It is official. After several days of battling the cold, enduring grueling miles, and dealing with mountains and the effects of higher elevations-we are snowed out. Well, I guess snowed in would be more apt of a phrase. A week ago we left the worldly comforts of San Antonio behind and got back on the road with the belief that we were cresting the learning curve of bike touring. I mean, how hard it is to just ride your bike day after day? You wake up. You get on your bike. You pedal until it hurts. You stop. Pete and I believed we had perfected these simple steps. Then Mother Nature threw us for a loop.
Some cross-country riders refer to their trip as “chasing the sun”. The sun rises early morning in the east tracing a path across the sky towards the west as you ride along with it over your left shoulder. Then, at the end of the days you see it dip behind the horizon shining its last rays on your ultimate Californian destination. The weather occurrences on our trip have created a new reference for cross-country riders, “battling the storms”. The predominant weather systems in the United States travel west to east and we have met them head on. Tropical Storm Ida graced our presence in Pensacola and several cold fronts and low pressure systems have descended on the hilly region of eastern Texas dropping snow and temperatures. Yesterday it was in the low 20’s in Alpine, TX and in the high 60’s in Portland, ME- and to think that Pete and I came south for the warmer climate.
Despite these challenging conditions, the last week has been quite amazing. The first several days from San Antonio allowed us to re-acclimate to the bicycle touring environment and our second day out we traveled an exciting 120 miles from Hondo, TX to Del Rio, TX in less than 10 hours. The surrounding environment has turned into the powerful desert landscapes you see in old Western movies. I have never seen such spectacular views or experienced land so expansive it reminds me of the ocean. Pete and I spent a night at the Seminole Canyon State Park and hiked 6 miles to observe the spectacular Rio Grande and Mexico on the other side.
The next day we woke up and got on the road and instantly encountered torrential freezing rain. We struggled the 20 miles to Langtry and pulled into their visitor center soaking wet and freezing cold. Langtry has a population of approximately 25 and I believe we met most of them as we toured the town and ate and ate and ate. As we began to set up our tents behind the community center a gracious women we had met in one of the local stores sped up in her car. She invited us out of the cold and rain. Marcia and Keith had an RV at their house that wasn’t being used! The night was spectacular. After a dinner of warm tacos, Pete and Keith treated us to an excellent guitar and singing performance. The couple had several friendly pets including the cutest little dog named Scooby. I fell in love. We left late the next morning as the last drops of the rainstorm blew through.

We pushed the 60 miles uphill to Sanderson in extremely cold temperatures. After spending the night, we pedaled on the next morning getting slightly more accustomed to the cold associated with the higher elevation. After another hard 86 mile day we arrived in Alpine, TX and camped in below 20 degree weather. The next morning our tents were frosted in and we knew we needed warmer clothing if we had hopes of making it the 100 miles to Van Horn. We cruised through town looking for a store that might carry warmer clothing. Tru Value saved the day. We both purchased warm wool socks and large blue gloves. The gloves are covered in a rubberized PVC compound. They are simply amazing. Armed with our new gear we pulled out of Alpine at 10 am for a 100 mile trek to Van Horn. A snowstorm was approaching and once we passed through Marfa, TX 25 miles out of town there was nothing else. After lunch in Marfa we trudged on. The tailwind saved the day and we were able to put in several hours of speeds in excess of 20 miles an hour. The miles flew by at this speed and exhausted and cold we arrived safely in Van Horn just as the sun set. Now there is 3 inches of snow and ice on the ground and we are stuck!
Tomorrow we will push on to Las Cruces and Julie’s uncle’s house. We hope to make it their mid day Sunday. After a rest day we should make San Diego quite soon. The last week has been amazing and we have truly experienced the deserts of Texas in all their extremes. The wildlife is amazing and the views just as good. We even met 2 other cross-country riders, the first of our trip. This post is getting long, so I will tell you about Robin and Hassan later! Now, we need this snow to melt. This welcome day of rest should put our legs and minds in good shape for the miles ahead!