Van Horne - Marfa, TX
Daily Route
Daily Elevation
Sleeping inside was great. Waking up and walking outside was not so great. It was really cold and windy. As soon as Tim went outside he decided that he wasn’t going to ride today. Me being the purist, there is no option to ride. Tim’s goal is to ride 95% of the miles. Since the ride is 2,829 miles, then he could miss 142 miles. He decided to cash in on 75 miles today.
As soon as I announced that Tim was taking the day off I was worried that Mel would get the same idea. Like Tim, Mel is dedicated to riding, but is not willing to go through torture to do it. Surprisingly, Mel continued getting dressed.
The bummer of the day was when I moved my bicycle and noticed the rear tire was flat. Yes, that same tire that I put a new tire on yesterday. I guess the good news it that it didn’t go flat on the road. Because Tim isn’t riding today, he volunteered to take down the tent as I replaced the tube.
We knew it was going to be cold this morning, so we planned on leaving at 9:30 AM to allow the temperature to rise a bit. We were ready to ride at 9:30, but the temperature was only 28 degrees with a windchill of 18 degrees! People were bundled up looking like they were getting ready to go skiing when we hit the road. Oh, by the way, Cane, who we met last night, did join us at the start.
As soon as I announced that Tim was taking the day off I was worried that Mel would get the same idea. Like Tim, Mel is dedicated to riding, but is not willing to go through torture to do it. Surprisingly, Mel continued getting dressed.
The bummer of the day was when I moved my bicycle and noticed the rear tire was flat. Yes, that same tire that I put a new tire on yesterday. I guess the good news it that it didn’t go flat on the road. Because Tim isn’t riding today, he volunteered to take down the tent as I replaced the tube.
We knew it was going to be cold this morning, so we planned on leaving at 9:30 AM to allow the temperature to rise a bit. We were ready to ride at 9:30, but the temperature was only 28 degrees with a windchill of 18 degrees! People were bundled up looking like they were getting ready to go skiing when we hit the road. Oh, by the way, Cane, who we met last night, did join us at the start.
Preparing to ride in 28 degree weather
The first stop is at a roadside picnic area at mile 22. Before we hit the first mile, my hands were getting very cold. I was thinking that there was no way I would make it to mile 22 without stopping to try to warm my hands. About 4 miles later is when Bill asked me to call Patrick and ask him to come pick up Mel. When I called Patrick, the first thing he asked was if I had a flat…haha Patrick! I really don’t blame Mel, it was pretty torturous to be out there.
About 20 minutes later Patrick arrived with the pickup truck and Mel immediately got in to warm up. Since Bill now needs a tandem partner, Jackie volunteered to take Mel’s place as the stoker.
About 20 minutes later Patrick arrived with the pickup truck and Mel immediately got in to warm up. Since Bill now needs a tandem partner, Jackie volunteered to take Mel’s place as the stoker.
Jackie in Mel's seat
We now had about 12 miles we arrived at the picnic area. At least Bill, Jackie, Mary, and I made it. Jim and Kane were nowhere to be seen. Jackie checked her phone and saw a message from Jim that he had a flat. We tried waiting for them to catch up, but it was cold and windy. There was ice in my water bottle!
Actual ice formed in my water bottle!!
We tried hiding behind the pillars of the gazebo and other structures, but there was no escape.
 Trying to escape the wind |  More attempts at hiding from the wind |
When that failed to warm us, we tried a group hug. I think Bill starting feeling warm, but it didn't help the rest of us.
Group hug
After 15 minutes we had to leave. The next stop is to meet Patrick around Valentine, TX about 15 miles from here. About 1 mile before Valentine, in the middle of nowhere, was…well….this:
Huh?!? Wha?!?
Here is Bill’s interpretation of the Prada in the middle of nowhere:
Patrick couldn’t resist parking near the Prada, so we jumped into the RV for a nice break. Jim and Kane arrived and we were all together. After our long break was over, the temperature finally rose to 38 degrees. It actually felt warm in the sun. The map showed a town call Ryan coming up in 16 miles. There wasn’t a town, but there was a Ryan Ranch with a pretty cool gate. It seemed like a good place for a photo:
Fun photo
We met Patrick again and took another much needed break. This is when we found out that Kane now had a flat tire, so Kane and Jim fell back a couple of miles again. At least this time we could wait in the RV instead of in the cold.
After the break we only had 22 miles left for the day. Unfortunately, the wind was very unfavorable and was blowing directly into us. I then spent the next 22 miles looking at the back of Mary and then Bill and Jackie having them block the wind for me. I did get some pretty good photos though.
After the break we only had 22 miles left for the day. Unfortunately, the wind was very unfavorable and was blowing directly into us. I then spent the next 22 miles looking at the back of Mary and then Bill and Jackie having them block the wind for me. I did get some pretty good photos though.
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Cane joined us today,
Finally, just after 6 PM, we made it to Marfa, Texas. We heard this was supposed to be a pretty cool town, so we planned on going out to dinner. What we didn’t know was that this was a pretty cool town during the weekend. The rest of the week everything is closed, so we wound up at the only restaurant opened, a Mexican place. It was actually pretty good.
Dinner at Mando’s after a long cold day
We arrived back at the RV park and everyone retired to their sleeping place. Tim and I went to the tent preparing for a cold night. The good thing is that tomorrow is an off day, so we can stay in the tent until it warms up. Oh...by the way...we hit 1,000 miles today!! It was so cold that no one even noticed it to celebrate. We will have to make it up when we hit 2,000 miles.
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