of God's creation out here. I feel His presence giving us safe passage.